Bay City Rowing Club
Bay City, Michigan
Presents...
|
Being a fixture on the river, it was only natural that the Bay City Central High Crew join the flotilla of boats that escorted the Appledore to its new home port.
Two crews, a boys four and a girls four, met after school and rowed the several miles to the Independence Bridge to await the schooner. From there they joined the flotilla and rowed back to the downtown riverfront.
Among the 30 dignitaries who made the final leg of the voyage from Traverse City was Bay City Central rower Kelley Kent. 
Arrival at Bay City was the end of a four day voyage following the historic schooner routes around Michigan's lower pennisual. In the mid to late 1800's schooners were the most common vessels on the Great Lakes, transporting lumber and commodities throughout the vast lumbering country.
Bay City, thought to be the home of the real Paul Bunyan, was the heart of shipping and lumbering in those days. The riverfront would have been lined with schooners and other sailing ships that provided the essential transportation throughout the wild north country.
The Appledore is a modern, steel hulled schooner. This vessel is the fourth in a line of schooners bearing the name Appledore. The boats were built for an around the world adventure. The steel hull of Appledore IV was designed for the ice around Antarctica.
Bay City's Appledore was purchased by the non-profit organization BaySail. The ship will be the centerpiece of the BaySail Environmental Education Program. Students will be afforded the opportunity to study Great Lakes environmental issues as well as experience a taste of Bay City's historic past.
The Appledore is a member of the not for profit, American Sail Training Association.
HOME PAGE
CREW
CONTENTS
