Sir/Madam:
In July of 1976 I was Captain of the 75' fishing vessel "Sea Dog" from Gloucester Ma. On the third of July we left Gloucester with the intention of going down to Boston to see the arrival of the tall ships that were coming in for the parade of tall ships for the bicentennial 4th of July celebration. We had several guests on board that we planed to drop off at the Cape Cod Canal before proceeding on our offshore lobstering trip to the canyons south of Cape Cod. After viewing the arrival of several the ships off Boston we left for the canal, at about dusk we came upon the "Bill of Rights" Becalmed at the cape cod bay end of the Canal (see first picture). At that time the schooner had no engine and they had rigged their small tender off the stern and were attempting to push her to Boston, needless to say they were not going to make the trip in time for the parade the next day. I called Capt. Davis and offered a tow to Boston, he was happy to accept as he had some very high priced charterers expecting to ride in the parade. We took the schooner in tow (see second picture) and making about 9 kts arrived in Boston at about 2AM on the morning of the 4th, At that time it was to late to carry out our plan of dropping our guests at the canal so I asked Capt. Davis if he could see to it that they were taken ashore where they could make arraignments to get back to Gloucester. Capt. Davis not only took them but kept them aboard for the night and allowed them to stay onboard for the entire parade the next day (see third picture). The girl in the picture was my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, Kate Somers an artist here on Cape Ann (www,randomartsmagnolia.com ) and this trip was one of the highlights of our time together. We will always treasure our memories of Capt. Joe Davis and the "Bill of Rights"
Respectfully
Glenn Somers
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The BILL OF RIGHTS has a new home in Chula Vista, CA. berthed at the excursion dock build specifically for a such a wonderful vessel. Members of South Bayfront Sailing Association are volunteering daily.. sanding, patching, varnishing, polishing and learning the systems. We have been graced with past crew from the BILL who are lending their knowledge and enthusiasm to this new venture. We hope to have her out sailing soon and are working with the community to develop programs for all ages. We've promised the folk north that she will return to for a visit in 2014 to the sailing grounds that were her home for the past decade. We'd love to hear past stories and connect with BILL OF RIGHTS alumni.. follow our progress at our photo blog: https://schoonerbillofrights.shutterfly.com
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