Finger Lakes Boating Museum’s Annual Show

The Finger Lakes Boating Museum will launch its annual boat show July 24-25 at Geneva Lakefront Park. The museum’s first show at its new home in Geneva will be part of the Cruisin’ Weekend activities. The theme is “Sailing in the Finger Lakes” and the show is free and open to the public. Bill Oben, president of the Boating Museum, said the highlights of the show will include “fleets of boats coming in from across the country, the largest regatta of vintage one-design wooden boats in memory, rebirth of an historic Penn Yan Imperial inboard built during the Depression, Boating Museum-restored Lightning and Snipe sailboats, a Saturday night dinner gathering of show participants and the introduction of the future home of the Boating Museum in Geneva.” The boating museum reached agreement with the City of Geneva last fall to establish a permanent home on the Geneva waterfront in association with the Visitor Center. The facility will be located on the current Geneva Chamber of Commerce site. The boating museum will be displaying sailboats built by several noted Finger Lakes builders, including Brainard, Emmons, Morehouse, Penn Yan Boats, Inc., Skaneateles Boats, Inc., Thompson-Cortland and Murray Wright. The 13th annual show also will include displays of other types of boats made in the Finger Lakes, including trout boats, canoes, row boats, and power boats as well as boating equipment. Displays will be from the Museum’s collection and from private owners. The boat show also will offer classic wooden sailboat racing, workshops for youths and adults on various aspects of boat building such as wood bending and booths by area yacht clubs and collegiate sailing programs.