Come Tuesday, June 23, we'll be seeing visiting Schooners American Eagle, Heritage, Alert and Bowdoin, along with local schooners Eastwind, Lazy Jack sailing in Linekin Bay for Windjammer Days 2015.

At the Jan. 13 Friends of Windjammer Days meeting, Pete Ripley announced that he had received confirmation from the schooner captains.

The Ernestina-Morrissey, at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard for repairs, will not be excluded from the festival. As Ripley said in a phone conversation post meeting, “She won't be in the parade of sail, but she will be part of the party.”

Following the parade of sail, the Bowdoin will be at the town dock and available for tours. Ripley is also working on setting up tours aboard the Ernestina-Morrissey during the Windjammer Days Festival week, June 21-27.

Mark Gimbel, head of sponsorship, said sponsors for the ships, and other festival events, continue to come in.

Regarding the new cross-the-harbor tug-of-war event, Gimbel said representatives from Leighton & Associates and Knickerbocker Group met with event coordinator Korey Lewis and Gimbel early in the new year to assess where the tug would be held.

The location has been determined to be on the inside the footbridge, from the town lot across to the lawn on the other side, a distance of 684 feet.

The Friends committee already has the approval needed to use properties on both sides of the harbor.

Groups or individuals interested in sponsoring one of the two teams, with 10-20 people on each, should contact Mark at markgimbel.mg@gmail.com.

New ideas are flowing among members of the parade committee, led by Stephanie Hawke, Boothbay’s new representative in Augusta. Parade committee member Michelle Davis reported on Hawke's behalf.

Items thrown out for consideration were: creating a permanent “captain of the parade” in addition to the traditional Grand Marshal designation; a dog parade, and extending an invitation to Old St. Nick to join in the fun. You can't help but wonder what he'll wear. Think about it: It'll be a bit warm for his classic fur-trimmed suit. Perhaps red shorts, a white shirt and lots of jingling bells?

Antique Boat Parade coordinators Doug Goldhirsch and Bruce White said they would like to see the reception following the parade at Rocktide better attended — by members of the public.

This reception is a great way for festival goers to see the vintage boats at Rocktide's dock, meet the owners and learn a bit about Lymans, for example.

The 2015 festival marks the second year the Friends of Windjammer Days, a 501(c) group since summer of 2014, has produced the Boothbay region's most longstanding event.

The Friends of Windjammer Days meet at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Boathouse Bistro. Anyone interested in volunteering in the production of the festival is encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit the official Windjammer Days website, www.windjammerdays.org.