Two historic schooners are set to sail into the Port of Rochester for Labor Day Weekend, offering sailing tours on Lake Ontario.
The schooner When and If was built in 1939 for U.S. Gen. George S. Patton, who commissioned the yacht with plans to sail it “when and if” he returned from World War II. The vessel has since been restored and now tours the East Coast and Great Lakes, and recently made a stop in Rochester in June. The Liberty Clipper, a 125-foot wooden schooner modeled after 19th-century Baltimore clipper ships, will join it this weekend.
Bob Whiting of the Ontario Beach Park Committee, who has been helping bring tall ships to Rochester since the 1980s, said these events have helped revive interest in the waterfront.
“The beach and the port area were kind of run down and losing interest in the community,” Whiting said. “But they came down, saw the waterfront, and saw the ships, and they said, ‘Hey, this is a nice resource we have down here.’”
Whiting said the ships’ return reflects a broader effort to bring more attractions to the area, which has grown increasingly popular with residents and visitors.
“I mean, you come down there on the weekend and it's packed,” he said.
The schooners are scheduled to dock at the port Aug 28. and will remain through the weekend.
