Tall Ship Empire Sandy to Visit Clayton

Clayton, NY (January 23, 2013) –Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford announced today that Canadian tall ship Empire Sandy has been added to the 2013 festivities.

Tall ship Empire Sandy is expected to help kick off the 2013 edition of the festival on Wednesday, June 12.

Empire Sandy, based out of Toronto, was built in the early 1940s for war service by the British government. It would go on to serve in World War II in the north Atlantic Ocean. The ship is now operated by Nautical Adventures and serves as a cruise ship on Lake Ontario, carrying more than 200 passengers.

The ship is more than 200-feet in length and is a three-mast schooner with a height of 116-feet.

Empire Sandy will join tall ship Lynx (122-feet long, 94-feet tall) in Clayton on June 12 and June 13 before departing for Brockville, Ontario. A complete tour schedule will be announced at a later date.

Folsom named to Lynx Board of Directors

Michael Folsom, 33, organizer of Sailing Seaway Clayton, was recently named to the position of Board member for the Lynx Educational Foundation, operators of tall ship Lynx.

Folsom was responsible for bringing Lynx to the Thousand Islands in June and September of 2011, creating strong interest in tall ships throughout the region. While Lynx was in Clayton, more than 500 people sailed aboard the ship during 2-hour sailing excursions, while several thousand climbed aboard for deck tours.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the folks from Lynx, including Executive Director Jeffrey Woods,” said Folsom. “I look forward to working with those on the Board to ensure the longevity of the ship and continue to grow interest, not only in Lynx, but all tall ships.”

Folsom will act as a public relations liaison for the Foundation and assist the staff and crew with promotional aspects.

Tall ship Lynx recently named Fort Myers Beach, Florida as it’s winter homeport. In 2011, the Clayton community gave a proclamation naming Lynx as Clayton’s “adopted tall ship.”

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June Sailing Excursions Go On Advance Sale Wednesday

Clayton, New York (December 10, 2012) – Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford announced today that sailing excursion tickets will go on sale this week, just in time for the holidays.

For a limited time only, December 12 through December 31, tickets to sail aboard tall ship Lynx in Clayton, New York this coming June will be made available for the holidays.

Tickets will be available at a discounted price of only $65 for adults and $35 for children 4-12 years of age to sail aboard tall ship Lynx on either Friday, June 14 or Saturday, June 15 between Noon and 2 p.m.

Ticket pricing will vary following this promotion.

In 2011, Lynx appeared in Clayton in both June and September, selling out more than a dozen of its sailing excursions.

To purchase tickets, visit the Privateer Lynx website (http://www.privateerlynx.org/) or call the Lynx office at 1-866-446-5969.  

Advance sale concludes on December 31.

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Statement Regarding Tall Ship Bounty

Clayton, New York (October 29, 2012) – Michael Folsom, organizer of the popular Clayton summer festival Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford, which has helped to draw numerous tall ships to the area, has issued the following statement this morning regarding well-known tall ship Bounty.

“It is sad to hear the reports this morning regarding the historic and world famous tall ship Bounty. This national treasure holds a place in the hearts of many, including myself. Prayers go out to the crew and their rescuers during this troubling time.”

Bounty, a 180-foot masterpiece which is best known for its time on the movie screen, is familiar to the upstate New York region, having visited the City of Ogdensburg in June of 2010. The ship had been considering making a visit to Clayton in the summer of 2013 while in the Great Lakes for the upcoming TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE.

DockDogs Splash Into Two-Year Agreement with Clayton Festival

Clayton, New York (August 29, 2012) – Michael Folsom, organizer of the popular Clayton summer festival Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford, has announced the return of DockDogs and the Seaway Splash competition in both June 2013 and June 2014.

"It is with great pleasure that I can say we have reached a long-term agreement to bring this fun and exciting competition back to the region,” Folsom said. “Seaway Splash captured the hearts of many this past summer and helped to draw thousands of people into the Clayton community.”

DockDogs, which first debuted in 2001 in Lake Placid, New York, was a hit during the 2012 edition of the festival and is even well-known on the national level through television networks, including ABC and ESPN. In the past ten years, the sport of dog jumping has grown across North America, resulting in hundreds of competitions each year and nearly 30 organized affiliated clubs, while spanning across 4 countries.

Seaway Splash 2012 saw dogs from across the state, as well as Vermont, Ontario and Ottawa take part.

“This is very exciting news for the Village of Clayton as the 2012 event far exceeded our expectations and will be a wonderful way to kick off the 2013 summer season.  We are extremely fortunate to have Mike Folsom taking such interest and pride in our village and look forward to working with him to bring this event back to our community,” said Norma Zimmer, Village of Clayton Mayor.

The festival and DockDogs have reached a two-year agreement (2013 and 2014) with an option for a third year (2015). Seaway Splash competitions will take place over the course of the June 14-16, 2013 and June 13-15, 2014 weekends, coinciding with the appearance of a tall ship, live music, vendors and more during the annual festival. Times and registration information will become available at a later date. The competition will open to any dog and owner interested in participating.

Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford will enter its third summer in 2013. This past June, more than 11,000 visitors made their way to Frink Park for the event and more than 16,000 people have attend since the festivals inception.

In addition to today’s announcement, a new logo has been debuted for the competition. Crafted by the folks at LogoNerd.com, the new Seaway Splash logo is light blue in color and features a dog shaking water from its body. Also, the “e” in the word Seaway has been made to resemble a dog paw.

The dog in the new logo has been nicknamed “Taz” in honor of the 5-year old black lab from Quebec, which set a DockDogs Big Air competition world-record in Clayton during the 2012 event by jumping 31-feet.

Sponsor opportunities for the upcoming festival are now available.

For more information on DockDogs or to register for the event, visit www.dockdogs.com. 

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Major Announcement Expected on Wednesday, August 29

A major announcement regarding the Sailing Seaway Clayton festival will be made on Wednesday, August 29.

The festival has drawn more than 16,000 people to the Village of Clayton in the past two summers.

Records Were Made to be Broken in Clayton

Clayton, NY (June 18, 2012) – It was a record-breaking weekend in Clayton, New York.

The second-annual Sailing Seaway Clayton festival, presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford, embarked on another successful run of events last Thursday evening when the featured tall ship Fair Jeanne sailed into the Thousand Islands Regional Dock during a “grand arrival.” A parade of antique boats, the Clayton fireboat and numerous locals escorted the tall ship to the village with fanfare, while more than 450 onlookers lined the river’s edge at Frink Park in downtown Clayton.

The festival officially kicked off on Friday, June 15 at 9 a.m. when the first dog splashed into the giant 40-foot pool on the site of the added feature event, Seaway Splash presented by TIMIS. Dogs from across the Northeast (including Vermont) and Canada (Ontario and Quebec) came to Clayton to compete in the world renowned DockDogs competition. Competition waves took place throughout the weekend in categories such as BIG AIR (long jumping), EXTREME VERTICAL (height jumping) and SPEED RETRIEVE (swimming).

In addition to the dog competition, tall ship Fair Jeanne provided complimentary deck tours throughout the weekend, including Friday morning when nearly 400 local school children visited the ship.

In all, Clayton set a number of record-breaking marks over the course of the weekend, including the following:

Sailing Seaway Clayton Event Records

Largest Single Day Crowd – More than 6,100 (Saturday, June 16) (former record of more than 2,000 – 6/18/11)

Largest Overall Event Attendance – More than 11,250 (former record of more than 5,000 – 2011)

Most Tall Ship Deck Tours in One Event – Over 3,000 (former record of more than 1,000 – 2011)

Totals based on estimates made by village police and local officials

DockDogs Competition Records Set at Seaway Splash

Overall World Record in BIG AIR (long jump) – 31-feet 0-inches set by 5 year old black Labrador Retriever Taz and owner Mike Chiasson of Shannon, Quebec

Note: Taz broke the previous Outdoor World Record, which was held at 28’ 10,” twice (Saturday – 28’ 11 “ and Sunday morning – 29’ 2”) during Seaway Splash prior to setting the new overall mark (Sunday afternoon – 31’) for both indoor and outdoor event jumps, becoming the longest jump ever in DockDogs competition history

Iron Dog World Record – 3120.59 points set by 5 year old black Labrador Retreiver Taz and owner Mike Chiasson of Shannon, Quebec

Note: Iron Dog is determined by a formula of points tallied between all three competitive events (BIG AIR, EXTREME VERTICAL and SPEED RETRIEVE)

In addition to the successful festival, area businesses reported record setting sales as well. One area restaurant claimed to have sold the most dinners in the owner’s history, while other shops and restaurants saw long lines throughout the weekend.

Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Caskinette’s Lofink Ford is set to return to Clayton in June 2013 and will feature the return of tall ship Lynx. Dates have yet to be announced.

Seaway Splash is currently not contracted to return to the festival, however discussions are underway.