On August 12-13, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors will host a gathering of boat owners and lovers of the coast in Rockland, Maine, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the award-winning magazine. The Symposium schedule includes a documentary screening, personal tours of boatbuilding shops, presentations by experts in their various fields, followed by a party celebrating the 35th anniversary launch of the magazine. Friends of MBH&H and industry guests are invited to the presentations and party, plus a sold-out house of 325 at the Strand Theatre is expected for the rough-cut test screening of 76 Days, a documentary on Steve Callahan’s 76 days adrift at sea.

“We are thrilled to bring a special weekend to celebrate 35 years of telling stories of Maine boatbuilders,” says Symposium organizer John Hanson. “Our focus has always been the great and creative people of the coast of Maine, its maritime tradition, as well as the state’s unique culture and ecology. As we move into our next 35 years, we do not see this mission changing, but we will be looking for even better ways to tell the story. We see the weekend’s combination of events as a great new addition to our storytelling tools.”

The weekend begins with 76 Days, a rough-cut test screening on Friday, August 12 at 7:30PM at Rockland’s Strand Theatre. Director Joe Wein’s new documentary will be in its first test-screening. The viewing will be followed by a Q&A session with Steve Callahan, author of the New York Times bestseller, Adrift: Seventy-Six Says Lost at Sea, and the documentary’s producer Robert Sennott. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.rocklandstrand.com.

The weekend continues Saturday morning with guided tours of Rockport Marine, the new Lyman-Morse facilities in Camden, and The Apprenticeshop, where the Red Jacket Regatta, a day of racing for youth sailors, will be happening.

From 3-5PM on Saturday, the Symposium will host experts in their various fields for special presentations. Some of these short but informative presentations include “The Rising Tide of Floating Communities” by Bob Stephens of Stephens Waring Design; “Red Boutiller’s Launching Photos” presented by Ben Fuller; “The Tradition of Wooden Boats” from Sam Chamberlin of Rockport Marine; and Back Cove Yachts’ Kevin Burns on “Building a New Design.”

The weekend will close with a Birthday Bash celebrating MBH&H’s 35 years in print, featuring special drinks and great food. Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to meet the magazine’s new owners, Ted and Heidi Ruegg, and congratulate John K. Hanson, Jr, the magazine’s founder, on 35 years at the helm of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors.

Tickets for the full weekend of events, including the movie and symposium, are $50. For more information about the Maine Boat & Home Symposium and to buy tickets, go to www.maineboats.com/boatshow or call 800-565-4951.

Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors reflects in words and images life along the Maine waterfront, whether on the ocean, a lake or river. The mission is to educate, entertain, and to promote boats, the coast of Maine, and its makers. The goal is to promote healthy coastal communities, and to get more people out on the water, buying and enjoying boats.