The Les Cheneaux Islands, Michigan celebrated the best of 40 years at their 40th Annual Antique Wooden Boat Show & Festival of Arts. Past winners from the last 39 years were invited and many accepted the invite and returned. The weather cooperated and turned beautiful after a rainy Friday.
Thank you, Allen Papendick, for sharing the pictures and story of the show. Allen Papendick is a member of Water Wonderland and Dixieland Chapters.
This is a quote from the 40th Annual Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show, “Breezing Thru, owned by Antique Boat Show co-founder Charles “Chuck” Letts, is the boat that started it all. After Breezing Thru won multiple awards at an antique boat show in Clayton, New York in 1974, Mr. Letts and his friend, Ken Horsburgh, believed Hessel could host a similar show, owing to the nmuber of wooden boats owned and operated in the Les Cheneaux Islands.” Pictured above is Mr. Letts in Breezing Thru, a 1930 26′ Hacker Craft still owned and used by the Letts family.
Each year now the show at Hessel, Michigan attracts over 150 vintage boats and thousands of spectators. It is sponsored by the Les Cheneaux Historical Society. Here is a slide show of some of the winners from the show. (Hover over each picture to see its caption.)
Here are a few more pictures of gorgeous show boats. All photos and captions are from Allen Papendick.
There were boats, and artists, and music, and outboards. Lisa White & Friends inspired impromptu dancing while the crowds admired the classic boats and artists displays.
