Author: Pat D

Susan LaRose submits these photos she and her husband Leo took of the rainbow over the harbor Saturday evening just as the festivities along the beach wrapped up. Thanks so much!

Here’s a little review of some of the pictures that didn’t make the blog posts but I still think show the spirit of the weekend, at least up through Sunday’s procession. It was an outstanding event! I appreciate the hard work and long hours spent by so many to put these events together. Well done once again!

Three teams of young men took on the challenge of seine boat racing and made it all the way to the finals. Salty Seamen won the championship and the other teams were Family Strokes and Apostles. It was well worth sticking around for following the Greasy Pole! I imagine many of these guys will continue racing and training and we will be seeing them out there long into the future. Congratulations to all the trainers, coaches, parents and team members.

Here are some memories from Sunday’s Greasy Pole Championship which once again saw 2 near misses before Derek Hopkins took the flag to the water early in the second competitive round. He also loosened the flag in the previous round along with Max Allen who experienced the same heartbreak. That made 3 nights in a row where the flag did not fully detach from the pole when grabbed. It was “unprecedented” according to the announcers. Another Fiesta is in the books! Viva.

I hope these photos give you a little idea of the excitement the seine boat races generates on the beach. KAOS, ZFG and Merger battled it out Sunday afternoon in a repeat of last year’s race though the title goes to KAOS this year. Great job by all. I know I’m hooked!

Congratulations to the feisty Salty Seamen for the win in the tight 2023 Junior Mens Seine Boat Race. Apostles and Family Strokes had great races as well. More photos tomorrow.

What’s a 5-peat? Derek took home his 5th title after taking the flag down early in the second competitive round of Sunday’s Greasy Pole contest. This after he loosened it but it did not drop for the 3rd contest in a row!!! Max Allen also loosened it and looked up fromt he water in dismay……more photos tomorrow.

This match was a repeat of last year’s though the results differed. KAOS came to shore ahead of Merger and ZFG to take this year’s title. Great race everyone! More photos tomorrow.

The annual procession followed Mass in St. Peter’s Square and Gloucester’s people and history were well represented. It was a beautiful morning for a procession! Thanks to all the committee members and behind-the-scenes organizers for the hard work. It paid off. Wonderful to see so many familiar faces out there!

The Junior Mens teams that survived the elimination races competed Saturday in the semifinals to determine which two will compete with last year’s winner Family Strokes in Sunday’s finals. It was a race in every sense of the word to the final strokes and Salty Seamen and Apostles will fill out the card tonight at Pavilion Beach. Great teamwork shown by all!

Three seine boat teams survived elimination races to participate in Saturday’s semifinals: KAOS, The Merger and Power Yoga. The skies cleared and the race was off! KAOS and The Merger survived the close race and will participate tonight against last year’s winner ZFG. Good luck to all.

Congratulations to Steven Militello, 2023 Saturday Greasy Pole Champion, which was won in the second competitive round following another near miss similar to Friday’s. Ross Carlson gave it a really good try but the flag did not come off the pole with him. Great job to all participants as always!

It was a razor thin margin at the finish of the semi finals for the Junior Mens Seine Boat race competition last night (Saturday) but the Salty Seamen and the Apostles won the right to compete against last year’s winner Family Strokes at tomorrow’s finals. More photos tomorrow. Great work teams!

Steven Militello took the flag down in the second competitive round of the Saturday Greasy Pole competition. It was nearly a repeat of Friday night’s events as Ross Carlson (seen here) very nearly got the flag loose but it did not come down with him. This allowed Steven Militello to grab it for the win a few walkers later. More photos tomorrow.

Teams KAOS and The Merger won 2 spots in tomorrow’s final seine boat race for the Men’s title setting up a repeat of last year’s race with ZFG. Quickly posting to meet tonight’s deadline. More photos tomorrow.

Soupy, thick fog did not deter the Gloucester Police and Gloucester Fire teams from participating in their seine race for bragging rights today (Saturday). Under a light drizzle and under the watchful eye of their counterparts and racing officials, the race was off right on time. The GPD prevailed today and the Fire Department represented well.

Gloucester’s future looks very bright when I take note of the number of participants in these junior level events during Fiesta. How gratifying it is for me who grew up in the midst of Title 9 JUST being adopted, so thank you all so very much for your hard work and efforts. It’s truly inspiring. Here’s some additional photos from last night’s race for the juniors:

It was a show of strength and determination from all 3 Womens teams in the final race Friday night. Defending Champion Backlash, Cape Ann PowOAR, and Rowgue showed us all what a great race looks like. The Rowgue team won the race in the Pinta with members Alexandra Rose, Jenny Davis, Yvette Luyten, Alassandra Russo, Melanie Catanzaro, Karen Conant, Whitney Buckley, Emily Silva, Jaimie Macdonald, Kristina Ribero, Monica Banks (last add due to injury), scuttler Mike Harmon and cos Kristen Burnham. Here’s a view of the event though they don’t do justice to the level of effort and excitement.

If there were to be a theme on Friday’s Greasy Pole Competition, I would have to say it might be “So Close and Yet So Far”. There were a number of near flag grabs last night but Colin Sweet brought the flag to the shore in the second competitive round. Nick Taormina pulled the flag loose but it did come off the pole and it was a stupendous competition by all participants! Here’s just a few from Friday night:

This one was a very tight race to the finish and I will post more photos tomorrow, but for tonight, congratulations Lady Lukes!!!