UPDATE: The 2011 Tugboat Roundup is canceled due to storm and flood damage

The damage in the area is overwhelming for a large event scheduled so soon after.  The recovery for the harbor and the area waterways, as well as the commitment of many of tugs to flood and damage mitigation requires the responsible decision to not postpone, but to cancel and plan for an even better event in 2012.

We thank you all, the attendees, the vendors, the musicians, the press, the volunteers for everything.  Our sponsors make it all possible, and there is every reason to support their efforts, businesses and brands.  Our sponsors continue to be listed here, on Facebook and in our newsletter.

Most of all, the Tugboat Roundup simply isn't possible without tugboats.  Every one of the operators, the companies, the organizations and individuals involved have planned and budgeted for this event.  To them we are truly apologetic, but again - this is the responsible decision and we ask you all to be understanding.

We'll see you in 2012, along the waterfront, in Waterford.

About the Tugboat Roundup:

The Waterford Tugboat Roundup began in 1999 as a way to preserve and promote the maritime industrial heritage of the New York State Canal System and other adjoining inland waterways. The tugboat history of the region, and particularly Waterford, is especially rich. For most of the 20th century, tugboats lined the shores here, whether waiting to lock up through the magnificent “Flight” or competing for some day work with a local company.

The ubiquitous sight of these smoke-belching work horses festooned with manila and wood fendering, decks bunkered with coal against a back drop of elaborate detail work that tended to belie the strict functionality of these old girls, has been replaced by that of sailboats, cruisers, and catamarans lining the docks.

For one weekend each year, however, Waterford’s historic waterfront is transformed back into a rendering of its commercial heyday during which names like Godfrey, Coyne, Bushey, Matton, Kehoe, and Cowles figured so prominently. Tugs new and old moor stem to stern for adulation and education, enchanting the young and reminding the young at heart of days gone by.

The event is sponsored annually by the Town of Waterford and the Waterford Maritime Historical Society, in addition to many generous corporate sponsors. Usually held the weekend after Labor Day, the festival has grown steadily and attracts approximately 25,000 people to this sleepy canal town in the heart of upstate New York’s Capital Region. In addition to tours of the vessels and other displays, there is an ample supply of music, food, children’s activities, vendors, boat rides, fireworks, and family fun.

The Waterford Tugboat Roundup – where maritime history comes alive.