Freeport welcomes Midshipmen

It was hot and sunny as a group of people stood under the shelter at Waterfront Park on Thursday, Aug. 11, looking out at the calm blue water of the channel as pleasure boats of various sizes, jet skiers and fishing boats plied the waters.
Another small group gathered nearly half a mile further up the channel at the Freeport Nautical Mile Esplanade.

They all waited in anticipation of the arrival of midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, for their 18th annual visit to Freeport.
The cadets had traveled up the coast under sail in five single-masted 35-foot sailboats with nearly 40 cadets.

The expected 2 p.m. arrival time turned out to be about 4 p.m., when tide conditions were more favorable. From the vantage point of Waterfront Park, five masts could be seen in the southeasterly direction of the Meadowbrook Causeway heading west in single file on East Bay powered by their auxiliary engines. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel escorted them as far as the entrance to the Freeport channel, which is too narrow for the use of sails.

 After stopping to take on more fuel, each boat made its way to the esplanade boat slips. The sailboats bore the name of traits characterizing those who serve in the Navy – Courage, Commitment, Daring, Warrior and Invincible.

Among those greeting them were Mayor Robert Kennedy, who assisted the Courage crew secure their boat to the dock, Deputy Mayor Jorge Martinez, Village trustees Carmen Pineyro and Debra Mulé, Police Chief Miguel Martinez, Freeport Fire Department Executive Secretary Raymond McGuire, Recreation Center Director Victoria Dinelli, Chamber of Commerce President Lois Howes and other civic leaders and military veterans.

After docking, the midshipmen, commanded by U.S. Navy Capt. (ret.) Rick Robay, assembled on the esplanade where Mayor Kennedy, himself a Navy veteran, offered the official welcome.

The future naval officers stayed at the Freeport Inn and were treated to a barbecue on Saturday at the Recreation Center, where they had full use of the facilities, before departing on Sunday.

The annual visit to Freeport, and other ports in the Northeast, is part of the naval training cadets undergo each summer.