Editorial: Tall Ships was a great event for Greenport

In a casual conversation during the captains’ reception Saturday night at Brecknock Hall, Kate Addison, purser on the tall ship Picton Castle, made a funny observation.

“You can tell who all the ship hands are,” she said. “We all look a bit grubbier.”

Yet there they were, mingling with all the well-dressed event sponsors and others who purchased tickets to the cocktail party on the grounds of Peconic Landing. It was a microcosm of the entire weekend.

People from all walks of life, from places near and far, came together for three days in the Village of Greenport for one common reason: to have a good time.

And it sure was a blast.

One thing we kept hearing all weekend long was just how effortlessly the event seemed to come together, even knowing full well how much work it must have taken to get to that point.

Even more impressive is the confidence with which Mayor David Nyce delivered a statement he made this week that the Village “more than broke even” on the $190,000 it cost to host the three-day event.

With no major problems outside of a few delayed trains, no real uptick in police activity and news of the financial success of the event, it’s hard to say this year’s Tall Ships Challenge was anything but a home run for Greenport.

Kudos to all the sponsors and event organizers who helped make this weekend a memorable one.