Shipyard Tour is the only chance to go behind the scenes at this Sturgeon Bay shipyard
STURGEON BAY - Not many tickets remain for the only chance the public gets each year to check out the facilities at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding during the 30th annual Shipyard Tour, this year taking place May 6.
The event is not just a way to see inside the goings-on at the Sturgeon Bay shipyard, which is open to the public only on this day for the tour. Just 1,000 adult tickets will be sold (tickets also are available for ages 11 to 17) and the event has proven to be popular over the years with residents and visitors, with space usually selling out, sometimes weeks in advance.
It's also a fundraiser with all proceeds going to the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay, which will direct the funds toward charitable projects by Rotary Youth Interact, an international service organization for ages 14-18, that include support for human and community development, vocational and academic "Service Above Self” scholarships, the international exchange student program and Door County affordable housing projects.
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, aka Bay Ship, will host guided walking tours of their facilities. The 63-acre yard plays home to new construction, major conversions, repairs and sustainment of commercial, U.S. Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers vessels, notably serving as a winter home for several Great Lakes shipping vessels.
Within the past two years, Bay Ship has built and launched the Clean Canaveral, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge, and the M/V Mark W. Barker, the first U.S.-flagged, Great Lakes freighter to be built on the lakes in almost 40 years.
The tour allows the public to experience an insider's view of an industry has been critical to Door County's economy for more than a century. The shipbuilders of Sturgeon Bay have designed, built and repaired vessels – commercial, military and pleasure craft – that have traveled to ports around the globe.
The tours will take about 90 minutes, require standing or walking for most of the tour and traverse gravel, so guests should wear appropriate footwear and plan accordingly.
As an added perk for nautical buffs, the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society in Sturgeon Bay will offer a 50% discount on admission for that weekend, May 6 and 7, to all Shipyard Tour ticket holders. The museum explores the Peninsula's rich maritime history with exhibits and displays in its main building and on the 10 floors of the 110-foot-tall Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower, the tallest building in Door County, which has an outdoor observation deck on its roof.
Shipyard Tour tickets are sold for tours starting on the hour at 9 and 10 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.; the 11 a.m. tour is sold out. Cost is $25 for adults, $10 ages 11 to 17. Parking will be available at Sunset Park near the shipyard and at nearby city lots.
To purchase tickets, visit doorcountytickets.com and search for "30th Annual Sturgeon Bay Shipyard Tours." For more information about the Shipyard Tour or the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay, visit the "Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay" Facebook page or email mutchler.keith@gmail.com or georgemarknelson@hotmail.com.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Here's your chance to go behind the scenes at a Sturgeon Bay shipyard
