The Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay presents the 26th Annual Shipyard Tour on Saturday, May 4, 2019. For one day each year, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and CenterPointe Yacht Services open their doors to the public for tours of the shipbuilding industry.
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is under the direction and ownership of a world-class shipbuilding company, Fincantieri SpA of Italy, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, employing 20,000 shipbuilding professionals in 21 shipyards on four different continents. Last June, Bay Shipbuilding marked its 50th Anniversary of doing business in Sturgeon Bay. The largest shipbuilder on the Great Lakes, Bay Shipbuilding was the winter home to 14 boats in the fleet including three 1,000 footers. This year, guests will see some of the materials for the first Great Lakes Bulk Carrier to be built in almost four decades. The Interlake Steamship Company’s River-class, self-unloading bulk carrier will transport raw materials to support manufacturing throughout the Great Lakes Region. During your tour you will learn about the permanent machinery, buildings and structures necessary to build and repair the ships including the Over-head Gantry Crane, affectionately called “Big Blue;” the Large Graving Dock which is one of only two on the Great Lakes that can accommodate vessels over 1,000 feet; the Small Graving Dock; the Floating Dry-Dock; the largest production building; and the 300 Ton Capacity 2250 Crawler Crane.
The vessels built at CenterPointe Yacht Services yard over the past century gained worldwide reputations for outstanding craftsmanship and sea worthiness. Guests will see the boatbuilding equipment and infrastructure that are still in operation including the custom woodworking and cabinet shop, rigging loft, machine shop and deep-water dock wall. CenterPointe is known for their craftsmen shipbuilders, welders, electrical and electronic experts, artisan woodworkers, pipe fitters, diesel, gas engine, and marine mechanics, that can do everything from re-powering to hull repair and from electronics to refitting entire vessels.
At the Door County Maritime Museum, Shipyard Tour participants will receive 50% off Museum admission and tugJohn Purves tours on both Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5; the Museum is open from 10-5. The Museum features several interactive exhibits, tours of the fully restored seagoing tug John Purves, as well as the newest exhibit celebrating its 50th Anniversary, “The Water Defines Us: DCMM@50.”
Along the westside waterfront, adjacent to the Door County Maritime Museum, guests may see the Selvick Marine Towing’s green tugs that assist with the transit of the massive freighters into and out of Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s docks. Visitors may pick up a walking tour map of the outdoor artifacts in the Museum’s collection. On the street side of the Museum, is a very large outdoor exhibit of the USCG-41410, a 41-foot utility boat, serving as the general workhorse for the US Coast Guard Stations. Joining the tour at Sawyer Park are the City of Sturgeon Bay’s 27’ Safe Boat and the US Coast Guard’s 45’ Response Boat Medium, which is used for law enforcement and search and rescue.
Due to the time constraints of a one-day event, only a limited amount of tickets will be available. Tours departing at Fincantieri Bay Ship Shipbuilding and CenterPointe Yacht Services will be begin at 9 am and the last tour group will need to be in line by 1:15pm to meet the cutoff time. After the shipyard tours, guest may continue to visit the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, which is filled with opportunities for maritime lovers to explore and learn about shipbuilding history. Ticket purchase includes half-off admission to the maritime museum on both Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5.
Participants who would like to guarantee a ticket and secure early bird pricing of $15 may visit the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay’s website to purchase their tickets in advance sturgeonbayrotaryclub.org/ Beginning Saturday, April 27, adult ticket price increases to $20 and will continue to be available online through Wednesday, May 1. On the day of the event, remaining tickets will be available for $20 per adult and $7 per child ages 11-17 at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding or CenterPointe Yacht Services. Youth tickets for children ages 11-17 will remain $7.
Courtesy bussing for participants begins at the Door County Maritime Museum and Sawyer Park at 8:30 and ends after the completion of the final tours; the route includes stops at the Maritime Museum, Sawyer Park, CenterPointe Yacht Services, and Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. Please note that this tour requires a considerable amount of walking, standing, and steps.
All proceeds from ticket purchases are directed toward Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay and the Rotary Youth Interact charitable projects, including support for human and community development, vocational and academic ‘Service Above Self” scholarships, and the international exchange student program.
For questions about the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay or the Shipyard Tour, please connect with us at www.facebook.com/SturgeonBayNoonRotary or info@sturgeonbayrotaryclub.org
ALL CONTENT © 2025 BY DOOR GUIDE PUBLISHING
