With regard to the article on "Tall Ships," according to an unidentified spokesman, the reason that Oyster Bay could not host ships participating in Americas' Sail was lack of dock space. As a former executive vice president of Americas' Sail, I want the public to know that this was definitely not the reason. Oyster Bay could have been a part of this very special event; however, after many attempts on our part, no serious interest was ever shown until it was learned that Glen Cove was to be a participating port. At that point, it was too late. The "spokesman" who gave the inaccurate information to the newspaper apparently was not fully aware of all the facts nor of the expertise of the Americas' Sail organization.

As one of the founders of Americas' Sail, I've been actively involved with this organization for 11 years. During that time in preparation for our 1995 maritime event and later for 1998, many trips were made to Washington, DC, in order to meet with naval attaches from foreign countries having national tall ships. We have held meetings with numerous ship captains, superintendents of the United States Coast Guard Academy, mayors of port cities being considered for Americas' Sail '95 and '98, harbor masters, members of the USCG, maritime and race committees, etc. It goes without saying that Americas' Sail board members eventually became experts in organizing a tall ship event.

Americas' Sail gave serious consideration to the participation of Oyster Bay because of its natural deep water (18-20 feet at dead low). With the acquisition of the shipyard, docking space could have been made available for two training ships. In addition, a berth is available at the Oyster Bay Marine Center. Although it would have meant a loss of revenue, the owner, John McGrane, graciously offered dock space to an Americas' Sail ship at no cost. He also looked at the possibility of "jockeying" another ship at his location, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough room to do this.

Oyster Bay Harbor is a perfect place as a port-of-call for visiting ships. The captains and crews of naval training ships always seem to prefer small ports where special attention is given to them and it's easier to get to know the people. In addition, they consider small ports to be safer havens than large cities. Oyster Bay can handle 90 percent of the world's tall ships because of its ideal statistics and dockage.

After meeting with responsible people and groups within the hamlet, we thought Oyster Bay would like to participate as a port for our 1998 event. However, no one from any of these organizations wanted to "pick up the ball and run with it," even though we offered assistance to guide them through proper planning and protocol requirements.

Glen Cove, on the other hand, made the decision to become involved. They have worked to overcome any obstacles and have the cooperation of the whole community working together for an exciting, successful event. Under the guidance of Rev. William Wendler (executive director of Americas' Sail, also a founder), Mayor Tom Suozzi and the committee which has been formed are doing an outstanding job. If my estimate is right, Glen Cove will probably have over 300,000 visitors and will have the honor of hosting the first major "Parade of Tall Ships" on Long Island. Unfortunately, the ball was dropped in Oyster Bay. It is our loss and Glen Cove's gain. I wish them all the best, since "it takes a village to 'bring up' one tall ship event."