On Father's Day, June 18, Friends of Flying Santa will present our 8th Annual Father's Day Lighthouse Cruise to ten great Massachusetts Bay lighthouses. This is one of the best local lighthouse cruises of the season. We have once again chartered the MV Massachusetts, one of the top vessels in the area for lighthouse viewing. The ship's capacity is 350 persons, however we will be limiting the number to 250 to ensure that all of our guests have a great viewing seat. The MV Massachusetts will be docked at the Hingham Shipyard, located on Route 3A in Hingham, MA. There is plenty of Free Parking available. Boarding will start at 11:15 AM, with the boat departing promptly at 12:00 and returning at 5 PM.

Our skipper for the day is one of our own Flying Santa's, USCG CWO David Waldrip, who flew our Massachusetts Bay flight last December. This cruise is one of our major fundraisers of the year. All of the proceeds are used to fund our Christmas flights. In addition to Dave, we will also have on board as narrators, our own Vice President, Norm Rogers, Doug Bingham and Jeremy D'Entremont. They will share their extensive knowledge of the local history of the lights. You will view and learn the history of the following lighthouses; Long Island Head, Graves, Marblehead, Fort Pickering (time permitting), Hospital Point, Baker's Island, Eastern Point and Ten Pound Island. All of these are on the North Shore.

Later in the day, as we cruise back to Boston Harbor, we will sail past the famous Minot's Ledge Light off the shore of Cohasset. In years past we have been able to get a fairly close view of this remarkable lightstation. Of course, the times of the day's tides will dictate just how close we will be able to get. In any case, you will have some excellent photo opportunities. We will finish up the day at Boston Light, the last officially manned lighthouse in America.

Again this year we will feature our giant onboard raffle, with over a $1000.00 worth of prizes. Harbour Lights has generously donated a large quantity of their maritime figurines to be included in the raffle. We will also be holding our famous 50-50 raffle. Last year's lucky winner took home over $300.00. There are three options for your lunch; you may bring your own (but please no alcohol), you may visit Flying Santa's Chowder and Snack Bar, featuring the South Shore's 1999 award winning Clam Chowder from Schooner's Restaurant, Nantasket Ave. in Hull, MA or you can preorder a box lunch. We are once again offering our famous gourmet Box Lunches from Z-Chef Caterers for $6.50. You may order these when you place your ticket order. You may choose from Roast Beef, Chicken Salad, or Seafood Salad sandwiches. Included with your lunch will be a Pasta Salad, fruit, snacks and a dessert. When you cruise with Flying Santa you do get your money's worth. The ship's Cocktail Lounge will also be open for your pleasure.

Tickets are $35.00 per person, with a special discount price of $32.00 for senior citizens. All tickets are sold by advanced paid reservations only. Order early, for this cruise sells out every year. You may use the order form included in this newsletter or order from our website: www.flyingsanta.com. Your tickets and directions will be mailed to you. There are a limited number of tickets still available at this time. This cruise is produced through the efforts of our amazing crew of volunteers, sponsors, and Friends. We would not be able to do this without your assistance. Our thanks to all of you. 100% of the funds we raise today will be applied to our program expenses for the year 2000. So come aboard and have a great time while helping to support a New England tradition.

The Friends of Flying Santa, Inc. has entered into a special partnership with Yankee Magazine. Through this partnership we will be offering discounted subscriptions of Yankee to our Friends. The regular price of Yankee Magazine is $24 per year. The Yankee Community Partnership Program has come up with a special offer of $20 for a year's subscription. They are including as a gift, a copy of their helpful handbook How to Make It Last by Earl Proulx, which contains hundreds of tips to help even the most novice city folk become frugal "Yankees". This book alone has a retail value of $27.95.

The best part is that for every subscription purchased through this offer, Yankee will donate $10.00 back to the Flying Santa Endowment Fund. This is a win-win opportunity for all of us. If you are currently receiving Yankee Magazine, you may renew through this offer. This magazine makes a great gift for your friends or family. This offer was first put out in our September newsletter. Since then, 72 of our Friends have participated. Thanks to those subscribers, we now have an additional $720.00 for our endowment fund. Enclosed in this mailing you will find a convenient ordering form. If you need additional forms you may copy the one enclosed or let us know and we will be happy to send some along.

The Friends of Flying Santa have planned for an exciting way to finish up the first summer of the new millennium. Come and join us for our 3rd Annual Columbus Day Lighthouse Cruise on the beautiful and pristine waters of Narragansett Bay. We will be sailing on the MV Vista Jubilee. This is a great vessel for viewing the 16 lighthouses on the tour. The two lower decks offer a 180-degree panoramic window view. The top deck is open with a large sun shade cover. We will limit the number of tickets sold to ensure that everyone has an unobstructed view of the lighthouses. The lights that we will be viewing are: Nyatt Point, Conimicut Point, Bullock's Point, Hog Island, Bristol Ferry, Mussel Shoal, Prudence Island, Sandy Point, Gould Island, Gull Rocks, Rose Island, Goat Island, Ida Lewis, Castle Hill, Beavertail, Conanicut North and Warwick Point. The ship is fully carpeted, heated or air conditioned as needed, and has spotlessly clean rest rooms. The ship's Captain will be our narrator.

Included with the $35.00 ticket price is a delicious buffet luncheon. The price for our senior Friends 60+ is $32.00. The boat departs from the Blount Marine Shipyard, located on Water St. in Warren RI. There is plenty of Free Parking. Boarding starts at 10:00 AM for our 11:00 AM sailing. We will be returning at 4:00 PM. Driving directions will be sent with your tickets. If you need overnight accommodations, there will be toll free telephone numbers for the local area Chamber of Commerce included with the directions. There will be two onboard raffles, one featuring over a $1000.00 worth of prizes and a 50-50 raffle where one lucky guest will take home 50% of the money collected for that raffle. So come and join us and bring a friend for an exciting day of lighthouse cruising. Remember to bring your camera and your appetite. We guarantee you will have a great time. This is one of the area's best lighthouse cruises.