The Honourable Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will be in Brigus tomorrow (Saturday, July 11) to officially welcome the Bowdoin, the last working Arctic expeditionary schooner, to the historic hometown of renowned Arctic explorer Captain Bob Bartlett. The event will launch a series of activities to honour the life and legacy of one of this province�s most famous native sons. The Bowdoin is scheduled to arrive in Brigus at 10:30 a.m., with official ceremonies to take place at Bishop�s Beach, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

"Captain Bob Bartlett was a sealer, an ice captain and a scientist � but also, unquestionably, one of the greatest Arctic mariners the world has ever known," said Premier Williams. "While he was widely admired and celebrated in his time, his remarkable story has somehow been allowed to fade into relative obscurity. Celebrating Bartlett 2009 is about changing all that. It�s about highlighting Captain Bob Bartlett�s story to provincial, national and international audiences, and to focus attention on Newfoundland and Labrador as the place where he was born, bred, and from where he developed the passion, strong will and determination that continues to define the Newfoundland and Labrador character today."

Celebrating Bartlett 2009, an initiative of the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, is being held in conjunction with the 100^th anniversary of Bartlett�s 1909 trip to the Arctic in support of Admiral Robert Peary�s historic bid to be the first man to reach the North Pole.

"While the 1909 expedition was a seminal moment in Captain Bob Bartlett�s life, the history of Newfoundland and Labrador and, indeed, the history of the world, his accomplishments go beyond that historic voyage," said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. "Bartlett is internationally recognized for his early Arctic exploration, which brought new scientific information to the world."

The Provincial Government has invested $400,000 in Celebrating Bartlett 2009 events.

"We are thrilled to have the Bowdoin in Bartlett�s hometown to commemorate the life of an extraordinary man," said the Honourable Edward Roberts, Chair of the Celebrating Bartlett 2009 organizing committee. "On a vessel very similar to this one, Captain Bartlett led over 40 expeditions to the Arctic � more than anyone before his time, or since. When you see the Bowdoin in person, you realize the true magnitude of Bartlett�s accomplishments."

The Bowdoin sailed to the province from Maine, where it is a training vessel for the Maine Maritime Academy and the official vessel of the State of Maine. Under the Ports Program of Celebrating Bartlett 2009, the Bowdoin will visit 12 ports throughout Newfoundland and Labrador over the course of the next several weeks. Upon departing Brigus on July 13, the vessel will visit St. John�s (July 14-17), Old Perlican (July 18-19), Bonavista (July 20-22), Twillingate (July 23-25), St. Anthony (July 26-28), Battle Harbour (July 29-30), Cartwright (August 1-2), L�Anse au Loup (August 5-6), Port au Choix (August 8-9), Norris Point (August 10-12) and Corner Brook (August 13-16).

To learn more about the weekend activities in Brigus, Celebrating Bartlett 2009 events, the Bowdoin, and Captain Bob Bartlett, visit: www.bartlett2009.com/.

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