Great Lakes to welcome 25 tall ships this summer
by Sail-World Cruising on 26 May 2013
Norway’s Sorlandet - one of the 25 tall sailing ships to visit the Great Lakes this summer SW
Canadians and Americans living around the Great Lakes will this summer be treated to the sight of a fleet of 25 tall ships sailing through the large fresh water lakes which straddle the border between the two countries.
It is time again for the Tall Ships America's bi-national Tall Ships Challenge series of tall ship visits around the Americas. 22 USA communities and Ontario will be treated to the visits between June and September.
The festivities will begin June 14 with the Brockville Tall Ships 1812 Tour and culminate Sept. 6-8 with Tall Ships Erie in Erie, P.A.
There will be an historic re-enactment of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie in Put-In-Bay, Ohio on Sept. 2.
The tall ships will be at Windsor, Amherstburg, Kingsville and Pelee Island Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
At each site, the tall ships will be open to the public for viewing and feature dockside exhibits and lively interaction with crew.
Among the ships participating at a majority of the ports are Norway's 210-foot Sorlandet, the oldest full-rigged ship in the world still in operation, Canada's 72-foot brigantine Pathfinder and the U.S.'s 198-foot brigantine Niagara.
The Niagara was instrumental in the War of 1812 as the flagship for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.
During the Battle of Lake Erie, one of the war's most critical battles, she helped Perry defeat the British fleet, ensuring American control of Ohio and all of Lake Erie.
The tall ships will also be in port July 4-7 at Cleveland, Ohio, July 12-14 at Bay City, Michigan, August 7-11 in Chicago, Illinois.
In Canada, the ships will be at Brockville June 14-16, Toronto, June 20-23, Hamilton, June 28-30, Port Dalhousie, June 28-30, Sault Ste Marie, July 19-21, Collingwood, Aug. 16-18 and Penetanguishene, Aug. 24-25.
Tall Ships America's Tall Ships Challenge is an annual series that rotates on a three-year cycle between the Atlantic coast, Great Lakes and Pacific coast.
Over the past decade, the organization has co-ordinated more than 60 Tall Ship Challenge events in 32 vitas.
The mission of Tall Ships America is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public and support education under sail.
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