Tall Ships Erie 2010 set for September 9-12
Tall Ships Erie 2010 Set for September 9-12 – Mark Your Calendars
By Paulette Dininny
The 21st century will meet the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries when a fleet of striking ships sail across Lake Erie and into Presque Isle Bay. Eight tall ships, including Flagship Niagara, will drop anchor at Dobbins Landing and the Erie Maritime Museum.
When the lines are fastened and sails stowed, the festivities will begin. The Erie Bayfront will be abuzz with activity as thousands of visitors are expected to attend Tall Ships Erie 2010, a major fundraiser for Flagship Niagara.
The weekend will celebrate maritime tradition and history and offer the public a chance to tour the eight ships, some of which have appeared in movies and TV documentaries, sailed the world, as well as raced on the Great Lakes.
The Flagship Niagara League is organizing and presenting the event with local sponsors who have helped underwrite activities that will include ship tours, a parade of sail, opening and closing ceremonies, sailing excursions on smaller vessels, musical entertainment, movies, children’s activities, tours of the Erie Maritime Museum, a cardboard boat race and more.
Bands scheduled to appear include: Key West Express, Tennessee Backporch, Colonel Mustard,
Crybaby Billy Blues Band and Red Hot Rugcutters.
And don’t be afraid to stop and listen to a few tales from Eerie Erie Tours with Capt. Bob Gossman, a local Parapsychologist.
Be sure to check Tall Ship Erie’s website (www.tallshipserie.com) for a complete schedule of music and entertainment as the event gets closer.
Touring the tall ships will be an insight into the world of sail and the chance to hear stories of historic events that surround many of them. Here’s a preview of the ships that will be celebrating with Flagship Niagara.
Bounty, a full rigged ship from homeport Greenport, New York. Built in Nova Scotia in 1960 from original plans in the British Admiralty, the ship was used in the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Marlon Brando. The HMS Bounty Organization LLC operates the ship and is dedicated to keep her sailing as a way to teach the skills of square rigged sailing and seamanship. The ship most recently made a brief appearance with Niagara in the whaling documentary “Into the Deep” by Ric Burns.
Lynx, a square topsail schooner from homeport Newport Beach, California, is a sail training vessel and serves as a classroom for the study of historical, environmental and ecological issues. She was designed by Melbourne Smith, who also designed and built Niagara, and was built in Rockport, Maine.
Lynx is an interpretation of a privateer built in 1812 in Fell’s Point, Maryland. The ship’s crew wears period costumes in keeping with maritime traditions in the early 19th century. Lynx operates as a sail training vessel and was built to interpret a naval schooner that defended the United States during the War of 1812.
U.S. Brig Niagara, a brig from homeport Erie, Pennsylvania. A reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s flagship in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The ship is the fourth and was designed by Melbourne Smith. The original Niagara was scuttled in Misery Bay within Erie harbor after the war as a way of preserving her. In 1913, the ship was brought up and reconstructed upon her keel. Her mission is to interpret the War of 1812 history, promote the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Erie region. In addition, Niagara offers sail training programs and teaches seamanship skills.
Pathfinder and Playfair from homeport Toronto, Ontario, were designed and built as sail training vessels in Kingston, Ontario. They have trained more than 15,000 young people since 1964. Youth between 15 and 18 years of age serve as officers; they attend Tall Ship Adventures’ Winter Training Program and teach youth trainees between 13 and 18 years old who are working crew on one-or-two-week adventures during the sailing season on the Great Lakes.
Pride of Baltimore II, a topsail schooner from homeport Baltimore, Maryland. The Pride was commissioned in 1988 as a memorial to the original, which sank in a storm off Puerto Rico taking her captain and three crew members with her. She operates as the Goodwill Ambassador of the State of Maryland and represents the business, tourism and educational interests of the state. Her raked masts and abundance of sail make her immediately recognizable.
Roald Amundsen, a brig from homeport Eckenforde, Germany. Roald offers sail training for beginners as well as young and old sailors, operating year-round and sailing from the North Sea, Baltic Sea and the English Channel in the summer. She travels to the Canary Islands in the winter. The ship is crewed and maintained by volunteers. There is no paid crew, and members work for their passage. Crew members also pay a small annual contribution in addition to doing maintenance work. Her mission is to promote international understanding and encourage traditional seamanship. This is her first trip to the Great Lakes.
Unicorn, a topsail schooner from homeport Bridgeport, Connecticut. Unicorn operates as a sail training vessel and preserves maritime tradition through tall ship festivals and community involvement. During the summer, the ship is chartered by Sisters Under Sail, a non-profit on-board leadership program for teenage girls and women that was formed by one of the owners.
All of the visiting ships at Tall Ships Erie 2010 are members of the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), which is headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island, in the house purchased in 1818 by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry after his victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. He lived there until his death in 1819 and the Perry family lived there until 1865.
Check www.tallshipserie.com for updates and additional information. Tickets may be purchased at Country Fair, Erie Maritime Museum Gift Shop or online at the Tall Ships Erie Website.
Save the dates– September 9-12 and Don’t Give up the Ship!
