Thousands came to visit the sailing ships of OpSail 76, such as the Danmark on the left, and the Gorch Fock at center. built frigate of 1797, as it was lon g beli eved to be. The efforts which began in early 1997 to restore the Constellation to her correct ap p earance will be comp leted in mid- 1999 , when she will rerurn to her berth in rhe Inn er H arbor. With the new mill ennium wi ll come new challenges, but Baltimore can meet them confidentl y, building on th e lesso ns of the past. .t j ohn Barnard is a member ofthe Baltimore Council of the US. Navy League; William Macintosh is president ofSail Baltimore.
OpSail 2000 Baltimore by Laura Stevenson and John Barnard n the summer of the year 2000, majestic sailing ships from around the globe will once again grace Baltimore's waterfront, as th ey first did in 1976. After a trip up sce nic C hesapeake Bay, the ships will be welcom ed into Baltimore's world famous Inner Harbor by thousands of cheering spectators, ki cking off "OpSail 2000 Baltimore." The ships will be in Baltimore from 23 to 29 June 2000, berthed around rhe Inner Harbor and in nearby histo ri c Fells Point. In 1975, "Baltimore Operation Sail" was organized as a 50l(c)(3) non-profit organization by a group of volunteers wantin g to recruit and host tall ships. In 1975, Baltimore Operation Sail h osted the Christian Radich, and thus began an an nual program of visiting ships and maritime events. As rhe Mayor's Official Committee for Visiting Ships, Baltimore Operation Sail began to invite visiting ships from around the globe to Baltimore's burgeoning waterfront. As M aryland's largest port, Baltimore, with its picturesque and historic harbor, is perfect for hosting these grand vessels to the state and the region. In 1975-76, the city's newly formed OpSail organization worked hard to bring in a number of tall ships to celebrate America's Bicentennial. In mid-July 1976, the first fleet of international tall ships sailed into the Inner Harbor, including the USCGC Eagle, Gorch Fock II, Danmark, Esmeralda, Mircea, Amerigo Vespucci, and Dar Pomo rza. Over ten days in mid-July 1976, thousands of Marylanders and out-
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of-town visitors discove red Baltimore's Inner Harbor as they came to tour the visiting ships. With an extremely successful OpSail 1976, Baltimore was established as a great place for ships to visit. Since 1976, tall ships and naval vessels continue to visit Bal timore on an annual
basis, with Baltimore Operation Sail working closely with international embassy officials to arrange these visits. The next large fl eet of vessels came in 1986, with an OpSail celebration honoring the Statue of Liberty's Centennial. Baltimore was once again fortunate to receive a number of tall ships during th at summer. Sai ling ships lining the harbor wall of the then mostly co mpl ete Inner H arbor represented D enmark, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraly, Mexico, Norway, Oman, and Uruguay. Again, in 1992, Baltimo re Operation Sail hosted a fleet of rail ships when OpSail celebrated the 500th anniversary of C hristopher Columbus's discovery of the New
World. Six tall ships and a number of naval vessels gath ered in Baltimore's Inn er Harbor during th at summer. A renamin gofrheorganization in 1994 to "Sail Balrimo re" changed neither the purpose nor the dedi cation of th e group 's volunteers. An ave rage of twelve vessels of every size and type are welcomed each year to Baltimore. In 1998, Sail Baltimore hosted a record numberof 40 visiting vessels to rhe city's wa terfro nt and it continues to seek out new, exciting vessels rhar are ofinternarional , educational, or environmental interest for people to see. In June 2000 the proud sailing ships will visit Bal timore o nce agai n to be greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from Marylanders. Sa il Baltimore is planning a series of events surrounding the visits of the tall ships of OpSail 2000 wi th entertaining and education al activi ties. In addition to touring the ships, plans are unde1way for music, food, ethni c celebrations, culrural programs, and ch ildren's ac tiviti es. Op Sail plans include a parade of sail , fireworks, sporti ng events, a cap tain 's ball and numerous other local and regional events. The ships' crews wi ll be welcomed with special eve nts and given to urs of both Annapolis and W as hin gton DC. Sponsor opporruniries are avai lable, in addition ro numerous volunteer opportunities. Fo r infor mation on OpSail 2000 Baltimore, contact Sail Baltimore, 200 W. Lombard Sr., Baltimore MD 2 1201; rel: 410-752-8632; fax: 4 10-385-036 1; oremail: sa ilb alr@cha rm.n et. .t
SEA HISTORY 88, SPRING 1999