Maritime Heritage Calls On Boston this Summer Tall Ships America-Atlantic Coast 2017
T
he largest fleer of rail ships since rhe turn of rhe millennium will arrive in Boston on 17 June in a magnificent parade of sail. Fifty ships, representing 13 nations and sailed by more than 2,000 professional mariners and trainees, will be berthed in locations around Boston Harbor from 17-22 June as part of Sail Boston 2017, and many will be open to the public in this grand maritime festival. The garhering of this fleer has been organized by Sail Train• ing International and Tall Ships America for RendezVous 2017 Tall Ships* Regatta and the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE®, a rransAdantic series of races and port festivals rhar w ill converge in Boston for this huge maritime event. From Boston, the ships set sail for Canada to commemorate the 150rh anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. Port events are planned in Ontario and the Maririmes, culminating in a grand celebration in Quebec City. (Derails about the tall ships races and events in Boston are available online at www.rallshipsamerica. org.) These events have much to offer the visiting public, far beyond the spectacle of billowing sails and the bright flags of many nations. They provide inspiring and tangible proof that the traditions of seafaring are alive, relevant, and accessible, in an unbroken chain of maritime heritage and culture rhar leads back to rhe first intrepid voyagers at rhe dawn of history. While rhe sight of squareriggers and lofty schooners crossing the oceans with their salty crews scampering aloft with knife and marlinspike at the ready conjures up an image from a long-ago era, their existence today
TALL SHIPS AMERICA
by Bert Rogers
is nor just for show. These ships and rhe crews who sail them serve a practical purpose. Maritime commerce is nor only alive and well, bur, while rhe demand for shipping continues, rhe pool of trained maritime professionals to man the ships is shrinking. Our prosperity as a maritime nation in the 21 sr century dep ends on free and sustainable commerce upon the high seas, and likewise upon the mariners who ply their craft of seaman ship with dedicated professionalism. Nowhere is this more evident than in the grandeur of a fleer of sailing ships crossing oceans and navigating inland waterways, crewed by highly skilled seamen and ardent trainees-the next generation of seafarers-sailing in company to a historic seaport like Boston. When the ships approach Boston Harbor from seaward, they will follow the shipping lanes established over centuries of maritime activity in this historic port. The history of Boston, and of Massachusens generally, is a story of the ships and the sea, and, just as importantly, of shipbuilding. Ships and boats for fishing, commerce, warfare, and recreation were launched from great
. y ~ ~- " '<Clfarlestown Navy Yard and uSS·Constitution'
".,~
"
Best places to view the parade-ofsail from shore in red. Boaters planning to see the ships from the water can get tips and maps for spectator anchorages on the Sail Boston website at www.sailboston.com-anchorages/. Visit the Essex heritage ships and shoreside exhibits at Fan Pier.
18
SEA HISTORY 159, SUMMER 2017