Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Tall Ships: Sail Boston 2009

July marks a great point of the year here in Massachusetts. Independence Day is a special time here in the birth place of the American Revolution, and it's finally warm enough to head to the beach or pool. It's also about as far away from the dead of Winter as we can get.

This year however brought a bonus as the Tall Ships returned to Boston Harbor. Sail Boston is the organizer of this event which brings in large sailing ships from around the world as part of an ongoing tour. 41 sloops, schooners, ketches, cats, yawls and barques filled the waters around Boston for the 4 day event.

I spent a terrific day on Friday exploring the ships along the WTC Pier with my wife, father and stepmother; a long overdue family gathering. We had a great time aboard the Libertad, and walked along side the Kruzenshtern. For something different I brought along an 8mm fisheye for a different perspective on things:


The Kruzenshtern is a Russian four masted barque that was built in 1926 in Bremerhaven-Wesermünde, Germany. On January 12, 1946 she was given to the USSR to be integrated into the Soviet Baltic Fleet as war reparations. She is 376' and carries a crew of 257.










The Libertad is a 356' full rigged ship out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Commissioned as a navy ship in 1963, the Libertad boasts a crew of 290 and has sailed over 735,000 miles. In 1966 she established the world record for transatlantic crossing between Cape Race(Canada) and Dursey Island(Ireland) 1,741 nautical miles (3,225 km) in 6 days and 4 hours. In April 2007 she underwent a complete overhaul which includes the addition of room for female cadets and crew and the updating of the engines and navigation equipment.

To the left is a photo taken looking directly up her central mast.














The majority of the ships were from other countries including France, Ireland, Spain, and many more. But quite a few of these beautiful ships are berthed right here in New England and can be viewed throughout the year. From the American Eagle in Maine, to the Amistad in Conneticut, these ships are an excellent representation of New England's fine sailing tradition.






A few more shots from the day:

A dinghy aboard the Libertad



American Flags flown from the stern of the 4 ships at Fan Pier:
The Angelique, Harvy Gamage, Lewis R. French & Nathaniel Bowditch





Harvey Gamage
Homeport: Boothbay Harbor, ME
Rig: Gaff Topsail Schooner
Sparred Length: 131’
Draft: 10’
Beam: 24’
Hull: Wood





Factual information taken from the official Sail Boston website.

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