With cannons’ roar, a trio of tall ships, their white sails billowing in the wind, glided into Duluth Harbor Thursday afternoon to the delight of the thousands of people who gathered to watch.
The ships, including replicas of 1812 war ships, passed through the Aerial Lift Bridge beginning about 4 p.m., followed by an armada of smaller boats that later milled around as the big ships docked along Harbor Drive.
It was the first time in decades that many tall ships had sailed into the harbor at one time, harkening back to the mid- to late-1800s when sailing vessels moved cargo on the Great Lakes. The ships are here for this weekend’s Duluth Maritime Festival and will be open for public tours today through Sunday.
I was lucky enough to work on the 9th floor of the Boston waterfront in 1992 when they had the Tall Ships celebration come to Boston as part of the 500th anniversary of Columbus discovery of America.
At that time it was the largest gathering of Tall Ships and it was absolutely breathtaking to watch them coming into the harbor under full sail.
If anyone anywhere has the opportunity to see anything like this--GO!
its wellworth it
Here's the Krusenstern, which I got to tour when it was docked...
I love seeing the tall ships under full sail. I've seen them several times in Cleveland and several more at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, a small town on a little island near the location where the Battle of Lake Erie took place, September 10, 1813. The first time I saw them was at Put-in-Bay, during the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of that battle.
One of the greatest events that weekend was the "laying of the wreaths" ceremony, which was done to honor the men who died in that battle. My friends and I boarded a day-cruise boat that followed the Niagara about an hour out into the lake for the ceremony. We watched in fascination and awe as the sailors scrambled up the masts and raised the sails. One by one, huge expanses of canvas unfurled and caught the wind. What a majestic sight!
The ceremony was so moving. Descendants of men who had fought in the battle threw floral wreaths from the deck of the Niagara out onto the water at the spot where the battle happened. Unforgettable.
Here's a great pic of the Niagara when she was in Cleveland a couple years ago:
Since I was a child, one of the things I want to do before I die is tour the USS Constitution. We learned the poem about her in middle school or so:
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar; --
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee; --
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Originally her timbers were palmetto wood from South Carolina. Cannon just bounced off it. She was commissioned in 1797 by President George Washington.
It was decided to tear her down and Holmes wrote that poem and then schoolchildren sent in pennies and she was saved. Today she is docked in Boston as a Ship of State. She is still as I recall considered an active warship of the United States Navy.
If y'all haven't seen it, rent the DVD "Master and Commander" with Russel Crowe
And/or read the "Hornblower" series by C. S. Forester (but forget the PBS miniseries)
Dana's non-fiction Two Years Before the Mast is a treasure.... early California on a tall ship, just before the crowds came in after the discovery of gold in '49. And heartbreaking. Dana Point is named after him.
I'm hoping to get my telescopic mast up on a large enough vessel to compensate the sway at the top of the mast to get some decent aerial shots at the event, unfortunately my own boat is a little too small to put the mast up to full height.
Hopefully I'll get some great aerial images of the event.
It's on in just over 4 weeks time.
I'll keep you posted.
There's so many sailing events going on at this time of the year here, it's hard to keep up with all of them.
Recommended Posts
dmiller
Quoted from the Duluth News Tribune
Video of it here ----->>> http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/video/ind...&app=duluth
Edited by dmillerLink to comment
Share on other sites
mstar1
Cool!
I was lucky enough to work on the 9th floor of the Boston waterfront in 1992 when they had the Tall Ships celebration come to Boston as part of the 500th anniversary of Columbus discovery of America.
At that time it was the largest gathering of Tall Ships and it was absolutely breathtaking to watch them coming into the harbor under full sail.
If anyone anywhere has the opportunity to see anything like this--GO!
its wellworth it
Here's the Krusenstern, which I got to tour when it was docked...
Edited by mstar1Link to comment
Share on other sites
Linda Z
Thanks for sharing those, David.
I love seeing the tall ships under full sail. I've seen them several times in Cleveland and several more at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, a small town on a little island near the location where the Battle of Lake Erie took place, September 10, 1813. The first time I saw them was at Put-in-Bay, during the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of that battle.
One of the greatest events that weekend was the "laying of the wreaths" ceremony, which was done to honor the men who died in that battle. My friends and I boarded a day-cruise boat that followed the Niagara about an hour out into the lake for the ceremony. We watched in fascination and awe as the sailors scrambled up the masts and raised the sails. One by one, huge expanses of canvas unfurled and caught the wind. What a majestic sight!
The ceremony was so moving. Descendants of men who had fought in the battle threw floral wreaths from the deck of the Niagara out onto the water at the spot where the battle happened. Unforgettable.
Here's a great pic of the Niagara when she was in Cleveland a couple years ago:
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kit Sober
Thanks. So lovely!
(being Landlocked in Reno, and pretty much never travel any more, I may never see such a sight, so the pictures are memorable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Watered Garden
Thanks so much for posting those pictures.
Since I was a child, one of the things I want to do before I die is tour the USS Constitution. We learned the poem about her in middle school or so:
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar; --
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee; --
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Originally her timbers were palmetto wood from South Carolina. Cannon just bounced off it. She was commissioned in 1797 by President George Washington.
It was decided to tear her down and Holmes wrote that poem and then schoolchildren sent in pennies and she was saved. Today she is docked in Boston as a Ship of State. She is still as I recall considered an active warship of the United States Navy.
She is from a better time than this.
WG
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mstar1
Here ya go WG
Old Ironsides
The USS Constitution
WEBSITE
Edited by mstar1Link to comment
Share on other sites
krys
I would really love to sail one of those for a while. [sigh]
Link to comment
Share on other sites
anotherDan
magnificent!
If y'all haven't seen it, rent the DVD "Master and Commander" with Russel Crowe
And/or read the "Hornblower" series by C. S. Forester (but forget the PBS miniseries)
Dana's non-fiction Two Years Before the Mast is a treasure.... early California on a tall ship, just before the crowds came in after the discovery of gold in '49. And heartbreaking. Dana Point is named after him.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmiller
A fella I know on another board (living in the United Kingdom), posted this, in response to what I've said here.
Looks like the REAL deal is happening over *across the pond*! ;) :blink: :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Linda Z
David, do you think you could convince your Brit friend to share some of those photos with us??? Prettttty please???
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmiller
Linda --- click the first link, or the second. Both show live links to pics of many ships. Give it a try, eh?? ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Combination
It took me a good while to notice that there are two ships in that initial picture. :blink:
Edited by CombinationLink to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.