America 250 – Tall Ships

~ MaryG

Did you know that only two US cities are hosting both World Cup games AND Tall Ships this summer?

Can you guess which ones?

I’ll give you a hint. One is where the colonists gave King George a transatlantic middle finger by dumping a bunch of British tea in the harbor. The subsequent British crackdown pushed the colonies towards open rebellion and kicked off the American Revolutionary War in 1775. (Also, it rhymes with Austin.)

The other is a sleepy little town called New York.

Here are a few shots of the magnificent vessels taken from another vessel in the harbor. (The same place they dumped that tea.)

The BAP Unión, the Peruvian Navy’s tall ship 🇵🇪
🇵🇪
The Esmeralda from Chile 🇨🇱 is known as La Dama Blanca (The White Lady). Built in 1953, she’s one of the most famous and largest tall ships in the world.
Portugal’s NRP Sagres (left) 🇵🇹
I think the one behind it is from Spain 🇪🇸
The INS Sudarshini from India 🇮🇳
Cadets in the rigging of the Sudarshini 🇮🇳
The Amerigo Vespucci from Italy 🇮🇹
Ciao Bella 😍
Another shot of the Amerigo Vespucci 🇮🇹 with Argentina’s ARA Libertad 🇦🇷 behind it
The Mircea from Romania 🇷🇴
The Mircea 🇷🇴 with Poland’s Dar Młodzieży (“Gift of Youth”) behind it 🇵🇱
Our resident Tall Ship—the USS Constitution (aka “Old Ironsides”) with Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Monument in the distance 🇺🇸
A shot of the steeple of the Old North Church where, on the night of April 18, 1775, sexton Robert Newman climbed up and hung two lanterns briefly — a signal arranged by Paul Revere to warn colonists across the Charles River in Charlestown about the movement of British troops. (“One if by Land, Two if by Sea” as goes the line in Longfellow’s famous poem Paul Revere’s Ride)
Our party of four aboard The Valiant—a regular ship, not a Tall one 😉

Did you guess BOSTON as the only other city besides New York hosting both World Cup and Tall Ships?

You are correct!

18 thoughts on “America 250 – Tall Ships”

  1. Great pictures!
    I wish I was post knee surgery instead of pre, I would have loved to have seen these magnificent ships in person again.
    I was in NY the first time they came in ‘76 and have two of my father’s paintings from that weekend on my walls right now.
    😊

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    1. Thank you! I saw them in ‘76 too (in Boston). It must have been cool to see them in NY! Did your father paint them from life, or from photos? (Can’t imagine setting up an easel with all those people around!)

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    1. No, they don’t race (I don’t think). Some are like 100+ years old! “They are large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessels — typically with multiple masts and square or gaff sails — that today serve mainly as naval training ships, historic replicas, or ceremonial vessels for international maritime events”

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      2. They’re here in honor of America’s 250th birthday. They sailed in together (a “Parade of Sail”) which is spectacular to see them all with sails blowing and then they dock for several days so people can admire them.

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      1. You’re welcome, Mary. Yes, that would’ve been super cool to see. I’ve never seen so many in one place. I actually saw one from Spain a long time ago when they visited Puerto Rico.

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