Ahoy, Cape Breton!
Large crowds welcome Tall Ships to St. Peter’s, Louisbourg and Sydney
Large crowds gathered at both Louisbourg and Sydney Harbour on Friday to welcome the Tall Ships to Cape Breton.
The Rendez-vous 2017 Tall Ships visit officially got underway in Cape Breton on Friday afternoon as 13 ships docked in St. Peter’s, Louisbourg and Sydney.
Louisbourg harbour was packed with people gathered to see the six ships that were docked.
Allison Steele, the purser of the ship Hamilton Picton Castle, said the crew has already been enjoying its time in Cape Breton.
“We anchored in the harbour yesterday and we spent the day in our small boats and it was amazing, we had so much fun — we had a swim call last night, all with the backdrop of the fortress. It’s just been beautiful,” said Steele.
Corey Hamilton, the captain of the Fair Jeanne, said small ports like Louisbourg have a great atmosphere that big cities don’t offer.
“I really like the small town atmosphere. I grew up in a small town and I like coming back to that atmosphere where people are friendly and everyone knows everyone,” said Hamilton.
The Tall Ships also attracted visitors from across the country, like Heather Wall and her family, who are from Alberta.
Wall said she was impressed by the history of the ships and the young crew members who operate them.
“The history and the magic Wall of youth are exciting. I know on a lot of these ships, youth are involved in sailing them across the world, so I think it’s a magical experience for kids to be exposed to some ships of this nature,” said Wall, adding, “we don’t have that in the prairies.”
The three
Tall Ships in Sydney, including the Bluenose II, were seen by tourists from other parts of Canada as well as Cape Bretoners, with West Coast visitors like Wayne Bazinet and his wife, who are from British
Columbia, visiting Cape Breton for the first time.
“We heard they were here; the last time we were in Halifax and we missed the Bluenose, and we heard it was here so we had to come,” said Bazinet.
The captain of the Bluenose II, Phil Watson, said he always enjoys his time in Cape Breton.
“I love the people, you have the Capers here and they have their own type of hospitality
and they’re super-friendly,” said Watson.
The ships will be in Cape Breton until Sunday, when they’ll set sail for Lunenburg. For people considering touring the ships, tours are free and open to all ages, but photo ID is required for anyone over 16 who wishes to tour the ships. For more information on the Rendez-vous 2017 Tall Ships and their journey, visit http://www.rdv2017.com/en/.