Look up - look way up
Nine majestic tall ships descend on Charlottetown
Heather MacWilliam made her way to the water with her camera Thursday to get a sneak peak at some tall ships.
Four of the impressive vessels were docked at Port Charlottetown, along with HMCS Charlottetown and Canada C3, a 63-metre research icebreaker on a 150-day expedition from Toronto to Victoria via the Northwest Passage.
It was the tall ships garnering the attention of MacWilliam, a resident of the capital city.
“I’m a student of history, and the tall ships are a part of world history,’’ she says.
“There is just a romantic appeal to them and it has nothing to do with Johnny Depp,’’ she added in joking reference to the actor who plays Jack Sparrow in the wildly popular Pirates of the Carribean movies.
MacWilliam has a genealogical connection of sorts to ships, noting her grandfather used to build boats in Cape Wolfe, P.E.I.
Ray Mills, 78, of Charlottetown also was admiring the tall ships on Thursday.
“Oh, it’s fantastic,’’ says Mills, a former public works superintendent for the city who was treated to a sail around Charlottetown Harbour years ago aboard the HMS Bounty.
On Thursday, the massive BAP Union seemed to attract the greatest attention. A training ship of the Peruvian Navy, the BAP Union is a four-masted, steel-hulled barque built in 2014 by Shipyard Marine Industrial Services of Peru
Mills predicted Thursday that many people will flock to see the tall ships today. Indeed, the four tall ships that were drawing attention from tourists and locals on Thursday have plenty of majestic company today.
Nine tall ships in total will begin their parade of sails at approximately 8:50 a.m. with the last ship docking near noon.
The visiting ships include Bark Europa, Oosterschelde, Blue Clipper, USCGC Eagle, Ronal II, Jolie Brise, Vahine, BAP Union and HMCS Oriole.
HMCS Charlottetown and Canada C3 will also be at Port Charlottetown along with Quebec City cultural performers and the Pirates of Halifax.
Free deck tours are available to the public today, 2-4 p.m., at Port Charlottetown and Queen’s Wharf and again, 4-7 p.m., at Port Charlottetown. On Saturday, deck tours are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at both Port Charlottetown and Queen’s Wharf.
Anyone visiting Port Charlottetown is encouraged to carpool or walk to the site, if possible. Limited public parking is available in the parking lot to the left of Stan MacPherson Way.
There will be security screening and a bag check before the public will be permitted to access the tall ships. Backpacks and large bags will not be permitted, but can be checked at a baggage check at the security gate.
Outside of deck tour times, the public is also invited to take photos from along the waterfront as the ships will be highly visible all weekend.