Saturday, July 3rd, was very hot – temperature in the low 30’s but, with the humidity, feeling closer to 40. Hoping it would cool off a bit later in the day, John and Margaret-Ann waited until 5:00 p.m. before leaving Brampton and heading down to Harbourfront to catch the Tall Ships at Toronto’s Waterfront Festival 2010. It was close to 6:00 by the time the car was parked and John and Margaret-Ann took the short walk along Queen’s Quay to the Toronto Harbour. It was noticeably cooler by the water with a pleasant breeze gently blowing all the flags and banners on the Tall Ships. In all, 15 Tall Ships participated in the Festival – some local to the Toronto waterfront, some from various US ports, and several from very distant ports. Three of the most popular ships were the Europa (Netherlands), Roald Amundsen (Germany), and HMS Bounty (US) – see pictures below. It took John and Margaret-Ann about two hours of walking up and down most of the piers in the harbour to view all of the Tall Ships, but it was well worth it – they thought the Ships were fantastic! After another very excellent adventure, and a leisurely dinner downtown, John and Margaret-Ann headed back to Brampton. Where will their next adventure take them?
Enjoy the pictures!
PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
Rig: Topsail schooner
Homeport: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Normal Cruising Waters: Chesapeake Bay
Sparred Length: 157'
Draft: 12'6"
Sail Area: 10,422 square feet
Hull: Wood
Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned in 1988 as a sailing memorial to her immediate predecessor, the original Pride of Baltimore, which was tragically sunk by a squall off Puerto Rico in 1986. It’s a topsail schooner built as a replica of a classic 1812 Baltimore Clipper. The Pride of Baltimore II maintains an international sailing schedule, sailing with two rotating professional captains and a crew of eleven. Crew positions are open to qualified men and women sailors. She can also accommodate up to six paying passengers as "working guest crew" between ports of call.
The riggings of two tall ships, one behind the other, make an interesting pattern.
KAJAMA
Rig: Schooner
Homeport: Toronto, Ontario
Normal Cruising Waters: Great Lakes and connecting waters
Sparred Length: 165'
Draft: 11'7"
Hull: Steel
Kajama was originally launched at the Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany in 1930, christened "Wilfried". She has traded in ports from northwest Spain, through Western Europe, and as far north as Norway and Russia under sail and engine power. After years of successful trading, Kajama was converted for use as a strictly diesel-powered trader. Before she was retired and broken up, she was delivered transatlantic by the Great Lakes Schooner Company and restored to her original profile in 1999. Restoration and re-fit happened with the guidance of historic drawings and photos, information from former crew and drawings provided by the original builders, and she underwent a conversion from a freighter to a passenger carrying vessel. Kajama is now permanently stationed in Toronto Harbour offering day sail excursions for the public.
STV UNICORN
Rig: Topsail Schooner
Homeport: Clinton, New Jersey
Normal Cruising Waters: Long Island Sound, New England
Sparred Length: 118'
Draft: 9'6"
Sail Area: 9,688 square feet
Hull: Steel
Built in Holland in 1947 as a fishing vessel she was ultimately acquired by a Dutch skipper and his wife, converted into a sailing ship, re-named Unicorn, and sailed throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
EUROPA
Rig: Barque
Homeport: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Normal Cruising Waters: Worldwide
Sparred Length: 185'
Rig height: 109'
Sail Area: 11,000 square feet
Hull: Steel
Europa was launched in Hamburg in 1911. Her construction had been ordered by the city of Hamburg for use as a lightship. Over the past several years, Europa has become famous among tall ships for nautical miles travelled, thus giving her the nickname "Ocean Wanderer".
Europa's ornamental figurehead below its bowsprit.
ROALD AMUNDSEN
Rig: Brigantine
Homeport: Germany
Normal Cruising Waters: North Sea/Canary Islands
Sparred Length: 165' (LOA)
Draft: 15'
Hull: Steel
Initially designed as a deep sea fish lugger, the hull was built in 1952 and directly equipped to service the military fleet of former East Germany. When the Berlin Wall came down, history rendered her obsolete. Discovered by a handful of enthusiasts in Wolgast in 1992, she was converted and rigged as a traditional brig - a tall ship intended for sail training, operated by the LLaS e.V., a German not-for-profit organization.
EMPIRE SANDY
Rig: Schooner
Homeport: Toronto, Ontario
Normal Cruising Waters: Great Lakes and connecting waters
Sparred Length: 200'
Draft: 13'
Sail Area: 10,000 square feet
Hull: Steel
Empire Sandy majestically cruises Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario, offering passengers the unique experience of sailing aboard an authentic Tall Ship.
The Birdhouse Sculpture in the Spadina Quay Wetlands Park.
The Birdhouse Sculpture was designed by Anne Roberts of Feir Mill Design Inc., and depicts the activities along the lake front in the early 20th century with the warehouses of the Toronto Electric Company, the corner bank, the Italianate bathing palace of Sunnyside with ice cream parlours, bathing stations, and boathouses.
Margaret-Ann takes a break from the Tall Ships to wander through the Spadina Quay Wetlands Park.
NIAGARA
Rig: Brigantine
Homeport: Erie, Pennsylvania
Normal Cruising Waters: Great Lakes and connecting waters
Sparred Length: 198'
Draft: 11'
Sail Area: 11,600 square feet
Hull: wood
In 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry won the Battle of Lake Erie aboard the warship Niagara. In 1988, US Brig Niagara was built as a faithful reconstruction of this ship that played such a pivotal role in the war of 1812. Her mission is to interpret War of 1812 history, promote the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and preserve the skills of square-rig seafaring.
An early American flag flies from Niagara's rigging.
The bow of USA's two-masted brigantine, Niagara.
HMS BOUNTY
Rig: Full-rigged collier
Homeport: Greenport, NY
Sparred Length: 180'
Rig height: 115'
Sail Area: 10000 square feet
Hull: Wood
HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" by MGM Studios in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to tell the story of the famous maritime mutiny that occurred in the South Pacific in 1789. Now owned and operated by the HMS Bounty Organization LLC, she makes Greenport, Long Island, New York her homeport. In an effort to return Bounty to the condition of her Hollywood film days, the famous ship completed an extensive renovation from 2006-2007 in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Bounty has become a star again to a new generation when she was featured in Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest.
HMS Bounty’s ornamental figurehead below its bowsprit.
The massive rigging of the three-masted HMS Bounty.
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