I
t’s been three years since the majestic fleet of tall ships
under full sail graced Presque Isle Bay for the triennial
Tall Ships Erie festival. Watching the parade of ships on
opening day, one can imagine what it must have looked
like on the bay during the days of Oliver Hazard Perry.
Ten ships are confirmed for this year’s event including
our own flagship and ambassador of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, the U.S. Brig Niagara.
Flagship Niagara League Executive Director Shawn Waskiewicz
says planning for the event started two years ago and is the biggest
fundraiser for the organization.
“In 2013, we raised $426,000 from the four-day festival but
more importantly the Tall Ships Erie is an economic driver for
our community and the biggest event for Erie all summer,” says
Waskiewicz.
Visit Erie estimates that the last Tall Ships Erie generated $6
million for the local economy and attracted 83,000 people.
The star of this year’s show is expected to be the El Galeón, a
170-foot authentic wooden replica of a galleon that was part of
Spain’s West Indies fleet. She will be docked, along with the U.S. Brig
Niagara, the Mist of Avalon and the Denis Sullivan at the Bayfront
Convention Center.
These four ships will be available for patrons to board throughout
the weekend of the festival in addition to the Pride of Baltimore II,
Pathfinder and Playfare, which will be stationed at the Erie Maritime
Museum and are included in the general admission ticket as well.
If merely touring the ships isn’t enough for you and you want a
chance to get out on the water on one of these impressive vessels,
90-minute junkets from Dobbins Landing into the bay will be
offered.
This year, you can choose from the Appledore IV, When & If, and
Bloodhound for the day sails. Space and tickets are limited and must
be purchased in advance, so plan ahead if you want to make this a
part of your Tall Ships Erie experience.
Although the ships are the main attraction, the Bayfront
Convention Center will also host vendors and activities to keep the
kids happy.
The Bayfront Maritime Center (BMC) will be open during the
festival as an education center with the schooner Porcupine as an
exhibit. The Porcupine is a representation of a Battle of Lake Erie
gunboat that the center has been reconstructing for the past year.
The schooner will be in the late stages of construction and will be on
display with some other boats that the center has built with students
over the years.
An experimental art installation by local artist Heather Hertel,
who creates with retired yacht sails, will also be featured at the BMC
for Tall Ships Erie.
Live music from bands that play shanties and have nautical
themes will help you get in the spirit of the festival, with bands like
the Hard Tackers out of Columbus, Ohio, and Tom Kastle out of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Headlining the weekend is Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers
from Nashville, Tennessee. The Blue Buccaneers travel the country
entertaining audiences with their maritime and shanty music and it’s
their first appearance in Erie.
An event this big that spans several locations requires a huge
volunteer force. “This event couldn’t happen without our volunteers.
Tall Ships Erie is an
“economic
driver for
our community and
the biggest event for
Erie all summer.
”
In 2013 we had 900 volunteers who helped. The volunteers drive the
festival,” says Waskiewicz.
Volunteering is an excellent way to be a part of the festivities and
to get yourself free admission. Each volunteer gets an event shirt and
a free pass on the day they work their four-hour shift.
On Friday, Sept. 9, only advanced ticket holders will have access
to the tall ships but on Saturday, the 10th, and Sunday, the 11th,
you will be able to purchase tickets onsite for $14. Organizers urge
visitors to purchase tickets in advance to avoid ticket lines regardless
of the day you plan to attend.
One thing you might consider is purchasing a VIP pass for $100.
Though there are only a few left, it gets you access to a hospitality
tent on the second level of Dobbins Landing, and more importantly
gets you to the front of the line for the boat tours.
Erie is just one stop among nine port appearances throughout
the United States and Canada included in the Tall Ships Challenge
Great Lakes 2016 sponsored by Erie Insurance. The Niagara plans to
make appearances at all of the U.S.-based events this summer.
The Great Lakes series is organ