Boston hosted the ships of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge, which began its tour in Spain and visited the Canary Islands, Bermuda, and Charleston before reaching Boston July 8-13. From here they go to Halifax and cross the Atlantic again to Belfast. The ships taking part are affiliated with Sail Training International.
The tall ships last visited Boston nine years ago. There were 100 ships then, and they entered the harbor in a 'parade of sail.' Seven and a half million people visited the ships during their stay here. During this year's scaled down event attendance was about three and a half million.
The Europa from the Netherlands at Rowe's Wharf. The 45 ships that visited Boston were docked in many places around the harbor.
The Kruzenshtern from Russia, at 376 feet in length, was the largest ship on display.
The Sagres from Portugal and the Mircea from Romania
It was disappointing not to see the ships under sail, but I was there on a beautiful summer day and just to be near these old ships was fun.
Here's a 5-minute video I made of my visit to the Tall Ships.
If the video doesn't play after 30 seconds or so, click here