"I saw three ships a-sailing . . ."

[Ho Ho Tai]

My home town of Duluth, MN is currently celebrating the Duluth Maritime Festival. The center of attention is a visit by three 'Tall ships' - replicas of earlier vessels of the "wooden ships and iron men" era. Actually, we haven't seen them yet, but are driving up to Duluth tomorrow, hoping we can get tickets.

Kenneth Newhams, who publishes "Duluth Shipping News" (which you can examine here) went out on a newspersons' tour, aboard the Pride of Baltimore II and shot this flash video, about 15 minutes of the sights and sounds of life aboard a tall ship, and it's very busy crew. You will see from the vessel's perspective the lake, harbor, Aerial Bridge, canal and the throngs who turned out for the spectacle, and part of the city, sprawling along the hill.

Watch also for the U.S. Brig Niagara, largest of the three vessels, as it barely clears the Aerial Bridge.

The video may take a few minutes to load.

The descriptive piece (below) appeared in the Duluth News Tribune.

"Tall ships arrive in Duluth to the delight of thousands

8/2 - With cannons’ roar, a trio of tall ships, their white sails billowing in the wind, glided into Duluth Harbor Thursday afternoon to the delight of the thousands of people who gathered to watch.

The ships, including replicas of 1812 war ships, passed through the Aerial Lift Bridge beginning about 4 p.m., followed by an armada of smaller boats that later milled around as the big ships docked along Harbor Drive.

It was the first time in decades that many tall ships had sailed into the harbor at one time, harkening back to the mid- to late-1800s when sailing vessels moved cargo on the Great Lakes. The ships are here for this weekend’s Duluth Maritime Festival and will be open for public tours today through Sunday.

With both cameras and children in-hand, on-lookers crowded the Lakewalk and lined the two piers and Harbor Drive. First to arrive was the Madeline, a replica of an 1840s cargo schooner. At 92 feet in length and masts rising 71 feet, it’s the smallest of the three. Second in the harbor was the Pride of Baltimore II, a clipper-style topsail schooner that’s 157 feet long and with a 107-foot tall mast.

On the lake, the three tall ships were surrounded by a fleet of smaller sailing craft, motor boats and even — as they neared the Harbor — sea kayakers and people in inflatable rafts. As they entered the ship canal, the people crowding both piers cheered and clapped. The Pride of Baltimore II fired several cannon salutes in the canal.

When the biggest vessel — the U.S. Brig Niagara — approached, some onlookers anxiously looked at its 118-foot tall mast and wondered if it would clear the raised Aerial Lift Bridge.

It did. Barely, it seemed. With wind-filled sails, the towering beauty passed in silence and left onlookers similarly awed into silence.

As the Niagara docked behind the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, people crowded in for a closer look. Eyes and cameras pointed upward to the tall masts where a crew member straddled the top of one, and later 13 young crew members sat in a row on the yard of a mast.

“It was a perfect day all day,” said Wesley Heerssen, the Niagara’s captain, as his crew continued to secure the docked ship. The Niagara, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, set out from Erie Harbor on July 20.

The Niagara will be in Duluth until Tuesday evening. The Madeline and Pride of Baltimore II are scheduled to depart Monday."

Reported by: Duluth News Tribune