TALL SHIPS ERIE KICKS OFF; ALGOMARINE DUE

ALGOMARINE, with stone from Bruce Mines, Ontario, makes a rare visit to Erie when she arrives in Erie at 0330.

This afternoon around 1400 PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II got underway from Dobbin's Landing and headed out into Lake Erie. The rest of the tall ships followed PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II out, and the ships proceeded to line up behind U.S. Brig NIAGARA. NIAGARA led the parade inbound beginning at 1600, escorted by the Erie Power Squadron and local law enforcement. A surprise visitor to the rear of the parade was Coast Guard Cutter MORRO BAY (WTGB-106), which just visited Erie last week.

Of note, ST. LAWRENCE II did not make the parade due to weather on Lake Erie delaying the vessel in Port Colborne, Ontario yesterday. ST. LAWRENCE II is upbound on Lake Erie at this time, expected at Long Point at 2300, and should arrive Erie sometime tonight.

PEACEMAKER, STV UNICORN, NIAGARA, and SØRLANDET are docked at the Convention Center and expected to be joined by ST. LAWRENCE II. PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II and LYNX are at the Erie Maritime Museum, and FRIENDS GOOD WILL, APPLEDORE IV and HINDU are docked at Dobbin's Landing to conduct day sails over the weekend. MORRO BAY is moored on the north face of Dobbin's Landing. The tall ships are docked and open for tours this weekend. Visit Tall Ships Erie's website for more information on tickets and a schedule of events.

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PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II outbound.


Stern view of the ship, commanded by an Erie native.


LYNX follows the PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II.


Stern view of the LYNX. Note the huge American flag flying.


NIAGARA passes the crowd on the South Pier.


Stern view of the NIAGARA.


PEACEMAKER departing.


Stern view of PEACEMAKER.


Two vessels originally built in Erie, ENVIRONAUT and LADY KATE, meet in the channel.


Slowly making her way through the channel, APPLEDORE IV prepares to head out and fall into line.


APPLEDORE IV heads out of the piers under full sail.


FRIENDS GOOD WILL departs.


Stern view.


HINDU outbound following FRIENDS GOOD WILL.


Stern view.


NIAGARA leads the parade into the channel.


Side view of the 1988-built NIAGARA.


Stern view.


Portsmouth, New Hampshire's 2004-built LYNX follows the NIAGARA inbound.


Stern view.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE is the third ship in the parade.


1988-built PRIDE OF BALTIMORE is the flagship of Maryland and homeported in Baltimore.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II fires a cannon shot at the North Pier while inbound.


FRIENDS GOOD WILL, of South Haven, Michigan, is the next ship in the parade.


The 2004-built topsail sloop fires a cannon while passing through the channel.


The small schooner HINDU, built in 1925 and homeported part of the year in Provincetown, MA and part of the year in Key West, follows FRIENDS GOOD WILL inbound.


Stern view of HINDU.


STV UNICORN, built in 1947, follows HINDU inbound.


Stern view of UNICORN. Crewed by an all-female crew, the gaff-rigged topsail schooner calls Bridgeport, Connecticut home.


PEACEMAKER is the next ship in the parade.


Side view of the 1989-built barquentine.


PEACEMAKER, of Brunswick, Georgia, has an interesting history, having been built in Brazil by Italian boatbuilders.


APPLEDORE IV inbound. The vessel was built in 1989.


APPLEDORE IV hails from Bay City, Michigan.


Stern view.


1927-built SØRLANDET, the oldest full-rigged ship still in operation, is the last of the tall ships in the parade.


Close up of the only sailing ship in the parade to not be under sail. SØRLANDET is homeported in Kristiansand, Norway.


Stern view of SØRLANDET.


MORRO BAY brings up the rear of the flotilla.


Close up of MORRO BAY. At one point last year there was talk of a Navy frigate attending the ceremonies; however due to the budget sequester that didn't happen this year.


East Erie County Fire/Rescue Marine 1 inbound following the MORRO BAY.


Lakeshore Fire/Rescue 509 following the MORRO BAY inbound.


Stern view.


UNICORN, PEACEMAKER and NIAGARA at the Convention Center this evening.


APPLEDORE IV and MORRO BAY at dock.

Tall Ships Day

0700 Thursday found LYNX, UNICORN, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, and PEACEMAKER anchored in Presque Isle Bay. NIAGARA is at her berth in Erie's East Canal Basin, and around Dobbin's Landing are APPLEDORE IV, FRIENDS GOOD WILL and HINDU. SORLANDET is not in the harbor at this time.

Unfortunately, it appears that one of the scheduled ships, ST. LAWRENCE II, may not make it to Erie in time for the Parade of Sails. ST. LAWRENCE II is currently waiting weather in Port Colborne, and with Erie several hours away via sail may not make port in time.

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II INBOUND, LYNX Behind

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II is currently inbound. The vessel will be headed in to anchor off of Commodore Perry Yacht Club. The captain of PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II is an Erie native.

LYNX is about 12 miles astern and will be coming in to anchor as well.

TALL SHIPS BOUND FOR ERIE

U.S. Brig NIAGARA arrived at her homeport of Erie yesterday afternoon to prepare for Tall Ships Erie, which kicks off with the Parade of Sail from 1600-1800 on Thursday.

This morning finds some of the other members of the flotilla that's about to invade Erie underway. As of 0715 this morning PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II is abeam of Ashtabula, Ohio, making 8.6 knots. Behind her, APPLEDORE IV is cruising across Lake Erie at 6.4 knots. Abeam of her, PEACEMAKER is at the Canadian border making a speed of 5.6 knots.

UNICORN is sailing nearby as well. At 0830 the UNICORN and ALGOLAKE had a short conversation on the marine radio.

As of 1025 this morning FRIENDS GOOD WILL is off of North Kingsville, halfway between Conneaut and Ashtabula, making 6.5 knots.

The tall ships will probably cruise around the Lake tonight, and, if they do the same thing as 2010, will be found in the morning anchored off of Beach 11 waiting for the Parade of Sail to begin.

Lineup for Tall Ships 2013

Flagship Niagara League officials just finished announcing the lineup for Tall Ships 2013.

The following nine vessels will be attending:

• APPLEDORE IV
• LYNX
• UNICORN
• St. LAWRENCE II
• PEACEMAKER
• FLAGSHIP NIAGARA
• FRIENDS GOOD WILL
• SORLANDET
• PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II

I will continue to cover this story. Watch tomorrow for a look inside the PEACEMAKER, which is making its first visit to the Great Lakes.

Tall Ships Erie 2013 - Vessel lineup begins to take shape

With the 2013 Tall Ships Erie festival scheduled for September 5-8, the vessel lineup has begun to take shape. Several vessel websites have indicated that the vessels will be in Erie for the festival. U.S. BRIG NIAGARA will headline the festival.

Tall ship PEACEMAKER, based on Long Island, visited Savannah, Georgia in December. Onboard, the vessel had posted a map of the ports at which the vessel would call in 2013. Erie, Pennsylvania was among them.

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, a 2010 visitor, is scheduled to be back. Toronto-based PATHFINDER and PLAYFAIR, both of which cancelled in 2010 due to weather, have listed Erie on their 2013 sailing schedules. - Updated 4/1/13: Neither vessel will be attending

UNICORN and St. LAWRENCE II are scheduled as well. I will continue to update as more vessels are announced. There are reportedly about eight vessels scheduled for the ceremony this year.

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PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II inbound Erie, September 9, 2010.

TALL SHIPS ERIE KICKS OFF

Tall Ships Erie opened with a bang, or rather, with several of them, on Thursday evening as the U.S. Brig NIAGARA led a parade of six ships into Erie harbor amid thousands of spectators ashore and afloat.

Preparations for the day began Thursday morning when the tall ships LYNX, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, ROALD AMUNDSEN and UNICORN went to anchor north of the Erie Pierhead light, off of Beach 11 on Presque Isle State Park. This anchorage, popular with weekend pleasure boaters, is never utilized by anything other than recreational craft. At noon, the NIAGARA headed out from its berth behind the Erie Maritime Museum and proceeded outbound to meet up with the other vessels outside of Erie harbor.

While the tall ships were cruising the lake to await the start of the parade, members of the Erie Power Squadron and Commodore Perry Yacht Club, along with local law enforcement agencies, were meeting with Parade Marshall Captain Wesley Herssenn at the Maritime Museum. The Power Squardron and Commodore Perry Yacht Club were serving as escort vessels for each of the tall ships. These vessels got underway at about 1545 hours and headed out to the lake, where the Parade Marshall, operating from a helicopter provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, called the parade to order at 1615 hours. The parade was inbound the channel at 1715, and by 1830 the NIAGARA, having led the UNICORN, BOUNTY, LYNX, ROALD AMUNDSEN and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II through the channel, was docking at East Dobbin's Landing.

The day concluded with a VIP reception at the Erie Maritime Museum and a party for the crew on top of Dobbin's Landing.

Tall Ships Erie runs through Sunday. The final two vessels, PLAYFAIR and PATHFINDER, should arrive Saturday night.

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The Parade Marshall addresses the crowd at the Erie Maritime Museum during the meeting for the escort vessels.


ANGEL ADRIJA, a 26' Bayliner, is to be the port side escort of the second vessel in the parade, the STV UNICORN. This is the vessel the Erie Shipping News will be riding along on.


State Police helicopter.


The ROALD AMUNDSEN heads outbound to prepare to fall into line.


A moment later, the AMUNDSEN passes us again.


J.S. ST. JOHN passes by on its way outbound.


Parade of Sail begins.


U.S. Brig NIAGARA leads the parade.


STV UNICORN, crewed entirely by women, is the vessel we will be escorting, and ANGEL ADRIJA falls into position.


ANGEL ADRIJA's owner watches the BOUNTY as she manouevers the vessel into position.


HMS BOUNTY was used in Marlon Brando's film Mutiny on the Bounty.


Close up of the UNICORN. Most of the vessel's crew wore strange hats.


Pennsylvania State Police boat passes us near the channel.


BOUNTY.


PA Fish and Boat Commission stops to warn a boater away from the parade route.


Crowd on the South Pier.


NIAGARA, as viewed from the North Pier.


Stern view.


UNICORN and BOUNTY.


UNICORN.


ANGEL ADRIJA escorts the UNICORN.


Stern view of the UNICORN.


BOUNTY.


Stern view.


LYNX.


Stern view.


ANGEL ADRIJA passes the Mountfort Terminal, where employees of Erie Sand & Gravel have gathered.


ROALD AMUNDSEN.


Stern view.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II.


Stern view.


47241 in Erie harbor.


UNICORN in the bay.


Customs and Border Protection Safeboat 382907 in Presque Isle Bay.


25573 near Dobbin's Landing.


NIAGARA docks.


PA Fish and Boat Commission in Presque Isle Bay.


One more look at the UNICORN. As soon as UNICORN docks, ANGEL ADRIJA's job will be done.