The Tall Ships Are Here by Vaughn Mullen

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The Tall Ships are Here!

by Vaughn Mullen, Editor

July 20th, 2000 Halifax, N.S. - A flotilla of slick racing schooners, modern sail and power boats and several magnificent square-rigged ships provided the colourful backdrop for the official arrival of Tall Ships 2000 to Halifax.

While not an official Tall Ship, Avon Spirit has received alot of attention along the Halifax waterfront. The wooden, topsail cargo schooner was built in 1997 at Synder's Shipyard, Dayspring, Lunenburg County. Ironically, the vessel was officially launched on July 20th, 1997 three years to the day before the official arrival of the Tall Ships to Halifax.

Point Pleasant Park near the mouth of the harbour has alive with thousands of people who had come to watch the arriving vessels and participate in one of Canada's premier tourism events this summer.

Among the dignitaries and maritime entertainers participating in the Tall Ships arrival ceremonies were Nova Scotia Senator Bernie Boudreau, the Honourable Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and John Hamm, Premier of Nova Scotia. Also in attendance was the Premier of Newfoundland, Brian Tobin and the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Myra Freeman.

In his address, The Deputy Prime Minister explained that the federal government had contributed $1M toward the Tall Ships event in Halifax, "one of Canada's and the world's flagship millennium projects."

Eeendracht Mr. Gray added that the event "will show the world what Nova Scotia and what Canada has to offer."

Eeendracht birthed at Halifax. The tall ship is a three-masted, steel-hulled, schooner from the Netherlands. She is 181 feet in length and was built in 1989.

Premier John Hamm told the 4 to 5 thousand people that the Tall Ships promises " to be a celebration to remember" and that ..."it was appropriate that Halifax is the port of call for the race of the century."

Members of the crew of Libertad prepare for the anticipated hundreds of visitors to the 298 foot ship during Tall Ships 2000 in Halifax. Libertad visited Halifax in 1984. The fully rigged, Class A ship from Agrentina is considered one of the largest and fasted sailing ships in the world.

Halifax was designated the official Canadian Race Port by the International Sail Training Association (ISTA) and the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), key organizing bodies of Tall Ships 2000. The designation recognizes Halifax as a world-class destination and as one of the many ports that pioneered the sport of Tall Ships racing.

The 85 Tall Ships, from over two dozen countries, will visit Halifax until July 24th, when the spectacular vessels will depart for Amsterdam on the final leg of the international sailing race. One of the highlights of the Tall Ships 2000 visit to Halifax is the Parade of Sail scheduled for the morning of July 24th. The Parade will be led by Nova Scotia's racing schooner, Bluenose II.