Tall ships invade Victoria for weekend festival
The Niña, a replica of the caravel Christopher Columbus’ crew sailed to the New World in 1492, slips past the Ogden Point breakwater on its way to Victoria’s Inner Harbour on Thursday. The Niña is among the 25 vessels in the Tall Ships Festival today through Sunday in Victoria. -- Photo by Diane Urbani de la Paz/Peninsula Daily News
By Diane Urbani de la Paz, Peninsula Daily News
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But the sight of the tall ships is big drama, rising on the horizon like a row of trumpets, transporting the crowd into a fantasy of taking one of these vessels to some far continent.
The Tall Ships Festival arrived, punctuated by cannon blasts, in North America at noon Thursday with the 25-ship Parade of Sail into Victoria's Inner Harbour.
Despite a stiff, cold wind off the waves, a procession of people lined up on the breakwater at Ogden Point to see the ships come in.
From today will be three days of tall revelry: topsail schooners, ketches, brigs and the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle, a 295-foot barque in a port filled with live music from all hemispheres, nautical children's activities, an art market and "History Bites," historical food samples from early Jewish treats to Gold Rush fare.
Climb aboard
The sailing ships are the stars, of course, and they're open today through Sunday for on-board exploring and conversations with crewmen and -women from around the world.
At 2 p.m. on each day of the festival, three of the ships will go out for afternoon voyages: the 133-foot schooner Adventuress, the 92-foot Maple Leaf and the 83-foot topsail schooner Amazing Grace.
Passengers may try their hands at helping the crew during the three-hour trips, or just lean into the wind and soak up the view.
Back on land, the festivities spread across Ship Point include the Pirate School tent, where children can carve "whales' teeth" — soap, actually — and make treasure maps and temporary tattoos, and the Tall Ships University, where youth age 10 to 14 can tackle line hurling, knot-tying and flag-signaling.
A Johnny Depp-as-Capt. Jack Sparrow look-alike was also sighted among the pirate types swaggering across the festival grounds.
For budding skippers, the Victoria Model Shipbuilding Society has a pond for children's paddleboat races, and youth 16 years old and older will have chances to operate remote-control boats.
Music at the festival ranges from sea-chantey singer Hank Cramer, the politically adventurous Rabbleberries band, the FynsHoldet Danish dancers and the Victoria Gaelic Choir.
International festival
This being a harbor that has brought a globe of cultures together, the Maritime Museum of British Columbia has brought in a showcase called the Maritime Mosaic, giving visitors a smaller festival inside the larger one.
The Mosaic glitters with performances and displays of Asian, Scandinavian, First Nations, Greek and other music and art practiced in this Canadian province.
Each evening of the festival, the flags of all participating ships' nations will be lowered as the sun sets.
They're predominantly American and Canadian banners, with the exception of the Niña, a replica of the 68-foot caravel Christopher Columbus' crew sailed to the New World in 1492.
Its home port is the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman.
This weekend's weather is forecast to be an improvement on Thursday's chill and clouds — not that they bothered Tall Ships gazers like Gwyneth Foster-Newell and Dan Newell, who drove 13 hours from their home in Edmonton, Alberta, to a holiday in Victoria.
"We don't have ships," Gwyneth said.
"We see canoes and kayaks," only, theirs being an inland province.
Looking out to the Adventuress as it swept toward the harbor, she added, "Just imagine, being in the middle of the ocean . . . just the thrill of it."
THE TALL SHIPS Festival runs through Sunday in Victoria's Inner Harbour.
Full-festival passes are $35 and single-day wristbands, including shipboarding privileges, cost $15. Festival-only passes — which don't include onboard tours — are $5 at the gates. Children 6 and younger are admitted free. All prices are in Canadian dollars.
Ships are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and afternoon sails go from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday.
Mock cannon battles are at 6:30 p.m. today through Sunday.
The farewell ceremonies are at 6:45 p.m. Sunday.
For information, visit www.TallShipsVictoria.ca or phone Tourism Victoria at 800-663-3883.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: June 26. 2008 9:00PM