Many Marylanders remember the year tall ships first sailed into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor – 1976 — to mark the nation’s bicentennial.
Fifty years later, organizers of SAIL250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore say they’re planning an even bigger celebration for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
On Thursday, organizers announced that 14 international tall ships will anchor across Baltimore as part of a weeklong celebration that’s expected to bring thousands of visitors to the state.
“There are going to be a lot more ships here for this event” than in 1976, said Chris Rowsom, Director of SAIL250. “It’s a big, national event of historic significance.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime type activity, to have the world coming to Baltimore with 14 tall ships,” said James Piper Bond, President and CEO of the Living Classrooms Foundation, producer of the event. “There are going to be 4,000 sailors, young men and women, walking along the waterfront of Baltimore.”
SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore is a major destination event that will give the state an economic boost, said Harry Coker Jr., Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Commerce.
“This will fill hotel rooms, support restaurants and small businesses,” Coker said. “It will generate demand for transportation and retail. It will create opportunities for workers and entrepreneurs across our state…The benefits will ripple well beyond the waterfront in Baltimore.”
Beyond that, it’s a chance to showcase Maryland’s “vibrant maritime legacy and communities,” he said.
“This event will place Maryland at the center of a historic national moment. And it does something equally important: it elevates the people, the culture and the character of our state. We should all be excited about that and we should all be proud of that.”
It will be a learning experience for young people, said Faith Leach, Baltimore’s Chief Administrative Officer.
“When we think about the impact of events like this, we need to think about the importance of our young people being able to see events like this is in their back yard,” Leach said. “This is so incredibly important for them, to be able to learn the history of Baltimore and to see our culture on full display. I for one am very excited about the partnership that we have with the school system and the opportunity to highlight STEM careers for our young people.”
In all, the free celebration from June 24 to 30 is expected to include 40 vessels from Maryland, across the United States and around the globe, including U. S. and Canadian Navy ships; tall ships from Europe, Asia and South America; Coast Guard cutters; sea service vessels and other historic sailing ships. They’ll all be open for free public tours at locations throughout the city.
In addition, four world-renowned military precision aerobatic teams are scheduled to perform together at Airshow Baltimore, an unprecedented gathering of elite demonstration teams.
Tall ships
Baltimore is one of five cities that a traveling flotilla of military and international tall ships will visit over the next month and a half.
The tour started on Thursday, with tall ships visiting New Orleans, Louisiana. From there they’ll travel to Norfolk, Va., then Baltimore, then New York City and finally, Boston, Mass.
The tall ships scheduled to visit Baltimore include: ARA Libertad from Argentina; Juan Sebastian de Elcano from Spain; BAP Union from Peru; Amerigo Vespucci from Italy; Gorch Fock II from Germany, and Mircea from Romania.
Also, ROU Capitan Miranda from Uruguay; INS Sudarshini from India; NRP Sagres from Portugal; ARC Gloria from Columbia; BAE Guayas from Ecuador; USCG Eagle from the United States; Belle Poule from France and HMS Gladan from Sweden.
Hometown favorites open for tours will include: the Pride of Baltimore II; Maryland Dove; Mildred Belle; Sigsbee; Lady Maryland; USS Constellation; Lightship 116 Chesapeake; the USS Torsk submarine and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 37, along with the Seven-Foot Knoll Lighthouse at the south end of Inner Harbor Pier 5.
Also participating in Maryland will be U. S. Navy vessels (USS Marinette-LCS 25; USS Arlington-LPD 24 and Yard Patrol craft from the U. S. Naval Academy); a Royal Canadian Navy ship; Coast Guard vessels and sea service vessels.
The vessels will be berthed at various locations around Baltimore, including the Inner Harbor, Baltimore Peninsula; Tide Point; South Harbor and Fells Point.
Aviation events
The air show will feature the U. S. Navy Blue Angels; the British Royal Air Force Red Arrows; the French Patrouille de France and the F-16 Viper Demo team performing together.
Organizers say this is the first and only time the four teams will perform together at one event. Of the five SAIL250 host cities, they say, Baltimore is the only one incorporating an air show – a sign of its “premier” role in the celebration.
Martin State Airport in Baltimore County will be the epicenter of the aviation events, with jets taking off and landing throughout the weekend. Flyovers and public safety demonstrations will be visible over the Inner Harbor.
“To be able to have the French air force, the British air force and the Americans, the Blue Angels, that’s not happening anywhere else in the country,” Bond said. “It’s very exciting.”
Three festivals
The lineup also includes three festivals, each with its own set of activities and programming, from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28. Sponsored by CFG Bank, the festivals will take place in the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and the Baltimore Peninsula.
The Inner Harbor festival will include a “STEM Exploration Zone” presenting activities for young people and families, sponsored by the Baltimore Development Corporation and Constellation.
In Baltimore County, Martin State Airport and the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum will have an Open House on June 27 and 28, with military aircraft displays, souvenirs, food vendors and hands-on activities and exhibits that highlight Maryland’s aviation heritage.
On June 23, Living Classrooms Foundation and the James Beard Foundation will host an exclusive, wine-paired, multi-course dinner led by James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde. The dinner will take place at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum at 1417 Thames Street in Fells Point and is a fundraiser for the Living Classrooms Foundation. Ticket information is available at: https://livingclassrooms.org/james-beard-series.
SAIL250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore is presented by Northrup Grumman. There are more than two dozen additional supporters and partners. More information about the tall ships, the aviation events and other activities is available at www.sail250md.org.
