History is about to come alive on the Boston Harbor as over 60 ships from around the world sail in to honor America’s 250th anniversary.
From powerful multi-mission vessels to peaceful pinnaces, the Boston waterfront will turn into a massive boat party as Sail250 kicks off Saturday morning. The event continues a blockbuster summer for the Hub — coming less than 48 hours after the World Cup wrapped up in the region.
Leading the Parade of Sail at 9 a.m. Saturday is the 228-year-old USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.
“When this parade of tall ships comes into the Boston Harbor,” USS Constitution Commanding Officer Cheryl Schaefer told the Herald, “everybody can get a feel of what Boston, what our country was like back in the late 1700s and 1800s… We didn’t have nuclear power, we didn’t have steam power; it was all wind power. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Over 60 tall ships and military boats representing more than 20 countries will follow the Constitution, parading into the harbor before docking around the city. The parade will be viewable from Castle Island, the Seaport District, the Downtown Waterfront, East Boston, the North End, and Charlestown.
After the last boat crosses the line around 4 p.m., the public can begin boarding the ships at 5 p.m. Public viewing and boarding will remain open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. To kick things off, a patriotic fireworks display will light up the night sky on both Saturday and Wednesday at 9:15 p.m.
The festivities will continue throughout the week with interactive events across the city. On Monday, a crew and cadet street parade will march from Leader Bank Pavilion to Christopher Columbus Park between 12 and 2 p.m. On Tuesday at 10 a.m., Navy ship crews and cadets will face off in a soccer tournament in East Boston. Meanwhile, visitors at the Charlestown Navy Yard can witness sailors working the sails and catch live exhibitions of gun and pipe drills all week long.
For Fran McDonald, the president of Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the event showcases a vital partnership between the university, state, and federal governments — anchored by the presence of the Training Ship Patriot State.
McDonald emphasized that the display is much more than just a grand spectacle.
“These are the assets that connected people long before airplanes, long before the internet,” he told the Herald. “This really speaks to an amazing piece of humanity, and folks should come away from the weekend saying, ‘Boy, we stand on the shoulders of giants.’”
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