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Next Stop Greenport, New York - May 24 - 28 |
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First of Three Races Completed for 2012 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series NEWPORT, R.I. (May 17, 2012) – Having left a huge public maritime festival in Savannah, Ga., on Monday, May 7, seven tall ships have made it to Cape Fear, N.C., completing the first leg of Tall Ships America’s 2012 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE. Three of those ships will continue on to join four others in Greenport, N.Y., which is approximately 500 nautical miles away and due to host its own maritime festival beginning on Saturday, May 26 and continuing through Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. The festivals, coordinated by Tall Ships America with the help of local organizers, are part of a series of four to grace the Eastern Seaboard (Newport, R.I. and Halifax, Nova Scotia are next up for July), and all participating tall ships have the option of competing in corresponding port-to-port races as they sail to each venue. “During the journey north we explored the concepts of hard work, teamwork and humor,” continued Braunstein. “As we sail north and explore a different port every weekend, I find that the crew of the HMS Bounty has already become a family. Nowhere was this new bond more evident than when we furled the topsails in a squall as sheets of rain poured down, streaks of lightening flashed around us and thunder rumbled in the not-so-far distance. ” With light winds and choppy seas for most of the way up the coast, racing to Cape Fear was tough on the competing tall ships, which each have handicap ratings based on different rigs and varied sizes. Three ships retired early while the remaining four were unable to complete the course within the allotted time limit of 48 hours. Nevertheless, first place was awarded to the 159-foot topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II, which had come within 16 nautical miles of the finish line when time ran out. Click here for a list of ships participating in the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Atlantic Coast 2012 Series. While underway, you can follow the daily progress of the race via FLEET TRACKER |
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More About Tall Ships America Tall Ships America is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching youth education through character building and leadership programs aboard tall ships. It is the hub for tall ship activity, expertise, and information in North America, and is commended by Congress as the Sail Training organization representing the United States. |
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TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series and Maritime Festivals Set for
East Coast
NEWPORT, R.I. (April 16, 2012) – Celebrating the bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812, more than 25 tall ships will make their way up the Eastern Seaboard this summer to participate in the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Atlantic Coast 2012 series of races and public maritime festivals. Coordinated by Tall Ships America in collaboration with local organizers, the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® fleet will be hosted at festivals in four major ports of call: Savannah, Ga. (May 3-7), Greenport, N.Y. (May 24-28), Newport, R.I. (July 6-9) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (July 19-23). |
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Among the international ships planning to participate in the events are the 191-foot Indonesian Naval barquentine Dewaruci; the French Naval tall ships La Belle Poule and Etoile; and the 179-foot barque Picton Castle from the Cook Islands. U.S. vessels include the majestic 295-foot U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle, HMS Bounty, Gazela, Lynx, Pride of Baltimore II, and many more. “Students and trainees will sail the ships just as was done during the great Age of Sail” added Rogers. “These races follow long-distance courses on the open ocean, and the ships sail without using engines. It’s all to promote international goodwill through friendly competition.” Tall Ships America’s TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® is an annual series that rotates on a three-year cycle between the Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific Coast. Over the past decade, the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® has coordinated more than sixty events in 32 cities, stimulating strong tourism and economic development though these family-friendly festivals. In 2013, all eyes will be on the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes, when the ships will visit over 20 cities in the U.S. and Canada to continue the commemoration of the events of the War of 1812, including a re-creation of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie.
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The mission of Tall Ships America is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public, and support education under sail |
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