Tall Ships Celebration

Today, is the last day for Sail Boston 2026, a maritime event that celebrated the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. It ran from July 11 to July 16 and featured over 50 international tall ships and military vessels. Recently, the ships had celebrated Sail4th 250 in NYC with a spectacular Parade of Sails.

Yesterday, we went on a day trip to Boston Harbor to view some of these magnificent tall ships. Today, July 16, the ships will be leaving Boston throughout the day on their own schedules with no official schedule of the departures. Unfortunately, several ships had left before our harbor tour including the USCGC Eagle, which left a day before our visit.

Our trip, arranged by the senior center we're members of in Hudson, NH, included transportation to and from Boston with a narrated harbor cruise and lunch. This was a popular trip as two tour buses left NH before 8 am and returned by 3 pm. 

The harbor tour was on the Charles I, a custom designed 75-foot classic riverboat. It's owned and operated by the Charles River Boat Company which provides narrated sightseeing cruises in Boston's inner harbor and the Charles River from May through October.

The Boston event began last weekend, Saturday, July 1, with a Parade of Sail led by the historic USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). The ships then docked at various Boston locations including the Seaport District, Boston Fish Pier, and Charlestown and many ships offered free, daily dockside tours. Unfortunately, our trip didn't include any ship tours.

Old Ironsides is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. Launched in 1797, this three-masted wooden frigate was built to protect American merchant shipping. It gained the legendary moniker during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs seemed to bounce off the ships incredibly thick oak hull. Today, the ship is permanently berthed at Pier 1 in Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard. It's a free public museum and remains an active-duty U.S. Navy vessel.

Lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires created hazy skies over Boston during our visit. Also, all of the sails were furled (stowed) on the ships while they were docked. Below and in no special order or identification are some of the tall ships viewed from our riverboat cruise.

The U.S. lightship Nantucket (LV-112) is a National Historic Landmark lightship that served at the Lightship Nantucket position. It was the last serving lightship and, at time of its application as a landmark, one of only two capable of moving under their own power. It has served as the lightship for notable vessels including the liners United States, Queen Mary, and Normandie.

Some folks opt for more modern ships like the one above. The Excellence is a massive and extravagantly costly $230-million, 262-foot super yacht owned by Boston billionaire and auto mogul Herb Chambers. It was built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen and is easily recognized by its futuristic reverse bow and extensive mirrored glass. 

This megayacht is often docked in Boston's Seaport district when in the area. However, its schedule fluctuates as it often cruises along the New England coast and makes stops in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Newport, RI. In case anyone is interested, when not being used by its owners, it's available for luxury charters starting at over $1.2 million per week.

Yesterday was a special day not only for the chance to see these beautiful ships, but also in celebration of my husband Patrick's (aka Grenville) birthday. He enjoyed this ice cream treat on another adventure last week. I also helped him enjoy it.