Door County will welcome some of the vessels that will be taking part in Baylake Bank’s Tall Ship Festival today as at least seven of the ships spend the night in Sturgeon Bay. While the vessels won’t be open for tours, there are plenty of venues to get a bird’s eye view. The tall ships will be escorted by a contingent of the US Coast Guard & the Sturgeon Bay Police Marine Patrol unit & will come through the channel in groups of three or four, planning to tie up on both the east & west sides of the bay. Bob Desh of the Door County Maritime Museum says there are several reasons why people are so fascinated with the tall ships…[audio:http://wdor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/N1222.mp3|titles=Bob Desh]
Desh says the tall ships have become engrained in the local maritime consciousness. He says the vessels were the “18-wheelers” of the day, bringing necessities to people up & down the peninsula…[audio:http://wdor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/N1223.mp3|titles=Bob Desh]
The tall ships expected to spend the night in Sturgeon Bay include the S/V Denis Sullivan, Wisconsin’s flagship designed by Sturgeon Bay marine architect Tim Graul, the schooner Appledore Four,The 79-foot Hindu, the four masted Windy, built in 1921, the Peacemaker, owned by the religious group, The 12 Tribes, the STV Unicorn, sailing with the only all-female crew in the world, & the Flagship Niagara, an area favorite 98-foot training vessel.
The tall ships are expected to make their arrival in port between 3PM & 6:30PM, but timing is approximate & dependent on the weather & other sailing conditions.
