2008 Tall Ships Challenge® Pacific Coast

A fleet of over thirty tall ships will be sailing and racing along the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada this summer as part of the American Sail Training Association’s (ASTA) TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series.  Beginning on June 25th in Victoria, British Columbia, the fleet will stop in Tacoma, Washington, Port Alberni, BC and will then continue down the coast of California to San Francisco, Oxnard, the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro), San Diego and Dana Point. 

Many of the vessels offer programs of education and adventure under sail for the public.  These programs differ from ship to ship. Some are designed for youth while others are primarily for adults. All, however, allow the trainee-participants the rare opportunity to experience the challenge and learn the skills of traditional seafaring. 

The first port of call for the series will be the beautiful Canadian city of Victoria.  Organized by the Victoria Tall Ships Society, the festival will be from June 26-29 and will reflect the strong maritime traditions that are still prevalent in the city today.  The festival will feature wooden boat-building and sail making, along with live entertainment, children’s programs of scrimshaw carving, model boat building and other activities designed to draw upon the excitement that the tall ships generate. The fleet that will be berthed downtown will number over twenty, and will include America’s Tall Ship, the USCG Barque Eagle and, for the first time, the Niña, a replica of the caravel that Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World in the 15th century. Visit www.tallshipsvictoria.ca for other visiting ships and event information.

From Victoria, the fleet will enter their first race of the series to Port Angeles, WA. Traditionally, when two or more ships meet each other at sea and are headed in the same direction, an impromptu race usually ensues. Five races are scheduled for this summer, one between each port, providing the crews ample opportunity to test their sailing ability and embrace their competitive spirit.

The ships then arrive on July 3rd to Tall Ships® Tacoma, presented by State Farm Insurance. About thirty vessels, including favorites Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington, will be the main attraction in the maritime festival and will serve as a backdrop to live music, educational events, exhibits and a Fourth of July celebration.   As an added draw to the dockside attractions of the port festivities in the Pacific Northwest, the tall ship HMS Bounty, built in Nova Scotia for the movie " Mutiny on the Bounty", will be on hand to provide deck tours.

In keeping with a desire to put kids on board ships, the organizers of the event, Tacoma Tall Ships Organization, are putting 50 youth on four ships for three days to experience life at sea onboard a historic vessel. More information is available on their website, www.tallshipstacoma.com

The ships will then cruise-in-company over to the western coast of Vancouver Island for the next port of call in Port Alberni, British Columbia, a two-time ASTA port. A fleet of vessels, including the Niña and Bounty, will gather in this picturesque city from July 10-12 to participate in the city’s nautical- themed events and celebration of the 150th anniversary of British Columbia becoming a Crown Colony of the British Empire. It promises to be a spectacular Parade of Sail as the ships sail down the Alberni Inlet with the dramatic Coastal Mountain Range in the background. More information can be found on their website, www.portalbernitallships.ca about the 150th anniversary celebration and a schedule of tall ship events, From Port Alberni, the ships will then race down the western coast of the US towards California.

Produced by the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association, the Festival of Sail San Francisco will run from July 23rd to the 27th.  Once in San Francisco, the ships will be berthed along the historic Embarcadero on San Francisco Bay.  With the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, the crews of the fifteen tall ships will be able to explore this historic and culturally diverse city. The masts of the ships will be a spectacular background for visitors as they enjoy all the city and the ships have to offer.  Festival of Sail’s footprint includes three villages focused on marine education, international cultures and the environment. Each will feature entertainment, food and beverage, and a wide variety of exhibitors. Pass Programs will give Bay Area non- profits the opportunity to experience the wonder of the ships and share this excitement with their friends, family and area youth. A site map, general information about the event and frequently asked questions can be found at www.festivalofsail.org.

From San Francisco, the ships will race to the seaside town of Oxnard on August 7th and stay until the 10th for the Tall Ships® Festival organized by the Channel Islands Harbor Foundation, Inc. The maritime festival will include dockside tours, educational programs, sail training opportunities for those that want to have a hands-on experience, pirate camp, civil war re-enactors and live entertainment. There will also be shipboard educational activities for the young tall ship enthusiast.  Detailed information may be found on the festival website at www.tallshipschannelislands.com. 

The ships then continue down the coast to San Pedro for Festival of Sail Los Angeles, organized by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute and the City and Port of Los Angeles. The event will run from August 13-17. A half mile of downtown San Pedro waterfront will play host to the fleet, while visitors will be able to learn about the history and craft of sailing. In addition to all the maritime events, crew will be able to explore the glitz and glamour that is Los Angeles. Movie star vessels such as the HMS Bounty (of "Mutiny on the Bounty" fame) and HMS Surprise (formerly HMS Rose of "Master and Commander") will be on hand to add some swashbuckling fun to all the planned festivities.

From August 20-24th, the final port of call in the race series will be San Diego, a spectacular waterfront venue and site of the largest naval fleet in the world. The TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® fleet will be greeted by ships from the US Navy, Coast Guard and San Diego Harbor Police during the Parade of Sail into the San Diego Bay.  Special exhibits will be presented through the San Diego Maritime Museum, along with historical re-enactors and cannon battles out on the bay.

Many of the ships will return north to the Toshiba Tall Ships® Festival hosted by the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, September 6th and 7th.  Sunset cannon battles, family-oriented interactive presentations of live ocean animal, climbing and sail furling, and local art and crafts, will all be set against the rugged and beautiful coast of Dana Point.  More information is available on their website at www.tallshipsfestival.com.

The TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series rotates among the North American coasts and the Great Lakes on a 3-4 year basis. The 2009 series will return the ships to the Atlantic Coast for a transatlantic event, the TALL SHIPS® ATLANTIC CHALLENGE, jointly organized by Sail Training International and ASTA. The ships will then be in the Great Lakes for 2010.