THE FLAGSHIP NIAGARA LEAGUE PROUDLY
PRESENTS
TALL SHIPS ERIE 2010
The Flagship Niagara League, in cooperation with the American Sail Training Association, is proud to bring eight magnificent sailing vessels to Erie in celebration of our rich maritime heritage. Ships from Germany, Canada, and the United States will arrive for a Parade of Sail into Erie's Presque Isle Bay at five pm Thursday, September 9th. From 9am Friday morning to 2:00pm school children from the Erie area will be welcomed aboard the ships. The ships will open to the public from
2-6pm that day. Public tour hours on Saturday and Sunday are 10am to 6pm.
In addition to Erie’s Flagship Niagara, seven unique ships will join the festival, and all offer the opportunity for visitors to board the ships, learn about them, and gain a greater understanding of their roles in history.
The U.S. Brig Niagara, built in 1988 and sponsored by Logistics Plus, is a reconstruction of Oliver Hazard Perry’s warship that won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Niagara’s mission is to interpret War of 1812 history, promote Pennsylvania and Erie, and to preserve the skills of square-rig seafaring.
Built for MGM’s 1962 movie, “Mutiny on the Bounty,” HMS Bounty will also visit Erie. Presented by Eriez Magnetics, she has had numerous movie roles, including appearances in “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” (2004), “Treasure Island” (1990), and, perhaps most well-known, “Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest” (2006).
Hailing from Eckernforde, Germany, tall ship Roald Amundsen also joins the festival. Originally built as a deep-sea fish lugger, she was equipped to service the former East Germany Navy. Sailing year-round, Roald Amundsen can be found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea and is presented by Erie Water Works.
Pride of Baltimore II, presented by Lincoln Metal Processing, was built to the lines of an 1812-era Baltimore schooner. With a three-fold mission of promoting historical education regarding the War of 1812, serving as a unique learning platform, and serving as a visual representative of American History, she offers many learning opportunities for visitors and sailors. Additionally, she won first place in her class in a 2000 Transatlantic Tall Ship race.
The youngest ship participating in the festival is Lynx, a nine-year-old topsail schooner from Newport Beach, California. Lynx was designed and built to interpret the general configuration and operation of a privateer schooner from the War of 1812. A privateer is a government-licensed pirate ship. The crew of Lynx dress in period uniform and the ship is sponsored by Highmark.
Sailed by the only all-women professional crew in the world, Unicorn, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, will also participate in the festival. Sponsored by Hamot Women’s Hospital, she was built from the metal of old German U-boats. She provides on-board leadership and development programs to teenage girls, executive women and management teams.
Twin ships, Pathfinder and Playfair, join in the festival as well, sponsored by Custom Group Industries. These two brigantines, hailing from Toronto have been sailing the Great Lakes since 1964. The crew is made up entirely of youth sail students, and the captain is the only adult on board.
Tickets will can be purchased at Country Fair, the Erie Maritime Museum gift shop and at www.tallshipserie.com.
Scheduled events include visits to the ships, day sails aboard Lynx, admission to the Erie Maritime Museum, private receptions, craft and food vendors, and musical entertainment.
For much more information please visit www.tallshipserie.com