News & Articles

Schedule of Events

Thursday, August 18
• 11:00 amGates Open
• 11:00 am– 12:00 pm Tom Kastle
• 12 pm– 1:00 pm Crunchy Bunch
• 1:00 pm– 1:30 pm The Saga
of Harald Fairhair
• 1:30 pm *– 4:00 pm
Parade of Sail Begins
• 4:00 pm– 5:00 pm
Opening Ceremonies
Dockside on Harbor Drive
behind the DECC:
• 5:00 pm– 5:30 pmThe Saga
of Harald Fairhair
• 5:30 pm– 6:00 pm Crunchy Bunch
• 6:00 pm– 7:00 pm Gerry Ouellette
• 7:00 pmGates Close

Dockside viewing, food, beverage
 and entertainment.
Art in Bayfront Park booths open.

* Parade of Sail start time is subject
to the ships individual travel speeds,
we cannot publish an exact time.
There are no on-board Tours on
Thursday.

Friday, August 19
• 9:00 am Gates Open
• 9:00 am– 10:00 am
Crunchy Bunch
• 10:00 am– 11:00 am Lee Murdock
• 11:00 am– 1:00 pm Ida Jo
• 1:00 pm– 1:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 1:30 pm– 2:00 pm Crunchy Bunch
• 2:00 pm– 3:00 pm
All About Music
• 3:00 pm– 4:00 pm
Black Eyed Snakes
• 4:00 pm– 4:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 4:30 pm– 5:00 pm Lee Murdock
• 5:00 pm Gates Close

Dockside tours, day sails and on-board
tours available. Dockside viewing, food,
beverage and entertainment.
Art in Bayfront Park booths open.

Saturday, August 20
• 9:00 am Gates Open
• 9:00 am– 10:00 am Tom Kastle
• 10:00 am– 10:45 am Lee Murdock
• 10:45 am– 11:00 am
Crunchy Bunch
• 1:00 pm– 1:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 1:30 pm– 2 pm Sydney Hansen
• 2:00 pm– 2:45 pm Lee Murdock
• 2:45 pm– 3:00 pm Crunchy Bunch
• 3:00 pm– 4:00 pm AM Rubin
• 4:00 pm– 4:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 4:30 pm– 5:00 pm Tom Kastle
• 5:00 pm Gates Close

Dockside tours, day sails and on-board
tours available. Dockside viewing, food,
beverage and entertainment.
Art in Bayfront Park booths open.

Sunday, August 21
• 9:00 am Gates Open
• 9:00 am– 10:00 am Tom Kastle
• 10:00 am– 10:45 am Lee Murdock
• 10:45 am– 12:00 pm
Crunchy Bunch
• 11:00 am– 12:00 pm
North Shore Philharmonic
Orchestra
• 12:00 pm– 1:00 pm Tom Kastle
• 1:00 pm– 1:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 1:30 pm– 2:00 pm Crunchy Bunch
• 2:00 pm– 2:45 pm Lee Murdock
• 2:45 pm– 3:00 pm
• 3:00 pm– 4:00 pm Gerry Ouellette
• 4:00 pm– 4:30 pm
The Saga of Harald Fairhair
• 4:30 pm– 5:00 pm Lee Murdock
• 5:00 pm Gates Close

Dockside tours, day sails and on-board
tours available. Dockside viewing, food,
beverage and entertainment.
Art in Bayfront Park booths open.

El Galeon Andalucía
The Galeón Andalucía is a replica of a 16th-17th century galleon, the only one in the world that sails in present days. These ships were the type of vessel used by the Spanish Crown for maritime expeditions during the 16th through the 18th centuries. Galleons were intended to discover and then establish trade routes between Spain, America and the Philippines islands, and formed what was then called the “Fleet of the Indies”. For three centuries, these Spanish galleons crossed the Atlantic Ocean back and forth, sailed around the Caribbean Sea and the American coasts, and covered the Pacific route as well. They carried plenty of seamen, merchant traders and settlers, while their holds bore the fabulous loads resulting from American and Asian trade.this is a 500 ton galleon, with length overall reaching 160 feet and a beam of 32 feet. Four masts hold 6 sails which measure almost 11,000 square feet. Her average speed is 7 knots. Since her launching, a crew between 15 to 35 people have manned her across the seas and oceans around the world. She has navigated the Pacific and Indian oceans, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and her wake has spread over the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the South and East China seas, the Aegean Sea, the Bosphorus strait, the Caribbean Sea and the whole East Coast of the US, covering thousands of nautical miles in an attempt to evoke her ancestors

US Brig Niagara
On September 10, 1813, nine small ships, including Niagara, defeated a British squadron of six vessels in the Battle of Lake Erie. A pivotal event in the War of 1812, it led to regaining Detroit, lost at the war’s outset, and lifted the nation’s morale.The U.S. Brig Niagara is a two-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel, 198 feet sparred length, 118 feet tall. The current Niagara, the third reconstruction of the original vessel, was launched in Erie in 1988, the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. Niagara sails the Great Lakes, preserving and interpreting the story of the Battle of Lake Erie, and acting as an ambassador in her capacity as the flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a Sailing School Vessel, her crew of professionals and trainees actively preserve the skills of square-rig seamanship.

Mist of Avalon
The ship began her life in 1967 as the Motor Vessel “Liverpool Bay”. She was built from strong native timber and the skilled hands of the shipwrights of MacLean Shipbuilding, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her Captain and crew worked the Banks off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, fishing for the cod that were her reason for being. After twenty years working, in 1987 she was left abandoned at a Halifax pier.In 1992 Captain George Mainguy started converting her to a 19th century Grand Banks schooner. In the summer of 1997, now as “Mist of Avalon” the ship returned to sea for her maiden voyage under sail. The occasion was the fleet journey to Bonavista to rendezvous with the replica of John Cabot’s “Mathew” at Bonavista Newfoundland.Since that time the ship has appeared in numerous feature films and documentaries in addition to being a star attraction at maritime festivals.

When and If
A 63 foot Alden schooner commissioned by General George S. Patton and built by Pendleton in Wiscasset, Maine, When And If was perhaps the strongest vessel Alden built incorporating improvements for comfort and safety on the high seas which half a lifetime of sailing experience had taught him.Maintained in impeccable condition, When And If remained in the Patton family until 1972 when the General’s nephew, Neal Ayer, made a gift of the vessel to the Landmark school in Prides Crossing, MA where she was the centerpiece of a sail training program for dyslexic children.After extensive storm damage in 1990, When And If passed back into private ownership and was painstakingly rebuilt over the course of the next three years. Walter Cronkite spoke at the re-launching in June of 1994.When And If spent the next 17 years cruising the coast of the U.S. and occasionally racing in classic yacht regattas. Early in 2012 Doug Hazlitt purchased the When And If and returned the vessel to its original and Bristol condition.

Pride of Baltimore II
Pride of Baltimore II, a 157’ topsail schooner, is a reconstruction of an early 19th-century Baltimore Clipper, Chasseur. Baltimore Clippers became famous as privateers during the War of 1812 and Chasseur was one of the most successful. She blockaded the British Isles by herself and captured or sank 17 vessels before returning home to be greeted by cheering crowds and dubbed the “Pride of Baltimore.”Pride of Baltimore and Pride of Baltimore II have represented Baltimore and Maryland for nearly four decades, spreading a positive message throughout the world. Since 1988, Pride II has sailed 250,000 nautical miles – the equivalent of almost 12 times around the world – and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries, promoting historical maritime education, and fostering economic development and tourism. Pride II is available to the public for daysails, sailing and dockside receptions, and overnight voyages between ports of call.

Denis Sullivan
S/V Denis Sullivan, connects learners of all ages to the Great Lakes, and our world of water through experiential learning and technology. The S/V Denis Sullivan is the world’s only re-creation of a 19th century three-masted Great Lakes schooner, providing a glimpse into the rich maritime history on the Great Lakes.The S/V Denis Sullivan was completed in Milwaukee, WI in 2000 by professional shipwrights and nearly 1,000 volunteers. The schooner is a modern educational sailing vessel with two diesel engines, a scientific laboratory, two computer workstations, and modern communication and navigation equipment. The S/V Denis Sullivan provides an array of genuine maritime experiences, from leisure to educational sails. Water is the world’s most precious resource, and the S/V Denis Sullivan provides a unique platform from which to provide marine education, leadership training, and personal development to visitors of all ages.

Appledore V
Appledore V is a lovely (65 feet sparred length), steel-hulled gaff topsail schooner launched in 1992, owned and operated by BaySail, a non-profit educational organization. Her homeport is Bay City, Michigan, on Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, a port with a long history in ships and sailing ships in particular. Her summer months sail training program, “Windward Bound”, engages six youth trainees in every aspect of running the ship, from navigation and helmsmanship, to sail handling, galley duty, even manning the oars in Appledore’s tender when they go ashore. Her usual sailing waters are in the Great Lakes, from Lake Huron’s North Channel, to Mackinac Island, and up to Sault Sainte Marie and Lake Superior.

Zeeto
Zeeto Built 1954, by a building architect in Sarasota, Florida, after
a design by Howard Chappelle for an 1850’s fishing schooner. Zeeto
means “long live the king” in Greek. It sailed the Caribbean as a
private vessel for many years, making its way to Boston, where it was
advertised as “the three-masted vessel in Boston Harbor without
cannons,” and was chartered. In the late 1990’s, it came to Lake
Superior where it was chartered until 2002. Its present owner renovated the vessel to exceptional condition and sails it around Lake Superio

World’s Largest Rubber Duck
The largest Tall Ships event in Duluth’s history just got even bigger. The World’s Largest Rubber duck will fly the coop and turn Lake Superior into her own personal bathtub.Already slated to be the Greatest Spectacle on Superior, Tall Ships Duluth continues to up the ante with additional and unique festival attractions. Increasing excitement with every announcement, the addition of the super-sized bath toy adds to that anticipation,
“The World’s Largest Rubber Duck inspires us to enjoy the world’s waterfronts and conserve our natural resources for future ducklings.” Mama Duck will be available during festival hours starting with the Parade of Sail on August 18. Mama Duck is a viewable attraction. She is not available to ride. Mama duck cannot withstand certain weather conditions. During certain weather extremes, to protect her, and the event patrons, she may need to be deflated

These ships are not guaranteed. Stay tuned. Ship lineup is subject to change without notice.


Ticket Options
Single-Day Festival Only Pass: $12

Single-Day On Board Tour Pass: $15

Multi-Day On Board Tour Pass: $25

Art in Bayfront Park

Art Fair  August 18-21
This year, we have partnered with Art in Bayfront Park to bring you an event within an event! At Tall Ships Duluth 2016, you’ll be able to see the 150+ high quality art vendors that you’re used to seeing at Art in Bayfront Park; offering an opportunity to purchase gallery quality art work.
Reserved Parking + Shuttle

Reserve parking in advance! There is a very limited number of guaranteed parking spots at one lot near the event, through Parking Panda. It is available here: https://www.parkingpanda.com/tall-ships-duluth-parking. This includes a shuttle ride. This service is brought to you by an outside party, but we are happy to share the opportunity with you, our ticket buyers. Tall Ships Duluth does not have a part in the coordination of this parking.

Downtown Shuttle

Another limited option is… The Duluth Greater Downtown Council is proud to offer a “Duck Bus” shuttle to bring downtown parkers to the event grounds. These free buses will be running in the downtown during the Tall Ships Festival on August 19th and 20th.  Anyone can catch a “Duck Bus” along Superior Street to get to the festival and back. Shuttle pick-up locations are at the Holiday Center (207 West Superior Street), Tech Village (11 East Superior Street) and Sheraton (301 East Superior Street).  Buses will run approximately every 15 minutes from 8am-6pm on Friday and Saturday. This service is brought to you by an outside party, but we are happy to share the opportunity with you, our ticket buyers. Tall Ships Duluth does not have a part in the coordination of this parking.