Tall Ships, Ship Tours, Parade of Sail, Boater Information, and Docking...

At "high noon" on Friday, June 11th, Norfolk will welcome the Parade of Sail as it enters the Downtown Norfolk Harbor.  Following tradition, an expansive fleet of tall ships, character vessels, sleek power cruisers, sailing craft, antique and classic wooden boats, military vessels, tugs and more, will salute thousands of onlookers stationed at vantage points along the Elizabeth River - the larger portion of the crowd expected to be viewing from Town Point Park.

The tall ships taking part in the parade of sail will leave Waterside Marina at 8 am, Friday, June 11th and rally with the rest of the participating vessels at Sewells Point at 9 am. The Parade will depart Sewells Point at 10 a.m. and enter the Downtown Norfolk Harbor (passing Nauticus Pier) at 12 Noon.

Ship Visits: Stroll down the docks of Town Point Park and visit aboard tall ships, character vessels, and the USS Battleship Wisconsin; admire the craftsmanship of antique and classic wooden boats; exchange sea stories with skippers of sleek new cruising yachts and seasonal sailing crafts.

Godspeed, 88'- 17TH CENTURY JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT REPLICA The Godspeed is a re-creation of one of three ships that transported America's first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607.  The three mastered square-rigged ship is part of the living history program at Jamestown Settlement, a museum near Williamsburg operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.  The Godspeed is one of three ships designated as part of "the official fleet of the Commonwealth" by the General Assembly in 2001.   The Godspeed's is located in the Waterside Marina.  Open for public tours.

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Kalmar Nyckel, USA, 141' - Commissioned in 1998, Kalmar Nyckel is a replica of the Swedish-owned ship that brought the first permanent European settlers to the Delaware Valley in 1638.  Today, she serves as Delaware's sea-going Ambassador of Good Will.  The largest and most ornate of the first nine vessels to bring settlers to the New World, Kalmar Nyckel was the last to be reconstructed.  An authentic re-creation, modified only to conform to current safety standards, her keel and ribs are made of Central American hardwood, including Delaware holly. The Kalmar Nyckel is located in Otter Berth.  
 

Facts about the Kalmar Nyckel
o 141' Length Overall
o Full Rigged Ship
o Commissioned in 1998
o Beam 24'11''
o Draft 12'5''
o Wood Hull
o Carries a crew of approximately 8
o Carries up to 49 Passengers
o 7600 square feet of Sail Area

Schooner Delight, USA 45' hails from the Harbor of Refuge at Cape Charles on Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore.  She is rendered in Cor-Ten steel and was designed and built by Thomas Colvin in 1970 at his boatyard in Mathews County, Virginia, on the East River of Mobjack Bay.  Delight has enjoyed Norfolk's generous hospitality in the last 15 Harborfest celebrations. Also, since 1995 she is a perennial entrant and two-time winner of her class in The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Delight's grateful lines recall the age of the sail when the waters of the Chesapeake Bay were plied by a thousand schooners carrying passengers, freight, and farm and seafood harvests to near and distant ports.  Delights captain and crew fully support the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 

 The Spirit of Independence, USA 78' is a schooner that is similar in design to the coasting schooners that plied the waters off East, Gulf, and West coasts of America during the 19th and the first part of the 20th century.  The Spirit Of Independence was designed by Naval Architect the late Charles Wittholz to replicate the grand traditions of its forbears. However, J.C. Waters modified this vessel with modern materials and equipment in order to make The Spirit a much stronger, safer, and easier vessel to operate and maintain than its predecessors.

USS WISCONSIN: The USS Wisconsin is an Iowa-class battleship, the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. She was built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and launched on 7 December 1943, the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor raid. The USS Wisconsin was struck from the Naval Vessel Register (NVR) 17 March 2006, and is currently berthed in Whisky Basin, next to Nauticus and steps away from Town Point Park in Downtown Norfolk.

Ship Tours: Ships will be open for public tours on Saturday, June 12th  (some ships may be open for limited hours on Friday following the Parade of Sail).  Public tours begin at 12 noon Saturday and conclude at sunset, unless otherwise posted at the ship.  Visitors are requested to wear flat shoes and be able to manage walking up and down access ramps and ladders.  Strollers must be left on the dock.

Local boaters are invited to participate as part of the Spectator Fleet in the Parade of Sail by registering in advance by contacting Kenneth Payne, paynek@festevents.org, no later than May 28th, 2010.   Upon registration, boaters will receive Parade instructions and their official Parade of Sail ID pennant.

Public Docking: All docking on the Downtown Norfolk waterfront is on a reservation basis only, except for short term dinghy docking at designated locations on the Norfolk waterfront.  Time limits (no overnight docking) and size (16' or smaller) limits apply.