PORTSMOUTH — The Coast Guard’s Eagle sailed majestically into Portsmouth on a postcard-perfect morning Friday, to the firing of cannon and the cheers of the crowds lining the banks and bridge of the Piscataqua River. The Eagle was accompanied by dozens of boats from the Thomas Laighton filled to the brim with passengers to family boats flying the American flag in the 2024 Sail Portsmouth tall ships festival's Parade of Sail.
The festival’s other two tall ship stars — the two-masted schooner Ernestina-Morrissey and the three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan — followed the Eagle up the Piscataqua River this morning, making the turn at the Naval Prison just about 11:20 a.m.
Portsmouth’s own tall ship Gundalow Portsmouth, a Naval Shipyard fire boat, municipal police boats and the Moran tugs also joined in the parade. Cannon fired off at Four Tree Island welcomed the parade that kicks off Sail Portsmouth’s weekend-long festival.
Tall ships parade a 'quintessential Portsmouth' event
Crowds lined the Prescott Park piers and both sides of the Memorial Bridge, and filled Four Tree Island and every spare spot along the riverbanks to see the parade arrive. People waited on the decks of Harbourplace and the One Hundred Club high above the river. Excitement was palpable as onlookers strained to get that first glimpse of the Eagle’s towering masts in the distance downriver.
“This is so quintessential Portsmouth,” said Julie Robb, a Portsmouth native who is a docent at the Warner House, which stood when tall ships graced the Piscataqua River daily. “This links everyone together, everyone’s in a happy mood. It’s a celebration of something quite unique.”
“I feel excited,” Robb said as she got her first glimpse of the fountain of water sprayed by the fire boat just as it came around the turn at the river’s bend. The masts of the Eagle came into view seconds after that.
“I just think they’re beautiful,” Robin Winslow of Portsmouth said as she waited for the ships to arrive. She and her family were standing on the same spot on the Memorial Bridge as they were last year when they learned the Parade of Sail was canceled due to severe storms in the area. Weather was no problem this year. “I also love the history, and I love taking photos of them and sending them to my relatives in Michigan and making them very jealous.”
Sail Portsmouth tall ships festival: What to know before you go
Angie Gab of Eliot, Maine, just moved to the Seacoast with her husband and three children. “This is the first big event we’ve done here,” she said as her family found a perch on the Memorial Bridge sidewalk.
“I love watching the tall ships,” said Sharon Smith of Rochester, who came with three generations, her three grandchildren, daughter and husband. “Portsmouth is a great city always, the tall ships just make it that much better.”
The Eagle sailed under the uplifted Memorial Bridge and up the Piscataqua to its berth at the Port of Portsmouth. For the rest of the festival weekend, the Eagle will be berthed there at the Market Street Terminal, 555 Market St., Portsmouth, and open for tours. The Ernestina-Morrissey and the Denis Sullivan will be at the UNH pier right near Fort Constitution and the Coast Guard station when not conducting ocean sails.
The Eagle did not have its sail up when it came up the river because it was sailing into the wind and because it's easier for the ship and for the tugs to maneuver the ship with the sails down, according to Sail Portsmouth officials.
The two-hour sails on the Ernestina-Morrissey are sold-out all weekend long. The Denis Sullivan will leave on Saturday morning for its one-way sail to Boston, which is also sold out, and won’t return.
Tall ships tours all weekend
Free public tours of the Eagle were being offered from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28. Be prepared to wait in line as crowds are expected. A dockside Maritime Tent will also be located at the Market Street Terminal during the tours. There’ll be exhibitor and educational booths, live music, a DJ and other entertainment, food for purchase, and you may even meet a pirate or two among other historical re-enactors.
Where can I park to take a tour?
Parking in the Foundry or High-Hanover parking garages during the festival is strongly recommended. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis and regular rates apply.
There will be three 20-passenger shuttle vans transporting festival-goers from those garages on a looped route every 20 minutes on Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To see the route the shuttles will take, visit portsnh.co/sailshuttle24.
The shuttles will drop off and pick up visitors at the Granite State Minerals entrance on Market Street, which is a short walk away from where the Eagle will be located.
There will not be shuttles available during the two hours the Eagle is open for tours on Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.
“Shuttle Stop” signs will designate where the shuttle will pick up visitors.
At mid-day, each driver will take a staggered 30-minute lunch break, so the 20-minute schedule will get a little extended during that time.
Where will ADA accessible parking be available?
There is limited ADA accessible parking at the Market Street Terminal where the Eagle will be berthed.
If you have a tag that indicates you require ADA-accessible parking, present it at the security gate and they will know if any spaces are available at that time.
The Eagle itself is not ADA-accessible but the state pier area and entertainment tent are accessible to all.
Both the Foundry and High-Hanover garages have ADA-accessible parking at regular paid rates. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
One of the three shuttle vans will be ADA-accessible. Visitors who require the ADA-accessible van can let any of the shuttle drivers know and they will do their best to accommodate them as soon as possible.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Sail Portsmouth 2024: Tall ships parade dazzles crowds. 'They're beautiful'
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