Set Sail into History

Members of Kingsmill Yacht Club are sitting in the catbird seat for two nautical extravaganzas during America’s 250^th anniversary this summer.

A Parade of Sail in Norfolk on June 19 will feature 60 ships and naval vessels from 20 countries, proceeding along the coast from Virginia Beach into Norfolk in a nearly 5-hour run.

At Yorktown a week earlier, six tall ships (well, three actually) and perhaps a few military ships will cruise along the York River the weekend of June 12-14. Both events are part of Sail250 Virginia, rivaling the Bicentennial festivities of 50 years ago.

At Yorktown, would-be mariners will get to see at least six unique ships:

• Elissa is a three-masted barque, based in Galveston as the state ship of Texas. It is one of the oldest ships sailing today. Launched in 1877, she is now a museum ship at the Galveston Historic Seaport. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

• Picton Castle is a three-masted and square-rigged barque originally built as a steam-powered fishing trawler in 1928 in Selby, Yorkshire. The 284-ton ship is a traditionally rigged and operates as a sail training ship based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It is best known for her voyages around the world. Over the past decade, the ship has made six circumnavigations as well as a year-long voyage around the Atlantic Basin, two trips to the Great Lakes and numerous runs up and down the East Coast of the United States and Canada.

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• Luna is a replica 18^th century sloop built and operated by the Colonial Seaport Foundation in Hampton. Luna’s wooden hull was built in 1972 by Rosborough Boats in Nova Scotia as a 46-foot ketch. The name Luna is Latin for Dianna, goddess of the hunt. The hull was lengthened and redesigned into a sloop and then launched in 2022 in Deltaville where engine and rigging were installed.

• Godspeed is a small, replica merchant ship that made the historic 1607 voyage from England to Jamestown with 105 passengers and 39 crew. It’s deployed from Jamestown Settlement.

• Alliance II is Yorktown’s homeport schooner, offering patrons the chance to explore history and scenic beauty on the York River.

• Serenity is a 60-foot, two-masted gaff-rigged schooner, sister ship to the Alliance II.

• The US Navy and US Coast Guard are also providing ships, to be announced closer to the event.

Kingsmill Yacht Club is one of the largest in Virginia, with 360 members. As one looks over Kingsmill Marina and eyes a 30-foot sailboat at the floating docks, the running rigging can reach as long as 800 feet combined. By contrast, Luna covers 1,800 feet, while Picton Castle lines extend over 10 miles.  She carries 12,450 square feet of sail, 28 times that of today’s 30-footer. The crew can top 50 people.

Friday, June 12, begins with an opening ceremony and Parade of Sail at Riverwalk Landing, 9-11:30 am. The ships will be dockside over the weekend for free tours. On shore during the day, look for living history exhibits, military drills, firing demonstrations, kids’ crafts and activities, live entertainment, and a “Vendor Village” maritime theme along the lines of the popular Market Days held on Saturdays.

All the events commemorate the July 4 approval by Congress of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The news broke here in The Virginia Gazette later that month. At 2 p.m. June 12, a costumed character will read the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was adopted on that date 250 years ago. Thomas Jefferson drew on its principles for his Declaration three weeks later.

On Saturday, June 13, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra will perform a patriotic concert at the Yorktown Victory Monument.  The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. with American masterpieces by composers John Philip Sousa, Leroy Anderson and Morton Gould, among others.

At 8:30 p.m., “American Mosaic” will portray a multimedia presentation combining Joe Sohm’s photography, live orchestral music, and recorded voices reflecting on our nation’s past, present and future. The evening concludes with a spectacular fireworks display over the York River. It may surpass the typical 30-minute run for the 250th.

Back to Norfolk. The international maritime festival will bring more 60 ships and military vessels representing 20 countries. Support also comes from 11 affiliate harbors across the Chesapeake Bay region during June 12-23. Yorktown is one of those.

Sail250 Virginia joins the harbors of New Orleans, Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston commemorating the Semiquincentennial of the United States.

Spectators can view the fleet as it gathers in the Lynnhaven Anchorage, off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach beginning Tuesday, June 16. The ships will anchor in Lynnhaven Roads during June 16-18 before the Parade of Sail. Spectators can view the ships from shore or the water while they are anchored in Lynnhaven Roads and during the Parade of sail. USCG security regs prohibit getting too close on water.

All ships will be assembled by 2 p.m. June 18. This is the only time spectators on land and water can view all the ships together at one time and in one place.

The centerpiece of Sail250 Virginia will be a 26-mile Parade of Sail, commanded by the Virginia Pilot Association. It launches June 19 at 7:30 a.m. at the Lynnhaven Anchorage. It will take the ships west through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, into Hampton Roads, over the HRBT tunnel and up the Elizabeth River to Town Point Park and the docks in downtown Norfolk.

The Parade of Sail is the longest parade among all five major U.S. ports this summer. Not since Royal Gov. Dunmore fled Norfolk to Gwynn’s Island in 1775 have there been so many ships underway here.

15 public viewing sites along the route will give spectators unprecedented access to this maritime spectacle, with additional viewing locations along the Hampton and Portsmouth waterfronts. The US Navy’s famed Blue Angels will conduct a flyover at some point.

Sail250 Virginia will include mostly tall ships. Unlike OpSail2012 Virginia, there will not be a large fleet of military vessels docked in downtown Norfolk. As in past Harborfest events, there may be some local military commands that participate and have vessels downtown – USCG, Army Corps of Engineers, etc.

Simultaneously, the Navy will host FLEETEX 250, with allied and partner military ships from approximately 20 countries. They will berth at Norfolk Naval Base in preparation for the International Naval Review in New York Harbor on July 4.

More than 14,000 international officers, cadets and crew members will participate in Sail250® Virginia and FLEETEX 250.

Sail250 Virginia represents regional cooperation from 12 localities across Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore, the Peninsula, Upper Peninsula and throughout the Chesapeake Bay Region. More than 4,000 personnel are involved in planning, public safety, maritime operations and logistics.

LINKS

Yorktown 250^th events

The list of ships at Norfolk

Route of the Norfolk parade

Statewide 250^th events

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