By Joe Baur
They’re gone, but the memories for festival-goers will remain for a lifetime. I’m of course talking about the 2013 Tall Ships Festival presented by The Rotary Club of Cleveland and the Port Of Cleveland. It was yet another example of the benefits of downtown living.
Walking Distance
More than 10 replica historic vessels made their way to the Port Of Cleveland, dazzling hundreds upon their Wednesday arrival at Voinovich Park for the Parade of Sail. The Peacemaker, Sørlandet, and Pride of Baltimore II were just some of the favorites that made their way downtown for the long Fourth of July weekend.
Like most events, I was able to simply walk (that’s right, walk) to the heart of the action. It’s hard not to snort a snarky, “Hah!” as cars sit idle in traffic for the amount of time it takes me to walk to professional sporting events, Broadway theater, and now a display of obsolete warfare (the best kind, a friend of mine joked).
Though I must admit I was skeptical at first. What’s so enchanting about what largely amounts to a floating museum? In a word: everything.
The Ships
Tall ships are beautiful, majestic displays of early human engineering. Clevelanders are lucky to have organizations like The Rotary Club Of Cleveland working with the Port Of Cleveland to put on such a wonderful display of bygone era.
On July 4 through the weekend, visitors were able to board the ships at the festival’s headquarters behind Browns stadium. And who doesn’t want to get up close and personal with the kind of vessel a Captain Jack Sparrow might have ridden? Coincidentally, impersonators of The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise were scattered throughout the festival, including (of course) a friendly Jack Sparrow playing up his act for the kids.
Three of my personal favorites on display were the Norwegian Sørlandet, the Pride of Baltimore II and the Peacemaker. The latter of which was accompanied by a tour bus reminiscent of a Grateful Dead show. Turns out those traveling with the ship from show to show are part of a religious commune dedicated to (in a sense) living the Bible better than how other Christian denominations do. I can’t say it wasn’t a tad odd, but the folks on board were quite friendly and didn’t at any point ask to tell me about Jesus.
The Pride of Baltimore II, perhaps the top dog of ships at the festival, is a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner. If you’re like me, what I just said might as well be gibberish. But what we can all appreciate is the ship’s connection and importance to the War of 1812 and the penning of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Evidently the original Pride of Baltimore was active in the 1814 Battle of Baltimore at Fort McHenry where Francis Scott Key got the idea for a little tune we now sing before pretty much every athletic event in the country.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to board this particular ship. The line was longer than most rides at Cedar Point, so I was content to admire from afar. But in all, the Tall Ships Festival was a welcomed event to our beloved and growing downtown neighborhood. Now we can only hope the city and other public/private organizations continue to find ways to properly utilize our most valuable natural asset – Lake Erie.
Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at http://JoeBaur.com and on Twitter @BaurJoe.