Tall ships bring visitors together in Baltimore: ‘A majestic thing’

As tall ships take over Baltimore’s harbor, half a million visitors looking to climb aboard are expected to flood the city this weekend.

As Sail250 kicks off, visitors from near and far are climbing gangways and ladders to explore tall ships from around the world and the seafaring traditions they represent. Among the ships to dock in the harbor are vessels from Argentina, Spain, Italy, Peru, Germany and more.

At Fort McHenry, people gathered along the northern shore to watch as BAE Guayas, a sailing vessel from Ecuador, made its way past the former Key Bridge under clear blue skies. Sailors climbed the mast of Guayas as it entered the Inner Harbor.

Observers seated on benches, lawn chairs and grass peered through binoculars and cameras to get a glimpse of the three-masted barque built in Spain and commissioned on July 23, 1977.

The Banner caught up with visitors on Wednesday to see what the tall ship experience in Charm City is like.

Betsy Bowen, who came all the way from Maui, Hawaii, with her friend Shay Seaborne, said she was drawn to the spectacle by her love of the sea. Bowen said she sailed around the world aboard the Brigantine Romance with friends back when she was just a “wild” 22-year-old.

The voyage propelled Bowen into teaching. She now helps professionals develop and pursue their visions for their communities, drawing on lessons she learned at sea.

Walking around the shiny deck of the BAP Unión ship from Peru, Bowen described the awe she felt seeing the beautiful detail around the brass belaying pins on the ship’s fife rails.

“It’s a majestic thing,” she said.

Next to her, Seaborne felt she was experiencing a full-circle moment.

The fellow ship lover moved to Delaware to sail tall ships, an endeavor she called a “lifelong dream.”

She has sailed over 12,000 miles in two and a half years. Standing on the Peruvian ship’s deck, she could see the Chesapeake, the boat she started on, just across the harbor.

Roughly one mile away, at Tide Point in South Baltimore, Sebastian Ribas had just disembarked from Argentinean and Spanish tall ships. Visiting from El Paso, Texas, but having family ties to Spain, he said it was nice to connect with his home country and seafarers from it.

He was amazed to see that every mast on the Spanish ship had a name plaque on it. Each name honored an original navy crew member who trained on the vessel. As young officers kept watch aboard, the ship seemed to symbolize a meeting ground of Spain’s past, present and future.

For other attendees, the event was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to celebrate America’s birthday.

That was evident as a row of jets flew through the clear harbor skies Wednesday, emitting colorful smoke resembling the American flag.

Erick Guillermo lives in Montgomery County, but was touring the Argentinean ship with friends visiting from Guatemala.

One of his friends was excited to see the ships this weekend because her brother is in the Guatemalan navy back home.

For the group, the chance to step aboard these tall ships was a “special” experience that you don’t get access to every day.

The ships will be in town through June 30.

Banner editor Norm Gomlak contributed to this story.