| All of the ships are a fine sight, and the steel-hulled modern ones are majestic & impressive, but for me the replicas are the best -- it's that sense of time travel, the suggestion that they have sailed in out of a time warp, another era. "Now THAT's a SHIP..." Below, Bounty: I think I would likeit very much if this was my "next" ship.... |
| Tall Ships Halifax, July 12-17, 2007 |
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| This year's gathering included 25 ships, mostly from Canada & the USA, but a few were from farther away. Most of them arrived on the 12th in the fog. Crossing the bridge into Halifax, you could not see a thing beyond it. The fog seemed confined to the water, as if to hide the ships till things got underway in the morning. According to organizers, some 600,000 people attended. Downtown Halifax was gridlocked as usual; it's not a place I enjoy trying to navigate. I have been lost there EVERY time I've been there, WITH a map, & this time was no different. (I am good with maps, too.) |
| Prince William (U.K.) |
| Pride of Baltimore |
| Spirit of Bermuda >> |
| The theme of the event was pirates, with all of the expected silliness. Pirate-themed play areas for the kids; pirate party for adults. There were quite a few people in costumes. A wandering pirate was making balloon swords for the kids and trying to scare them by making each of his eyeballs roll in opposite directions. He was actually pretty good at this... >> |
| Waterfront, with Bounty at left |
| Tarangini (India) |
| Playfair (Canada) |
| With a bike, most of the downtown's logistical problems go away. It was a joy to cruise past all the hot tired trudging tourists (although I did get warned by a policeman that you are not supposed to ride on the walkway). Ever heard that shanty about the 'highland laddie'? ... "Was you ever in Halifax town? ...Staggerin' up and staggerin' down�" Oh, those hills. They are wicked. Sackville hill with 10 lbs of camera gear strapped to your butt is literally breath-taking!! |
| Saturday evening's attempt at night photography was mostly foiled by fog & a breeze, except for one of the Gorch Fock way down behind a warehouse in the lee of a giant tanker. << |
| Gorch Fock quarterdeck |
| The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic also had a summer exhibit on pirates (complete with live parrot) which provided a more realistic perspective on things. |
| Providence. Looks like a clean shot here... |
| Picton Castle, in "Pirate Master" paint job. |
| Music by Barry Taylor |