Cannons! Duluth Tall Ship Parade (St Lawrence 2, Charley, Pride of Baltimore 2, Vista Star) Pt 3

The last part of the Tall Ship Parade, and they left off with a bang! 4 vessels to finish things off, and some of the best of the bunch.

St Lawrence II lead the way, a 72ft long brigantine type sailing ship built for sail training in Canada. She was built in 1953 and operates on the St Lawrence River, Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. Owned by Tall Ships Expeditions, she is usually operated only by groups of teenagers ages 12-18, the only adults on board being the Captain and first officer. Those kids certainly had a lot of fun here, saluting, cheering and singing!

Second in line, the schooner Charley. She’s our local tall ship, operating out of Superior Entry and Loon’s Foot Marina. Although she’s a rare sight at the Canal she runs tours and charter sailing, similar to the more well known Vista Fleet. Measuring 60ft long, she was built in 1985 as a replica of the very first Duluth-based cargo vessel of the same name, built in 1863 and sunk in 1881. She was built in Indiana, and sailed very briefly as a private yacht before being sold and spending much of her career in Sandusky OH owned by a Christian Youth camp under the name Journey. In 2017 she was briefly sold again to a man in Knife River to operate as a yacht, which lasted just 3 years before being sold again to her current owners, who refurbished her and renamed her to Charley.

Third in line, the last of the Tall Ships, and the largest sailing vessel of the festival, Pride of Baltimore 2. Built in 1988, the ship is Baltimore’s second replica of an 1812 Baltimore Clipper which defended the city against British attack. The first replica, built in 1975, was a massive deal for the City of Baltimore, building the first clipper ship in 150 years and building an entire harbor front park around her dock and sending the ship out across the world to represent the city. In 1986 however, the ship was caught in a freak storm off Puerto Rico on her way home from Europe and sunk with no time for a radio call, killing four of her 12 crew, including her captain. The remaining 8 spent over 4 days with few supplies in a life raft before being rescued by a Norwegian tanker, the Toro. The people of Baltimore responded with enough donations to build a memorial and a new ship, which was completed two years later. Today she receives over 100,000 visitors annually and sails across the world as her predecessor did, but with more advanced equipment. Upon her arrival at the Canal, she gave a salute, but one unlike any other salute I’ve seen- with cannons. The third blast was almost directly at me, and although there was obviously no cannon ball I still felt the impact of the blast. The audio here does not give those blasts justice. Very, very cool experience!

Bringing up the rear of course is the Vista Star, which had been running as a floating observation platform for those watching. While we see her all the time, it’s a good opportunity to cover her. Built in 1987 and measuring 92ft long, she can carry up to 220 passengers at a time around Duluth Harbor, often sailing a half hour into Lake Superior and back, then doing tours around the harbor. On her lower deck she features a small kitchen and bar, which are used in longer evening cruises and special events. The only incident she’s had came last year when she ran aground against the Superior Entry Breakwater, injuring several passengers and causing minor damage to the vessel. She reentered service a week later with some scars, but was fixed up for this year’s season and has been operating with no issues and notable caution.

Hope you enjoy!