Op Sail 2012 Pageantry

Approaching Fort Monroe and the HRBT Tunnel - Click image to enlarge

Driving in to work yesterday morning I was able to see the tall ships forming up for their parade of sail into Hampton Roads harbor.  Seeing all the towering masts gave a glimpse of what the views of incoming ships looked like more than a century ago.   And Hampton Roads does have its share of history when it comes to ships ranging from the shipping history which ranges from the first colonists landing at Cape Henry in Virginia Beach, Hampton's place a the oldest continuous English speaking city in the USA, to the battle of the Monitor and Merrimac just off shore from our the street the boyfriend and I live on, to the building of ships such as the fabled liner  S.S. United States to the Navy's biggest carriers at Newport News. The sea and ships are ever present.  Above and below are a few photos of the Op Sail pageantry with ships from South America and as far away as Indonesia (we had dinner with friends in Norfolk last evening and saw some of the tall ship cadets strolling on the side walk - they were HOT!).

Passing Fort Monroe

Sunrise yesterday off of Virginia Beach - Click image to enlarge

The Dewaruci from Indonesia - Click image to enlarge

The Cisne Branco from Brazil - Click image to enlarge

Cadets on the Guayas from Ecuador - Click image to enlarge

Op Sail to Dominate Weekend

Click image to enlarge

This weekend's events in Hampton Roads will be dominated by Op Sail 2012 which brigs a large number of tall ships to the region.  A parade of sail will begin momentarily as the flotilla of ships moves from off of Virginia Beach and sails through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel to enter Hampton Roads harbor itself.  The image above shows some of the ships while the video below shows the ships early this morning at anchor. The Virginian Pilot has these descriptions of the event:

Tall ships with billowing sails, the kind that traveled the seas hundreds of years ago, will encircle Hampton Roads on Friday as the boats of OpSail parade through our waters and draw thousands of gawkers.

A flurry of festive events connected to the arrival of these ships includes concerts, air shows, symposiums and fireworks. It all culminates [today] with the Parade of Sail, the arrival of military and warships from different countries plying the waters of Virginia. The international fleet will be manned by hundreds of military officers and crew, with some ships open to tour.

[T]he ships will move through Hampton Roads and up the Elizabeth River to downtown Norfolk. The first ships in the parade will reach Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk at noon. Ships will then proceed to their docks in downtown Norfolk, or in other ports, before opening to the public for tours.

More Tall Ship Photos

Tall Ships Arrive

Above are photos of some of the tall ships that have arrived in Norfolk. I have always found sailing vessels to be works of art.