I work seven days a week, so making time for other things often requires a bit of juggling. I know how to juggle (both time and objects), so this is not outside my wheelhouse. And when I got an invite to be part of the Tall Ships parade in Porstough Friday, I was like, YES!
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
It was a perfect day; the weather was great, sunny and breezy, and we had a lot of company. The US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle was the lead attraction (featured image above), with a few other “not so tall” ships following. And yes, I took that picture. Thank you, and many others, which is why I got that one.
Last year, for Portsmouth’s 400th birthday, we were also on the water, but the regatta was canceled due to the threat of severe thunderstorms. We were on the water. They didn’t need to cancel, but we got a lot of great pictures as we and one other boat escorted a handful of vessels into the river for the rain date.
I do not own a boat or have any idea how to captain one, but I have friends who do. What do we call that boat privilege? To quote Joe Biden, “anyway,” so we were out Friday, and, as I said, pics and video that I wanted to share (All politics and no play … you get the idea).
Here’s the fire ship that leads the parade into the river, ranking up the water cannons.
One of the few Tall ships to make the parade (there were hundreds of small craft in escort), is the Denis Sullivan, a replica three-masted, wooden, gaff-rigged schooner (yes, I had to look it up).
There were two other “tall ships,” one docked that opened its sails and made the trip out after we’d passed it, and a second I never got a good shot of – too far behind us) with apologies. I did get some footage of the small craft escorts in the parade of which we were one. The two people in the shot are Jack and Heather, our hosts.
I also caught some of the unfurling of the few sails that were opened on the Eagle while she was underway out in the Ocean before we arrived at the mouth of the Piscataqua River.
Finally, there is some video of the USCG Eagle passing under the bridge. It didn’t look like it would make it, but, of course, we knew it would. They wouldn’t even try if it wasn’t going to make the clearance,
It was a great day, but a short day as boat days go. We were out on the water at 9:30 and waiting with the Eagle (which was at anchor) around 9:50- 10 AM (ish). The Parade started at 10:15-10:20, and that last video was shot around 11:30.
