Ships from the Past

~ Sails in the Harbor ~

~ HMS Bounty ~

~ Barque Europa ~

Like many others, I am in love with sailing ships of the past!

The above ships, along with 5 others, entered the Duluth harbor this past Thursday, and departed again 6 days later. In honor of their arrival, a great celebration was planned with days full of music, delicious food, plays, an amazing collection of treasure recovered from around the world to view, touch, and (purchase!), a treasure hunt, merchants of all kinds, and of course...pirates and Jack Sparrow flying the skull and cross bones everywhere.

I, along with a large part of my family and friends, spent 4 full days participating in celebration dressed as sea faring folk, some of us pirates, greeting and entertaining visitors, were captured in photos, and revelled in amazing sea shanties from Michael Beans  and more, plus treasure hunting tales from the fantastic Captains Carl Fismer and Scott Mitchen  .

With such an event, it is hard to pick one best moment, but for me there was something that stood out as very special. A crew of garbed pirates were chosen to board a beautiful refurbished solid wood yacht to greet the tall ships before they entered the harbor and to wave hello to the thousands who thronged the waters edge to view the masted vessels. I was thrilled when I was chosen as one of the crew, having not been on the great lake since late childhood, and had longed for it many times as an adult. I failed to grab the camera in my excited haste to board ship, and later so wished I had, because what a site I viewed as we approached the tall masted beauties in full sail far out on the lake, all 9 of them.  Amazing...absolutley amazing... they took my breath away!

 ~ Even now without a photo, I know I will have a memory of them together that will last a lifetime. ~