MYSTIC — Mystic Seaport and Tall Ships America, the National Sail Training Organization representing the United States, are proud to announce that July 12, 2014 is “Sail for Tall Ships Day.” Tall ships and traditional sailing vessels around America will sail on this day to honor the whaleship Charles W. Morgan, as she sails on her 38th Voyage calling at historic New England ports.
Painstakingly restored over five years by Mystic Seaport, the Charles W. Morgan is the last remaining ship of the American whaling fleet that once numbered more than 2,700 vessels. Built and launched in 1841, the Morgan is now America’s oldest commercial ship still afloat. The Morgan left Mystic Seaport on May 17, 2014 to embark on her 38th Voyage. Where once the Morgan’s cargo was whale oil and baleen, today her cargo is knowledge, and she sails to engage communities with their maritime heritage and raise awareness about the changing perception about whales and whaling.
On July 12, sailing ships around the nation will put to sea to honor the restoration of this great ship, the heritage she represents, and to celebrate the traditional skills of seamanship that are sustained and hard at work in the Tall Ships America fleet today. From Maine, to California, to the inland seas of the Great Lakes, to the sounds of the Pacific Northwest, all manner of brigs, barques, schooners, brigantines and other traditional sailing craft will hoist sail this day in common cause with the Morgan and her crew. It is a national celebration of nautical skill, courage, and adventure that defined America as a young seafaring nation in 1841 when the Morgan was launched, and still defines us as a maritime power today.
