‘Really exciting’: Tall ships take over Boston Harbor shoreline

BOSTON — Sail 250 has officially sailed into Boston, and for the next several days, locals and tourists will have the chance to check out the tall ships and military ships lining the shores of Boston.

“It’s been great to be able to see the ships close up like this,” Tony Audrieth, a visitor from Illinois, said.

“It was really exciting, especially when they shot their canons and everybody cheered,” Louise Audrieth, Tony’s wife, said.

More than 50 ships from all over the world are now stationed in Boston Harbor, but even some local ships couldn’t miss the opportunity to take part.

“There’s something so very special about a tall ship, and it really is something that is hard to understand until you experience it firsthand,” Christa Miller-Shelley, Captain of the Adventure, said.

Miller-Shelley has been at the helm for the last four years.

“It made so much sense for Adventure to be part of this festival. Although our homeport is Gloucester, Boston was where we sold our fish,” Miller-Shelley said.

She said the ship is one of about 4,000 fishing schooners built between the 1700s and early 1900s.

“She was built to go far, go fast, carry 160,000 pounds of fish and get back to Boston and sell that fish as quick as she could,” Miller-Shelley said.

Miller-Shelley said she was blown away by the amount of people eagerly waiting for the ships to come to shore during the Parade of Sail.

“I can’t even explain, I mean, we expected to have crowds, but all you could see were- it looked like glitter almost of all of the people lining every single inch of shoreline,” Miller-Shelley said.

She added this event brings communities of sailors together, with each of them sharing a special bond.

“We all have something in common no matter what the language, the size of your ship. We understand the ocean, we understand what it takes to work as a crew, what it takes to preserve these vessels... it feels like a beautiful way for us all to come together in a commonality,” Miller-Shelley said.

Many of the tall ships, including the Adventure, will be offering sails and deck tours throughout the week. You can find more information here: https://www.sailboston.com/

Sail Boston concludes on Thursday, July 16.

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