by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Jacksonville’s Tall Ships Festival begins Friday with a series of events on and around the Schooner Freedom, the Schooner Voyager, the Pride of Baltimore II and the Amara Zee, four tall ships that will be docked downtown throughout the weekend.
The festival, sponsored by the City and Sail Jacksonville, is designed to highlight the St. Johns River and the maritime community.
The Schooner Freedom, permanently based in St. Augustine, is a replica of 19th Century blockade-runners. The Schooner Voyager is a 100-foot gaff with two masts that hold over 2,000 feet of sail area. Both ships will be docked on the Northbank Riverbank behind the Adam’s Mark Hotel and will be open for self-guided tours.
The Pride of Baltimore II is a reproduction of the original Pride — a Baltimore Clipper that sailed over 150,000 nautical miles before it was sunk by a squall in 1986. The ship, which made a voyage to Jacksonville last summer, will also be stationed behind the Adam’s Mark and open for self-guided tours.
The theater ship Amara Zee is a 90-foot ketch that will be docked behind the T-U Center. From the riverbank, visitors will be able to watch “Red Tides,” a theatrical production featuring dance, aerial artistry, poetry and song that will be performed on the deck. The performances are Friday and Saturday night at 9:15 p.m. and are free.
Other highlights include:
• Self-guided tours of the Schooner Freedom, Schooner Voyage and Pride of Baltimore II are available Friday from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. -5:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon-4:30 p.m.
• The Parade of Sail from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday includes the four tall ships and other vessels in a parade from the Hart Bridge to the Acosta Bridge and from the Metropolitan Park area to the Acosta Bridge for a second lap.
• Saturday evening fireworks start at 9 p.m. between the Main Street and the Acosta bridges. The Pride of Baltimore begins the show with cannon blasts.
• Narrated port tours are available from 10 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Saturday and from noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday. The cruise, aboard either the Lady St. John or the Annabelle Lee, lasts about an hour and 20 minutes.
For a full listing of events, call the City’s Special Events hotline,
630-3686 or the visit the website, www.coj.net.