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The town of Lewes will welcome five historical tall ships at various town docking locations Thursday, Sept. 14, at the evening’s high tide, and will host them until Sunday, Sept. 17, for a Sail Lewes weekend to remember.
Among the five tall ships sailing into town and docking for the upcoming Lewes and Delaware 375th Anniversary Sail Lewes Festival are the Alliance and the Dove. The Alliance, sponsored by Ocean Atlantic Associates, is a 105-foot three-masted, gaff-rigged schooner designed by Tom Colvin and owned by Yorktown Sailing Charters. Her steel hull was built in Florida in 1995, and her interior was fitted out in 1996 by local craftsmen in Maine.
Yorktown Sailing Charters purchased the Alliance in August of 2005 and started doing day sails with her out of Yorktown, Va. She docks at the new Riverwalk Landing Pier in Historic Yorktown and sails three times a day on the York River. In the fall she sails south to St. Thomas USVI to work there for the winter season. She is USCG certified to carry 49 passengers for day sails. She can also carry 10 overnight guests in five spacious double staterooms.
The Maryland Dove is a representation of a 50-ton merchant ship of the sort that traded along the Atlantic seaboard in the 1600s. She is named after the pinnace, Dove, the smaller of the two ships that carried colonists and supplies to Maryland in 1634. The Maryland Dove was designed by William Avery Baker, a noted marine architect and historian who also designed the Mayflower II. She was built by James K. Richardson and five assistants at Richardson’s boatyard on Lecompte Creek near Cambridge, Maryland.
While authenticity is a goal, some concessions have been made to the present. The ship is opened up down below to allow visitors free access to all areas. Two 90 horsepower diesel engines have been added to allow her to meet modern schedules and the ship is rigged with synthetic ropes and canvas. The Maryland Dove is on the educational and interpretive exhibits at Historic St. Mary’s City, where she is regularly boarded by thousands of visitors and school children each year. She also serves as an ambassador for the museum and Maryland during trips to port-of-call around the Chesapeake Bay. An active sail-training program is also part of the mission of the Maryland Dove. She is staffed by five professional sailor/educators and a dedicated volunteer crew who assist with maintenance and ship operations. Along with a visit from the Alliance and the Dove, Lewes will be joined by three other tall ships, the Kalmar Nyckel, A.J. Meerwald and the Virginia, from Thursday, Sept. 14, until Sunday, Sept. 17.
All tall ships participating in the Sail Lewes Festival, including the Alliance and the Dove, will be open for public tours Friday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon. This is the only day that individual ship-tours will be available at a cost of $5 per person per ship, at each individual Lewes docking site.
The local prelude to the Sail Lewes Festival is the official launch of the Lewes and Delaware 375th anniversary weekend celebration. Lewes tall ship docking locations include: Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal, City Dock in Lewes, Pilot’s Association Dock on Pilottown Road, and the University of Delaware: Pollution Ecology Laboratory (PEL) Dock on Pilottown Road.
What can locals do Friday night as part of the Sail Lewes celebration? Pack a snack, hop in the car with the family and head to Lewes Beach or Cape Henlopen State Park, from 3-6 p.m., for the most impressive views, as all five tall ships meet on the water for a breathtaking Parade of Sail. Ocean Atlantic, the title sponsor for the Sail Lewes weekend and the official sponsor of the Alliance, and guests will be aboard their tall ship for this sail.
Open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16, and Sunday, Sept. 17, official Sail Lewes passports will be available for purchase at each Lewes docking location. This ship-touring passport is the only document which grants each holder one tour of all five tall ships in Lewes and will serve as a one-of-a-kind souvenir including photo and historical information about each tall ship in town, as well as, a section where each passport-holder will get a unique stamp from each ship upon completion of their deck tour.
Bring stamped passports with all five ship-stamps to the information tent at the festival by 3 p.m., Saturday or Sunday for a chance to win an evening sail for two, drawings will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal on Saturday and Sunday. The purchase of a passport also grants each holder trolley transportation to each tall ship docking location
Be sure to come out to the Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal Grounds, with free parking and free entry, where the festival of shantey-singers, food, local merchants and fun will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday as well. Those who visit may witness a battle between townspeople and pirates, or even a 17th century fashion show.
Those looking for an even more authentic Sail Lewes experience may purchase an advanced ticket through the Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal by calling 800-64-FERRY, and become a true passenger aboard a tall ship. Ships that will be taking guests out on the water for a scheduled sail at 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday are the Virginia, the A.J. Meerwald (both docked at the Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal) and the Alliance (docked at the University of Delaware – Pollution Ecology Laboratory Dock at the end of Pilottown Road).
All advanced ticket holders for evening sails must check in to obtain their ship assignment at the ticket sales tent at the Cape-May Lewes Ferry Terminal grounds starting at 4 p.m.
Visit http://375.historiclewes.org for more festival information.
For information on being a Sail Lewes festival vendor or merchant at the Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal Saturday, Sept. 16, and Sunday, Sept. 17, contact Leanne Silicato or Casey Kieffer of Make My Day Event Planning at 645-9774 or makemydayevents@yahoo.com. Vendor spaces are available for $250 and $25 for nonprofit organizations.
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