33rd Annual Parade of Sail

NORFOLK, Va. - The 33rd Annual Norfolk Harborfest Parade of Sail kicked off at noon Friday, as Town Point Park re-opened in Norfolk. Check out the breathtaking views as seen from Chopper 10.

Three exciting events, the Grand Opening of Norfolk's newly renovated Town Point Park, 2009 Norfolk Harborfest, and the 27th Annual 4th of July Great American Picnic and Fireworks will be rolled into one weekend filled with three days of electrifying fireworks displays, 3 days of explosive entertainment, and the biggest dock party in Hampton Roads.

An expansive fleet of tall ships, character vessels, sleek power cruisers, sailing craft, antique and classic wooden boats, Chesapeake Bay workboats, military vessels, tugs and more, will salute thousands of onlookers stationed at vantage points along the Elizabeth River.

Below is a list (courtesy of Festevents) of ships scheduled to sail in the parade:

Cisne Branco

The Cisne Branco is a tall ship of the Brazilian Navy hailing out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, though she travels worldwide. Cisne Branco (translation:"White Swan") is a full-rigged ship built in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Damen Shipyard. Her keel was laid on November 9, 1998, and she was launched and christened on August 4, 1999. She was delivered to the Brazilian Navy on February 4, 2000, and commissioned as a Brazilian naval vessel on March 9, 2000. Cisne Branco made her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil, by the Portuguese Admiral Pedro Alvares Cabral.

The ship's project is inspired by the design of the 19th century clippers. Cisne Branco is normally used in national and international representation activities to showcase the Brazilian
Navy and Brazilian culture. She is also used as an instructional sailing ship by the cadets of the Brazilian Naval Academy, Academy of Merchant Marine and other naval schools.

Ship's Dementions:

• Full Rigged Ship
• Length: 249'
• Beam: 34'6
• Draft: 15'9
• Rig Height: 152
• Hull: Steel

Capitan Miranda

The three-masted Uruguayan staysail schooner, Capitan Miranda, was built in 1930 in Cadiz, Spain. She served as a hydrographic vessel for the Uruguayan Navy during the 1960s. In 1978, she became a sailing ship again, equipped with a modern schooner rig. Named after legendary captain and researcher, Captain Fransisco P. Miranda, she is now a sail-training vessel for the Uruguayan Navy. She carries a crew of 12 officers, 39 enlisted personnel and 35 trainees. Her homeport is Montevideo, Uruguay.

Ship's Dimentions

• Three masted, staysail schooner
• Length: 198
• Beam: 27
• Draft: 12
• Hull: Steel

Schooner Virginia

The Schooner Virginia is a recreation of her namesake The Virginia. The original pilot schooner Virginia was the 5th ocean-keeping vessel owned by the Virginia Pilot Association. She was also the 4th wooden schooner, and the 3rd and last pilot ship built expressly for the pilots. The Schooner Virginia is owned and operated by the Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Ship's Dimentions:

• Two masted, Gaff topsail knockabout schooner
• Length: 126
• Built in 2004
• Beam: 24
• Draft: 12.3
• Rig Height: 112
• Hull: Wood

Pride of Baltimore II

The Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned in 1988 as a sailing memorial to her immediate predecessor, the original Pride of Baltimore, which was tragically sunk by a white squall off Puerto Rico, in 1986, taking her captain and three crew members down with her. Both ships were built in the Baltimore Inner Harbor as reproductions of 1812-era topsail schooners, the type of vessels, called Baltimore Clippers that helped America win the War of 1812 and finally secure its freedom.

Ship's Dimentions:

• Two masted, topsail schooner
• Length: 105
• Beam: 26.4
• Draft: 12.6

MEKA II

The Meka II was built under the hands of Captain Horatio Sinbad when he was just 24. In 1967, the ship was launched in the Great Lakes. Captain Horatio Sinbad and the Meka II left the Great Lakes in 1970 through the St. Lawrence Seaway and have been pursing adventures ever since. The Meka II is a 2/3 - scale replica of an 17th Century, two-masted pirate brigantine, armed with 8 cannons. Her homeport is Beaufort, North Carolina.

Ship's Dimentions:

• Two masted, pirate brigantine
• Length: 54
• Built in 1967
• Beam: 12.5
• Draft: 7
• Rig Height: 55

Related Links:

Reserve Boat Slips at the Waterside Marina -- Contact James Scruggs at scruggsj@festevents.org or call: 757 -441-2345 x 3019. Deadline for reservations is April 15, 2009

More information about the entire weekend's events , or call: 757-441-2345.