Pride of Baltimore II welcomed at Festival of Sail

DULUTH, Minn. – The Pride of Baltimore II entered the harbor for the festival of sail and docked behind the DECC alongside a variety of other tall ships.

This exact clipper ship was launched in 1988 and is a reproduction of the Baltimore Clippers that served as privateers fighting the British or capturing British cargo vessels during the War of 1812.

“She’s been to 42 different countries, every year is a little bit different, And there’s an organization called Tall Ships America that puts together these festival circuits, or tall ship races, and that’s what brings us to Duluth, what brought us to Duluth in the past,” said Captain Jeff Crosby, Pride of Baltimore II.

The Pride made its way through the Great Lakes, ending here in Duluth, and will be returning to Baltimore after the Festival of Sail ends. The captain says it can be tricky to navigate the Great Lakes due to the intensity of the waves.

“With a lake as big as they are, you know, they kind of look like mini oceans,” said Captain Crosby. “A three-foot sea state in Lake Superior feels way, way, way worse than a three-foot sea state on the ocean, where that has like a 32nd period, or even a six-second period. So there’s a very different comfort level.”

The waves out on Lake Superior tend to be closer together and very boxy, making them violent at times. This does not stop the captain and crew from braving the waters all across the world to share the rich history of this tall ship.

“I think it’s really cool bringing the general public aboard, who may not be aware of the maritime industry and how much history there is specifically in the American maritime industry, you know, so we represent kind of a sliver of that, and it’s really good to share that, because we should be proud of our maritime history,” said Captain Crosby.

The Pride of Baltimore II will be hosting tours all weekend and can be tracked through their journey forward on their website.