The Tall Ships' Storm

We include the above picture as a tease for the majestic views of the day, as well as to give an example of what we are describing when we say that we went to a tall ship parade. But there is plenty of story to tell before we get to the parade. So in the meantime, we'll disperse a few pictures of ships to break up the narrative.

When we first arrived in Erie, Pennsylvania, we had no idea that the tall ship parade was even a possibility. But the city had been planning this festival for three years, and we arrived just in time to be a part of it. Sometimes we plan to be in a specific location because of a festival we have heard about. But more often than not, serendipity brings us to the right place at the right time, and we wander into a town at just the right time to get a front row seat to see magnificent old ships.

We found out from the volunteer at Presque Isle State Park that the parade of ships would come through the channel between the city of Erie and the state park at 4:00. Then they would circle the bay before they parked in the city harbor. We drove into Erie, only to see that every parking place was already filled several hours before the parade started. So we headed out to state park, hoping to find a parking place so we could see the ships going through the channel from the peninsula-side of the bay.

As we drove toward the state park, a rain storm kicked into high gear. At times we couldn't even see the road to drive. We counted ourselves lucky that we were inside a dry car, rather then outside saving a place to watch the parade. The storm had subsided when we found a place to park, and so we made the one-mile walk to the channel. Here we found a hardy group of locals that had staked out their front-row spots on the channel and had stayed there even through the deluge of rain. Things were drying out as we arrived.

We had checked out the channel area of the state park the night before. The picture of Mark standing alone on this same cement landing was in yesterday's blog. The scene was quite different today, as people were squeezing into every opening, and it was still almost two hours before the ships sailed. One advantage to seats on the channel was getting to see the ships go by twice. The first time was less dramatic as they randomly headed from their parking spot at the city harbor out to join the ships lining up for the parade in Lake Erie.

It was about this time that the second storm blew through. We had brought our rain coats, and we huddled together to stay as dry as possible. It was at this time that some of even the hardy souls decided that they had endured enough, and spaces on the canal got easier to find. Some of the ships were still heading out to line up in the great lake, and it was fun to see them this close as they glided by. 

Mark saved our spot on the canal, while Denisa strolled down to get a picture of the lighthouse at the end of the pier. She could see the ships anchored in the fog in the distance. Some of the more sophisticated photographers with their long-lens cameras were setting up here to get the first views of the passing tall ships. But suddenly they were packing up their gear as there were murmurs of an approaching electrical storm. It seems that standing by a tall metal lighthouse wouldn't be the smartest place to be when lightning is on the way.

The rumors were correct, and the storm hit about the time Denisa walked down the pier. For the thousands of people at this location, there was only one building--a two stall bathroom. The building was already filled to capacity, so our only option was huddling under the eve of the building as the lightning struck and the thunder boomed around us. Those with handicap stickers on their cars were allowed to park close to the channel, and they could take refuge in their cars. But it was a one-mile walk back to the nearest parking lot for the rest of us.

We could tell that the lightning strikes were quite close, and that evening's local news-cast showed a tree not far away that was hit. But finally the third storm blew over and we could get back to our well-deserved front row spot for the tall ship parade. It was delayed an hour because of the storms, and our legs were certainly tired from all the standing when the ships finally started lining up through the canal.

There was camaraderie throughout the crowd, as we congratulated each other for enduring much to stay here. 

We talked to a local, who told us about his experience at the festival three years ago. For a $22 ticket, we could actually tour the tall ships while they are parked at the Erie Pier. But he also told us about the long lines to get aboard. It could take a couple hours of standing in line to board the most popular tall ships. So we decided that this free parade was our perfect (even though soggy) way to participate in the festival.

They purposefully saved the most grand ship to finish the parade. This Spanish Galleon was too big to picture up close. Even through the eyes of novice tall ship spectators, we could tell we had seen one of the best in the world when she sailed by.

So our first-ever tall ship parade was a success, even though we missed the world's largest rubber duck today. A promised part of the flotilla, it is six stories high, and rides on a barge pushed by a tug boat. But rubber duckies don't like the wind and the rain, so he remained deflated on this stormy day. 

As we started the long walk back to our car, a little part of us was glad that we didn't get one of those great parking places beside the canal. Most of the cars had pulled out of the rising water by now, but this driver was going to have a hard time getting into their car.

Serendipity put us in Erie, Pennsylvania, at the right time to see the tall ship festival that only comes around once every three years. But it took some good old-fashioned hardiness to make it through the storms to actually witness the parade.