PRESS RELEASE (For immediate release)
Flagship Niagara League in partnership with Highmark and Perry 200 are proud to present Tall Ships® Erie 2013. The historical event will take place Thursday, September 5 – 8, 2013, on Erie’s bayfront. Ships will be docked at both the Bayfront Convention Center and the Erie Maritime Museum. “We have received tremendous support from the community for this significant event. Not only will guests be able to take ship tours, there will be music, entertainers, and a vendor expo inside the Bayfront Convention Center.”
2013 Tall Ships Festival Ship SponsorsA fleet of nine ships will enter Erie on Thursday, September 5th. Five of the nine ships will be newcomers to the festival. Highlighting the fleet will be Sorlandet, a Norwegian ship, returning to the Great Lakes for the first time since 1933 when she attended the Chicago World’s Fair. Peacemaker is making her inaugural trip to the Great Lakes, hailing from Georgia. Appledore IV and Friends Good Will are two “sail-away” vessels. Guests may purchase 1 ½ hour day-sail tickets to go on a cruise around the Bay.
“These vessels are unique in their own right. They’re travelling from all over the country and world, each with its own purpose. The most common theme is using sail training as a means of improving its crew. They’re reminiscent of a bygone age of sail while operating in a modern world. They take seriously their individual missions, which should not be lumped together beyond what they all share; going to sea is a requirement of their endeavors,” said Wesley Heerssen, Flagship Niagara’s Captain.
Listed below are the nine vessels coming to Erie, with their homeport and sponsor:
Flagship Niagara
Erie, PA
Eriez Magnetics
Pride of Baltimore II
Baltimore, MD
Lincoln Recycling
Unicorn
Bridgeport, CT
Plyler Overhead Door & The Warren Company
St. Lawrence II
Kingston, ON
Logistics Plus
Sorlandet
Kristiansand, Norway
Highmark
Lynx
Portsmouth, NH
Erie Federal Credit Union
Peacemaker
Brunswick, GA
Erie Insurance
Appledore IV
Bay City, MI
Local Edge
Friends Good Will
South Haven, MI
PNC Bank
Weekend tickets are $22 and day passes are $14. Flagship Niagara League members may purchase tickets at the Erie Maritime Museum Gift Shop, beginning April 15. Members will receive $2 off each ticket until the start of the event. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on May 1. Country Fair is proud to be a ticket outlet to purchase weekend passes for $20. Tickets may be purchased at the Erie Maritime Museum Gift Shop or on the Flagship Niagara League website. Call the Flagship Niagara League office for special group pricing.