Harborfest Day 2

On Sunday we went back to Town Point Park to see the tall ships at Harborfest.  We wised up this time and were coated in sunscreen and had our hats.  For some reason it seemed much hotter than it was the day before.

This time we focused on the tall ships and seeing what vendors were in the area.

So our first picture of the day HAD to be of the USS Wisconsin (just like yesterday actually) only this time we focused on the Marine Corps emblon on the guns.  Something about it just caught our attention.  We're actually behind Nauticus to get this photo.  Nauticus is another wonderful place to visit, if you're ever in the area.

After that we went to look at the Norwegian ship that was docked behind Nauticus.  They did have tours, but we were early and decided after being at the event for a while that we really didn't need to tour the ship.  It was great that it was offered though!  Interesting factoid that I read as Jim wandered around snapping photos.  This ship was named after a Norwegian explorer, Thor Heyerdahl.  These ships are all named after famous Norwegian explorers.

While Jim was admiring the Norwegian ship I spotted the Fort McHenry, so we had to get a picture of that.  As you can see it was quite a bit a ways away.  And just so you know, I did have to zoom in to get this shot.  Needless to say we were TIRED yesterday after our adventures.

It started getting a bit crowded as it got closer to noon.  More people were ready to come out and get tours of the different ships.  Since it was drawing closer to the time most ships had posted that they were able to give tours.

We noticed that one of the foreign tall ships was having Mass.  How beautiful!  It's always interesting, to me, to hear another language being spoken.  Seeing as I can only speak English.

Of course the US Coast Guard's sailing vessel Eagle was there.  The line to get  onto the ship was tremendously long, so we decide to forgo that one.  Neither one of us is for long lines and we've been on the USS Constitution, so we didn't feel like we HAD to go aboard.

And I just loved looking at the ship head on and seeing the golden eagle, so I forced Jim to take a picture for me.  Yes I know I'm a big old meanie!

The Godspeed came from Jamestown.  Which was really cool!

The history around this area is just amazing.  You could spend months checking out all the history and things to do in this area.  

Again why haven't we?

Short answer?  Laziness.  Or lack of gumption on my part.

A game of cards

 Something else that I thought was really cool was the landlocked set up of the inside of a ship.  For those with small ones who didn't wish to head up the gangplank, you could see bits and pieces of what a sailing vessel would look like on the inside.  Complete with hammocks, cannons and of course grog!

Grog anyone?

I loved that they had people in period costumes that showed how life was lived back then.  They even had a small area set up with different tents showing you how things were made.  Like a blacksmith, a cooper, a laundress and the like.

Very educational!

They also had different bands playing at different times.  We caught the show of three guys playing steel drums.  Also one of the ships crews came out and played as a marching band.  Which was so awesome!  They had skits that were acted out by pirates and people in period garb.  The skit I caught a bit of had pirates who used the audience in their act.  Something that delighted the crowd.

Around Nauticus they had remote control ships in various stages of build for you to view.  Jim spoke with one of the guys who had a submarine on display.  He even has little missiles to launch from it.

How cool!

They had two guys in the pool around Nauticus demonstrating how the remote control boats worked.

We just had to get a shot of this one.  You can even see that it's anchor is down.  The attention to detail is just absolutely amazing!


And of course, I had to add a picture of Miss Azalea.  She's in front of Nauticus and if you'll recall from my earlier post part of the Mermaid Parade.

What can I say?  I'm a sucker for mermaids.  Kind of the point right?

There were tons of vendors there.  People selling food and drink, artwork, clothing, chairs, toys...  You name it.  We're in the firm belief that our friend, Phil, should have a spot there next year to sell his artwork and do caricatures.  We think he'd do very well.  And he knows he could stay with us during the festival.

And of course I couldn't end this post without a photo of one of us.  And luckily my sweetie was willing to pose for me.  Isn't he a great guy?

I think so!

So if you're ever in the area in the first part of June, I highly recommend you take some time to go to Harborfest!