THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020525
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Tall ship enthusiaists will get a double dose of events celebrating the sail-driven vessels of yore this month.
Today, a traditional Parade of Sail rounds Town Point Park at noon, with four topsail schoonersleading the way to kick off the region's 19th annual Harborfest.
And three weeks from now, the largest fleet of tall ships to grace the Norfolk waterfront since the days when wind-filled sails moved international commerce will gather on the Elizabeth River.
The inaugural America's Sail Race, a trek from Norfolk to New Haven, Conn., will bring at least 11 tall ships from Venezuela, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States to Norfolk June 23 to 26.
Some of the vessels, like the Coast Guard training vessel Eagle, the barque Simon Bolivar from Venezuela and the schooner Capitan Miranda from Uruguay - the three largest at this event - have been to Norfolk before. Others vessels will be making their first visits to Hampton Roads.
``Plans for America's Sail '95 have been underway since 1992,'' said Rebecca Bump, marketing director of Festevents, which is coordinating activities on the Norfolk waterfront. The purpose of the race is to ``reinforce the ties of friendship and celebrate sail training with a great race.''
While in Norfolk, all the ships will be open to public visitation and a dockside party will be held each evening. They will be docked along the waterfront from Waterside to Nauticus.
The race will begin at noon June 26 just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
The Americas' Sail Race will be held on an irregular basis. The next raceis tentatively slated for 1999, but the date will be set by the cup holder, with the winner retaining what organizers hope will become a coveted international trophy.
And the trophy - like the tall ships themselves - is a product of times gone by.
The perpetual trophy, which will be publicly unveiled in Norfolk for the first time on June 23, was created by sculptor Anthony Fabbricante of Oyster Bay, N.Y.
``It's not your usual cup, plate or plaque,'' Fabbricante said. ``It's a symbolic piece depicting every aspect of sailing.''
Ships slated to race: the Coast Guard sail training cutter Eagle (USA, 298 feet), sail training barque Simon Bolivar (Venezuela, 270 feet), sail training schooner Capitan Miranda (Uruguay, 205 feet), full-rigged sail training ship HMS Rose (USA, 180 feet), Gaff topsail schooner Tole Mour (USA, 156 feet), brigantine Eye of the Wind (United Kingdom, 131 feet), sail training ketch Zenobe Gramme (Belgium, 97 feet), Gaff topsail training schooner Bill of Rights (USA, 136 feet), sail training schooner New Way (USA, 130 feet), hermaphrodite brig Black Pearl (USA, 79 feet) and the four-masted schooner Windy (USA, 145 feet).
The last time the Norfolk waterfront saw a gathering of tall ships like this was in 1993 when ships from Russia, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Oman, Venezuela and the United States participated in ``Discovery Sail of the Americas.''
In 1992, ships from Venezuela, Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, Oman, Russia and the United States visited Norfolk while en route to festivities celebrating the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage.
Another major tall ship visit came with the 1986 ``Liberty Sail'' featuring ships from Uruguay, Canada, Argentina, Oman, Venezuela and the United States.
KEYWORDS: HARBORFEST 1995 by CNB