By Gus Saltonstall
Upper West Siders can head into Riverside Park this weekend to watch a parade of tall ships make their way up the Hudson River in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
The tall ships parade is part of the Sail4th 250 event and follows in the tradition of the 1976 Bicentennial, the 2000 Millennium celebration, and the 2012 Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial, when American and international boats and sailors come together along New York City’s waterways.
On Saturday, “The International Parade of Sail” will take place with a fleet of vessels ranging from 161 to 378 feet traveling under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge.
This journey of vessels will happen from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Upper West Siders can head into different areas of Riverside Park South and Riverside Park to watch the boats go by. For those who want to watch in a more official capacity, there are designated watch points along the West Side Highway at 55th, 44th, 24th, and 11th streets, which will include bag checks and security screenings.
Here are the five largest ships set to take part in the parade, according to The New York Times.
- The BAP Union from Peru: 378 feet
- The Esmeralda from Chile: 371 feet
- The Juan Sebastian de Elcano: 371 feet
- The Dar Mlodziezy from Poland: 354 feet
- ARA Libertad from Argentina: 340 feet
On the same day, there will be the International Naval Review, where nearly 40 U.S. and Allied naval boats from more than 20 countries will anchor along different points of the Hudson River.
At 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, there will also be the International Aerial Review in the sky, where more than 150 aircrafts will fly over the parade.
If you want even more boat action, and don’t mind crossing the park, on Friday there will be the Preliminary Tall Ship Parade featuring slightly smaller vessels traveling down the East River from 1 to 4 p.m.
You can find out more about all of the events — HERE.
Please send in photos to info@westsiderag.com of the boats traveling along the Hudson River on Saturday.
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Cross the park??? Perish the thought!
The “preliminary parade” of smaller boats makes me laugh.
Gus, is there a list of boats in the order they will proceed?