Sail Boston 2017 - The Experience That Was!
Sail Boston 2017, the first large tall ship regatta to visit Boston Harbor in 17 years, was an absolute must for any Boston area photographer, including myself! I was excited to learn that this year's global tall ship race, in honor of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, would be making Boston its sole American port of call.
The first day started out early for me, it was a 5AM wakeup call, trying to beat the massive crowds predicted for that morning's Parade of Sail into the inner harbor. Anywhere along the water was a great viewing spot for spectators, but I managed to snag one of the best! Piers Park in East Boston is a great urban oasis no matter the day, but this day was extra special! The end of the pier afforded me the best views of both the tall ships and the skyline (I like having a recognizably Boston element in my backgrounds). I also figured that Piers Park was lesser known by the tourists more likely headed for Castle Island or the Seaport.
I got my front row spot at Piers Park, now it was just a couple hours wait until me and a couple hundred fellow Bostonians got some tall ships! We were delighted to enjoy free food trucks, water, and music courtesy of Massport during our wait. I spent the time reading a great book about the colonial Boston's resistance to the British Empire in the years prior to the American Revolution, it didn't escape me that I was looking upon the very places I was reading about.
Our wait was extended an extra hour for fog still rolling in from the Atlantic, making it difficult to see the Boston skyline, but when the time came, excitement was as strong as ever. A stream of water was barely visible in the distance, jettisoned into the air by a pair of Massport fireboats, then the crowds could just make out the unfurled sails of the lead ship, the Coast Guard Eagle, leading a floatilla of over 50 vessels towards the city. Ship after ship was an impressive site to behold, especially the South American tall ships with sailors harnessed to the yards.The clicks of about two dozen photographers was great fun!
Overall, Sail Boston was a great experience not soon to be forgotten, hopefully we don't have to wait so long for the next one!
