Parade of Sail Comes to Portsmouth in July

🔴 The Parade of Sail is July 27 - July 31

🔴 The Parade of Sail will have two new additions

🔴 Tickets are on sale for tall ship tours and sails

Five tall ships will join the Sail Portsmouth Parade of Sail and Flotilla in July.

Governor Chris Sununu is the Grand Marshall of the parade on Thursday, July 27, which includes the three-masted NAO Trinidad, the two-masted schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, the three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan, the topsail schooner Lynx, and the schooner Bowdoin.

Portsmouth's own Tall Ship, the Gundalow Piscataqua, will lead the parade from the mouth of the Piscataqua River into Portsmouth Harbor along with the visiting ships, civilian and commercial fishing boats, and military and municipal craft.

“We want the Parade of Sail and Flotilla to be more festive and include more boats this year,” Richard Burbine, a member of the Propeller Club, said in a statement. “Any boater with a safe craft is invited to join the Flotilla. We want to create a festive occasion on the water.”

The parade will continue to the Memorial Bridge, where the ships will turn around and head to their respective mooring sites.

Tickets on Sale

Two of the ships will berth at the Portsmouth Commercial Fishing Pier, which will be the festival’s headquarters for the weekend, just across from Prescott Park.

Tickets are on sale for tall ship tours and sails at sailportsmouth.org.

The parade celebrates the impact of the marine industry on the City of Portsmouth.

“From a business perspective in addition to its recreational benefits, Portsmouth is a working port and shipping and the marine industry is a big part of the economic engine of the region.”

The Parade of Sail will have two new additions.

All participants in the parade will also be able to be get in the running to win a $1,000 gift certificate from Hamilton Marine. Entry will be via one of 500 beer koozies, which will contain a ticket to enter the raffle. They are available at Brewster’s Bait and Tackle in Portsmouth and at the boat launch near the Portsmouth Commercial Fish Pier.

Jason Brewster is organizing a renewal of the City of Portsmouth’s traditional Blessing of the Fleet. This year, a multi-denominational collection of clergy and spiritual leaders will bless each vessel in the Parade as they pass Four Tree Island.

The Parade of Sail and Flotilla is a joint presentation of Sail Portsmouth and the Propeller Club.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH