The schooner SULTANA departed her home port of Chestertown at 5:00am morning on route to a rendezvous with a fleet of more than 30 international “Tall Ships” and grey-hulled modern naval vessels that are making their way into the Chesapeake Bay for OpSail 2012.
A once-a-decade event, OpSail has traditionally brought some of the world’s largest traditional sailing ships to the United States for a multi-month series of events up and down the East Coast. OpSail 2012 kicked off in New Orleans this April, and before the event is through the OpSail fleet will visit Virginia, Baltimore, New York, and Boston.
SULTANA will join the OpSail fleet during the first three weeks of June, specifically for the fleet’s planned events in Baltimore and Virginia. “This is the first time SULTANA has participated in an event of this size and the crew is really excited,” said Captain Tanya Banks-Christensen.
SULTANA’s first port-of-call for OpSail 2012 will be the historic port town of Onancock, Virginia, where she will visit from June 1-5. Onancock is one of several Virginia ports that will be hosting visiting “Tall Ships” for OpSail 2012. From Onancock, SULTANA will move down the Delmarva coast to Cape Charles, Virginia for the weekend of June 8-11, where she will be joined by the Delaware’s state ship KALMAR NYCKEL, and the schooner LYNX.
“Sultana Projects worked with groups in both Onancock and Cape Charles for our 2007 reenactment of John Smith’s voyage and we are thrilled to be able to return again with SULTANA.” said Sultana Projects’ President Drew McMullen. “Both ports have done an incredible job of preparing and planning these events and the organizers couldn’t be any more welcoming or gracious.”
Sultana will depart Virginia on June 12 in company with the OpSail fleet, which will travel together for the approximately 24-hour voyage up the Chesapeake to Baltimore. SULTANA will spend the final weekend of OpSail 2012 in Baltimore where she will participate in “Sailabration 2012” to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Follow the links below for more information about SULTANA’s OpSail 2012 port stops in Virginia and Maryland.
Onancock, June 1-5
Cape Charles, June 8-11
Baltimore, June 14-19
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