A little rain isn’t dampening the spirits of those eager to check out the tall ships which have dropped anchor in the Saint John harbour as part of the Saint John Festival of Sail on the waterfront.
The three-day event includes ships from all over the world, including the U.S., the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Norman Raynes is the chief liason officer for the festival, he’s responsible for making sure things are running as smoothly as possible, and so far it’s been smooth sailing.
“You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect harbour day [Friday], there was just hardly any wind at all. Some of the ships were able to come in with their sails down, and had been the day before with the big wind? Uh-uh, that never would have happened,” says Raynes.
He tells CHSJ News the berthing went like clockwork, and the crews and captains of the tall ships were very impressed with the hospitality of Saint John and the crowds that came to check them out.
“It’s a big thing to have ships like this, some people have never seen them up close like this, and some of the people who have come are just totally mystified by them. And they are quite a feat, quite a feat, they’re beautiful,” says Raynes.
Raynes says the biggest thing he’s doing now is addressing documentation and getting those documents to Canadian Customs as a lot of the ships now in Saint John will be sailing into foreign waters.
At 9 a.m. on Sunday the pier opens for the dockside viewing of ships and the on-board tours. The festival grounds open at 10 a.m. The outgoing parade of sail is happening at 6 p.m. For more information check out the Saint John Festival of Sail’s website.
