Tall ships trigger terrific tourism

The Port Washington harbor took on an Old World look Tuesday as three tall ships — The When and If, Appledore IV and Liberty Clipper — arrived for a five-day stay.

The Liberty Clipper is a modern replica of a Baltimore clipper-style schooner, which were widely used during the 18th and 19th centuries, while the When and If is an Alden schooner commissioned by General George Patton in 1939 that he hoped to use to sail around the world.

The Appledore IV is a schooner used as a hands-on science vessel for students of all ages that has visited Port before.

Throughout their visit, the ships will offer sails and deck tours — the first time in more than a decade residents and visitors have had that chance to see these majestic ships up close and personal.

“This fits into our strategic plan of providing on-water experiences for our residents and tourists,” Tourism Executive Director Wayne Chrusciel said Monday.

During their stay, the ships will offer 26 day sails, nine twilight sails and deck tours at 4 p.m. each day. 

None of the sails have sold out, Chrusciel said, “but we’re close on a couple.”

One family, he noted, bought 65 of the 95 available seats on the Liberty Clipper and is using it as a celebration of life event.

The ships have also drawn a spotlight on Port, Chrusciel said.

“I have noticed we’re getting people from all over — Chicago, Madison, Green Bay,” he said. “It should bring a lot of people into the city.

“It’s probably going to be a busy weekend in Port.”

The sails cost $70 but the deck tours are free — a strategic move on the part of Port Tourism and Port Main Street Inc., which are hosting the ships’ visit.

“The price turned some people off, so we really wanted to offer the deck tours at no cost,” Chrusciel said.

The ships will dock at Coal Dock Park, he said, but they will move to Rotary Park so people can get on and off for the tours and sails, Chrusciel said.

“We had planned on using Coal Dock Park but because the lake’s so low we had to go to Rotary Park,” he explained.

The tall ships, which are coming from different places, are en route to a festival in Sturgeon Bay next week, but needed a place to dock in the meantime. They contacted Sara Dunlap, the former executive director of Port Main Street Inc. who headed the Maritime Heritage Festival for years, asking if Port would be interested in hosting them.

The answer was a quick yes, Chrusciel said.

The Liberty Clipper, a 125-foot vessel built in Rhode Island in 1983 and kept in Boston Harbor, is a replica of some of the fastest sailing vessels of their day. Many of these vessels were used as privateers during the War for Independence and the War of 1812.

“It’s probably the most impressive of the three,” Chrusciel said of the ship, which launched in 1983 and has a capacity of 95 people.

The When and If, whose home port is Key West, Fla., is an 83-foot vessel whose name is attributed to Patton’s quote, “When the war is over, and if I live through it, (my wife) Bea and I are going to sail her around the world.” Patton died in a car crash in 1945 before that could happen.

The ship remained in the Patton family until 1972, after which she changed hands several times, She was refurbished after being severely damaged in a nor’easter that left her with a hole in the port side that “you could drive a VW bug through,” according to its website. 

The ship has a capacity of 32 people.

The Appledore IV, which is based in Bay City, Mich., is an 85-foot vessel that has been in Port before, as part of the city’s former Maritime Heritage Festival.

Launched in 1989, the ship has a capacity of 48 people.

To purchase tickets or for more information, go to visitportwashington.com.