A Parade of Sail will take place in Sturgeon Bay on the morning of Thursday, August 12, as the kick-off for the 2010 Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival taking place August 13-15 at Leicht Park in Green Bay.
The Baylake Bank Parade of Sail will be a celebration that brings residents, visitors, and local businesses together to salute and enjoy the tall ships as they sail from Sturgeon Bay on their way to the festival site in Green Bay.
Spectators are invited to line the shores of the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel so that as the ships sail-through, the crowd can cheer them on and provide the captains and crew with a hearty welcome to the community. Two primary public viewing spots will include Sawyer Park and Graham Park.
In 2006 when the tall ships last sailed through Sturgeon Bay en masse, thousands of people crowded downtown. Once again, local businesses and other organizations are encouraged to climb on board the opportunity by offering tall ship related activities or specials to support this community event.
HMS Bounty
Ships slated to sail through include the foreign vessels Roald Amundsen from Germany, and Europa from the Netherlands; plus Niagara; Lynx; Appledore IV; Friends Good Will; Unicorn; Wisconsin’s flagship S/V Denis Sullivan; Pride of Baltimore II; Roseway; La Revenante; Royaliste; and “movie star” H.M.S. Bounty, which has been used in many movies, including Mutiny on the Bounty, Sponge Bob Square Pants the Movie, and Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest.
The ships will be escorted by United States Coast Guard and Sturgeon Bay Police Department boats, and will come through the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel in groups of about four as they travel toward Green Bay from Lake Michigan. More details will be available at the Baylake Bank website, www.baylake.com, and the Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival website, www.tallshipgreenbay.com
Baylake Bank Parade of Sail activities will take place between 7 am and 10 am, and include a pancake and porkie breakfast available for $5 from non-profit group P.A.T.H. (Promoting Access To Help Families with Special Needs) served at Great Lakes Yacht Services; a performance by the Sturgeon Bay High School Band; and a special maritime salute.
The Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival in Green Bay is expected to draw 75,000 people, and is the only Tall Ships Challenge event of this size and scope in Wisconsin. It is being produced by PMI Entertainment Group, who is working in conjunction with Baylake Bank to coordinate the Parade of Sail in Sturgeon Bay.
Baylake Bank is committed to serving its communities and was also the title sponsor of the Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival and sail-through Sturgeon Bay in 2006. Member FDIC/Equal Housing Lender, the bank serves its Wisconsin communities from financial centers in Brown, Door, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Waupaca, and Waushara counties and from its website at www.baylake.com. For more information call 920.743.5551 or 800.267.3610.
