Sail Portsmouth 2023

Sail Portsmouth 2023

Tall Ship and Maritime Festival

Parade of Sail and Flotilla

This July, five tall ships plus the Gundalow will sail up the Piscataqua River. The Parade of Sail and Flotilla is scheduled to begin at 6:15 PM (1815) Thursday, July 27. The Parade of kicks off Sail Portsmouth 2023 with the tall ships leading a flotilla of other vessels, both civilian and commercial fishing boats plus military and municipal craft. They start at the mouth of the river and end at the Memorial Bridge where the tall ships will turn around and head to their mooring sites.

There will be five tall ships plus Portsmouth’s own gundalow, Piscataqua in the Parade. Visiting ships include Ernestina-Morrissey, Trinidad, Bowdoin, Lynx, and Denis Sullivan. Two are originals while three are replicas. You can tour or ride on each one of them except Bowdoin which will not be open to the public.

$1,000 Raffel Prize for Flotilla Participants

This year, recreational craft and commercial fishing vessels who participate in the Parade are eligible to win a $1,000 gift certificate from Hamilton Marine. Pick up an entry form from any local boatyard, marina, yacht club and boat club on July 24, 25 and 26 then turn it in at the Hamilton Marine store, 56 US-1 Bypass, Kittery where the winning coupon will be drawn soon after the Parade.

Ship Tours

From Friday, July 28 through Monday, July 31, between 10 AM to 5 PM each day, two of the tall ships will be open to the public for tours at the Sail Portsmouth site. They are the replica of Magellan’s flag ship, the three masted nao Trinidad, and the beautifully restored, 2-masted schooner, Ernestina-Morrissey. The site is at the Portsmouth Commercial Fish Pier, 1 Peirce Island Road, across from Prescott Park.

Parking

Parking is provided at the city garages and the Little Harbor School parking lot. Shuttles run all day during the festival from the parking to the Peirce Island venue. For detailed information and a shuttle route map, please, click Here.

Tall Ship Day Sails

Sail aboard the topsail schooner Lynx (except the Sail to Boston) and step back in time to learn about the life of 19th Century seamen, New England maritime history, and the importance of sea power in the War of 1812. This year, there are four sailing options to choose from:

Gloucester to Portsmouth, one way on Lynx on July 26. SOLD OUT.

Portsmouth to Boston, one way Aboard the 3-masted schooner, Alan Sullivan on Saturday, July 29. SOLD OUT.

Parade of Sail Ride-in aboard Lynx on July 27. SOLD OUT.

Two-hour sails along the nearby coastline on Lynx departing from and returning to the UNH Pier, New Castle. SOLD OUT.

Tickets

For precise schedules and to purchase tickets, please click on a specific date on the Event Calendar at the top of this page,

or go to the Home page and select the BUY ONLINE button and follow the prompts,

or scan the following QR Code with a smartphone to connect directly with the ticketing site.

Scan this QR Code,

BECOME A MEMBER

If you are interested in tall ships, maritime history, or giving a leg-up to deserving youth as part of the Sea Challenge program, please consider joining the PMC. The PMC is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization with no paid staff. We depend on members, volunteers and sponsor to achieve our mission. Please contact us using the Contact Us drop-down menu at the top of this page if you want to know more about membership.