Parade of Sail and Flotilla

July 26, 2024 – 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Starts at mouth of the Piscataqua River and ends in the vicinity of the Memorial Bridge.

The Parade of Sail kicks off Sail Portsmouth with our visiting tall ships escorted by hundreds of private pleasure craft and commercial fishing boats up the Piscataqua River to the Memorial Bridge and then to the docks.

Tall ships sailing in the Parade will be USCGC Eagle, S/V Denis Sullivan, and Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey.

Owners of private vessels are welcome to join the festivities by joining in the Parade and escorting the tall ships up the river.

The ships will begin the parade at 10:30am, and expect to be in the downtown Portsmouth area at 11:15am.

Best Viewpoints

The most accessible sites for the public to enjoy the Parade are:

The Commons, New Castle

Fort McClary State Park, Kittery

Four Tree Island, Portsmouth

Memorial Bridge sidewalk, between Portsmouth and Kittery

Tall Ship Tours

Friday, July 26 – 2 PM to 4 PM
Saturday, July 27 – 10 AM to 4 PM
Sunday, July 28 – 10 AM to 5 PM

USCGC Eagle will be docked at the Port of Portsmouth, 555 Market Street. The last tour begins 30 minutes before the end of the day.

The tours are often the highlight of Sail Portsmouth, creating one of the busiest, fun-filled summer weekends on the Seacoast.  On the way to the tours, people can linger in the maritime tent to enjoy the exhibits and may even meet 19th Century reenactors from Strawbery Banke Museum in period costumes and encounter friendly roaming pirates on the dock. Food and drinks will be available as will some live entertainment.

Please note: the tall ship is FREE to tour and no tickets will be sold. Please plan to arrive early as we expect crowds, and visitors should expect to wait in line to board the ship.

Tall Ship Tour Parking

Parking is provided at the city garages. There will be a shuttle running between the garages and the Port of Portsmouth from 9:30am – 5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.

2024 Shuttle Map

Tall Ship Day Sails

Sails from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28.

Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey will dock at the UNH Pier, New Castle from which she will take passengers sailing throughout Sail Portsmouth.

This year we will once again have the ever-popular one-way Sail to Boston. The three-masted schooner, Denis Sullivan, will depart from Portsmouth Saturday morning, July 27 and arrive downtown Boston in time for dinner that day.

Purchase Tall Ship Sails (Day Sails) Tickets

 

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 Sail Portsmouth organization. Sail Portsmouth is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization with no paid staff or permanent offices. We depend on members, volunteers, and sponsors to achieve our mission. Please select the ‘Become a Member’ button on this page to join or the ‘Contact Us’ drop-down menu at the top of the page to get more information and to become involved.

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