Tall Ships Challenge
The 'TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE®' is an annual event organized by Tall Ships America alternating in a three year cycle between the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts of North America.
The event draws hundreds of thousands of people to witness beautiful tall ships from the age of sail and provides a unique opportunity for the participants to interact with the crews of different vessels in friendly rivalry as they race from port to port.
The series began in 2001 on the Great Lakes and saw vessels from six countries and visited seven US and Canadian ports. Since its launch, the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® series has visited dozens of North American cities, bringing millions of spectators down to the waterfront to experience the tall ships and creating a cumulative economic impact of hundreds of millions of dollars for host communities. It has continued to grow every year and is an eagerly anticipated event in the seaside communities that host the vessels (see, for example Philadelphia's Summer Sail 2007)and beyond.
Each year, the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® series is designated a Marine Event of National Significance by the US Coast Guard.
Tall Ships America summer interns maintain a blog about their experiences called the Official Blog of the Tall Ships Challenge series