The Grand Parade of sail is rooted in rich history in the Commonwealth

Today, the Sail Boston Grand Parade of Sail, led by the USS Constitution, is a once-in-a-generation event in part because it is rare to see the sheer number of these historic ships together in one day.

For the many spectators who line the city from Castle Island to Pearce Park, this is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the generations before us who built and sailed her and show the next generation how we honor her.

“When you look at tall ships, you imagine they were once freight trains of the past. But also, men like Donald McKay were a master of ship design and building here in East Boston, and his ship ‘Flying Cloud’ made an amazing 89-day voyage from the East Coast to the West Coast in 1851,” said Chris Hood of C.W. Hood Yachts of Marblehead and nephew of famous sailor Ted Hood.

“These ships connected our emerging Eastern and West Coast cities, by sailing from Boston or New York around Cape Horn and back to San Francisco. The fastest ships received the best cargo and the highest prices. These fast ships were the FedEx of the day!”

For Carol Zitano, there was no better place for her and her family than Pierce Park in East Boston. The beautiful location and passing ships reminded the East Boston native how her memories had always been of tall ships.

“I remember when I was a young man — 50 years ago in 1976 — we came down here to the wharf and sat on the rocks to watch the tall ships. When I was growing up, this area was simply referred to as ‘The Wharf’ and it was a deserted, distressed waterfront,” Zitano said.

“Young people used to swim off these abandoned piers and pilings. However, to me, East Boston has always been a hidden gem. Today, we can enjoy this beautiful park and learn to sail at Pierce Point Sailing Center. My nephew grew up learning to sail here. Today he drove here from where he now lives in Maine to see this show.”

She noted that in East Boston, those who can can always come back to see the Tall Ships.

“Many of our friends and family who no longer live in East Boston are making sure they get here today.”

For Dave O’Donnell, MeetBoston’s vice president of strategic communications whose team has worked with Sail Boston for the past two years, there was a lot of generational longevity to the event.

“In 2016, when we had our last Tall Ships event, when Sail Boston CEO Dusty Rhodes at the time announced we would be back in 2026 and here we are. “This is a multi-generational event, and it’s a great free event for families,” O’Donnell said. “Also, for our organization, this has been great with both the World Cup and the Tall Ships here. We know Boston as an international city, but it’s great to have the world truly visiting us this summer and really enjoying everything we have to offer.”

Not only is the grand display of sails featuring majestic 375-foot ships from around the world, but Sail Boston is celebrating its 250th anniversary^y Anniversary by inviting many of the smaller original and replica sailboats that were so vital to our maritime history including the famous Grand Banks replica schooner Bluenose Two from Nova Scotia, Canada, Spirit of Bermuda as well as Schooner Adventure out of Gloucester, Mass to name a few.

For Carrie Martin of Gloucester, a volunteer with the sailboat Adventure, her proudest moment today was having her nephew on board the Adventure in the parade as a crew member.

“We have young students in our city who volunteer with the Adventure schooner, and it has been an excellent program,” Martin said. “The students realize that maintaining it takes work and discipline. As with all these ships, there is opportunity that comes with all this hard work, and it provides the youth with roots, a foundation and an appreciation for those who have come before them.” They need history too.

“I love that people can be here today without screens and learn about the world as the international fleet sails.”