More than 50 tall ships and military vessels began arriving in Boston Harbor on Saturday for the Sail250 celebration, giving Boston its first tall ships event since 2017. The Meet Boston Parade of Sail runs Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with inner harbor spectators told not to expect to see ships until about 10:15 a.m.
Denise Paoni was among the spectators watching at the Massport Marine Terminal on Fid Kennedy Avenue. She said, "What I’m looking forward to is seeing the Amerigo Vespucci ship come in from Italy and all the ships really!"
Boston Harbor Parade of Sail
The Fire Fighter signaled the start of the Parade of Sail with its water jets at the Massport Marine Terminal, and the USS Constitution led the procession into Boston Harbor. The Boston event runs from Saturday to Thursday as the finale of a tour that previously stopped in New Orleans, Norfolk, Va., Baltimore, and New York City.
People gathered at Piers Park and the Massport Marine Terminal before the main event, with a hot dog vendor ringing a bell to draw early guests. Stickers reading "Shippin’ into East Boston" were being handed out, and sweet Italian ice was being served before Saturday for the Parade of Sail.
Denise Paoni in East Boston
Paoni said she attended the last Sail Boston in 2017 and planned to return during the week to tour the ships. "We’re going to come back during the week and do some touring of the ships," she said. The harbor display stretches across the weekend start and weekday visits, with the most visible movement centered on Saturday morning.
Which specific ships besides the USS Constitution and Amerigo Vespucci are in the lineup is not fully identified in the source, but the scale is clear: more than 50 vessels from more than 20 countries are part of the Sail250 celebration.
