Why Libertad’s Visit Captivated Us
Maybe it was the impressive, gold-painted figurehead that juts out below her enormous square rig. Perhaps it was the slightly romantic blue and white striped uniforms worn by her crew. Maybe she intrigued us because she is flagged from Argentina. But whatever it was, many of us were captivated when the Fragata Ara Libertad came to the Chesapeake Bay in July.
SpinSheet Century Club member and Chesapeake Bay photographer David Sites put it this way, “It was a surreal moment as I sat in my boat in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, MD, USA, and watched this beautiful vessel change from the colors of our flag to the colors of the Argentina flag. I really enjoyed listening to the crew members on the deck singing songs and having fun. I didn’t want to leave. It’s a night that I will remember forever.”
Tall ship enthusiasts in Baltimore greeted Fragata Ara Libertad, one of the biggest and fastest tall ships in the world, as she arrived in Baltimore July 6, after anchoring in the Bay just off Annapolis. While anchored, midshipmen training on the vessel visited the US Naval Academy and Argentinian dignitaries, and the ship’s captain received onboard a visit from the Superintendent of the Naval Academy. The Fort McHenry Guard gave a cannon salute as she passed the fort headed to the Inner Harbor, where a welcome ceremony took place on the promenade. More than 3000 visitors came aboard for deck tours July 7-9 before its departure on July 10.
Built in the 1950s and launched in the 1960s, Libertad is steel-hulled, three-masted, and approximately 340 feet in length. She is used as a training vessel for Argentina’s Navy and is an ambassador for her country. Baltimore was the only US port on her schedule this summer.
Find more images of Libertad by Deadrise Marine Photography on Facebook and Instagram. Find David Sites on Facebook and on Instagram @motoxdms
More opportunities this season to visit tall ships and schooners
If you love tall ships and schooners, you will have more opportunities this season to visit several of them.
The Maryland Dove will be at Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD, September 1-3, and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The vessel is a representation of the ship that sailed with the Ark from England to the colony of Maryland in 1634. Its mission is education about the waterways of the region and the interaction between cultures going back to the pre-colonial era. Learn more at marylanddove.org.
The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, which takes a fleet of schooners from Baltimore to Norfolk, will unfold October 3-8. Educational and public events will take place in both cities. The vessels parade in Baltimore Harbor before racing from just off Annapolis to Norfolk.
Make your way to Chestertown, MD, October 27-29 to enjoy the Sultana Education Foundation’s Downrigging Weekend, one of the largest tall ship gatherings in North America. The festival features tall ship sails, tours, live bluegrass music, lectures, exhibits, family activities, and more.
