Task 38 – OpSail 2012

(38) Visit 10 Festivals of Fairs (08/20)

Festival: OpSail 2012
Location: New London,CT

Website: www.opsail2012ct.com

When: July 6 - 9, 2012

Rating: 4-Stars

This year OpSail is celebrating the 200^th Anniversary of the War of 1812. Over 40 ships sailed into the Thames River including the 295ft USCGC Eagle and the 249ft Cisne Branco from Brazil. We arrived at Fort Trumbull and joined the line at the Pier to board the Tall ships. While in the 1 hour plus line we noticed that another much smaller sailboat docked at the pier was none other than the famous Amistad. Based in Mystic Seaport the Amistad the Amistad unfortunately was not open to visitors other than to appreciate her less refined beauty as she floats near the much larger tall ships.

The first ship we boarded was the Cisne Branco (White Swan) measuring in at 249 ft this white beauty is based in Rio de Janiero and the crown jewel of the Brazilian Navy. Built in 1998 she is not a fighting machine but rather used in national and international representation activities to showcase the Brazilian Navy and Brazilian Culture as well as a training ship for Navy Cadets. She is the third vessel to have the name Cisne Branco

Her dockmate the USCGC Eagle measures in at an incredible 195 feet and it too is white with the trademark USCG Racing Strips. Like her Brazilian counterpart she too is used primarily as a training vessel for the USCG and represents the USCG in many national and international activities. She is the seventh US Naby or Coast Guard ship to bear the name eagle since 1792. She was originally the German  Horst Wessel and at the end of WWII it was repatriated as a war reparation. It currently has a crew of 6 officers and 56 enlisted men.

Both were a real treat to see and to explore their decks. It is amazing to see two of the world’s greatest tall ships up close.