Rochester Harbor and Carousel Festival

I have always had a passion for ships, ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be a pirate and sail on a schooner.  The fascination with schooners continues to this day and I had heard on the radio that at noon two tall ships would be sailing into the Port of Rochester for Harbor and Carousel Festival.  So I thought to myself, why not head down and check them out!

The two ships were the Lynx and the Pride of Baltimore II.  They are both recreations of 1812-era topsail schooners and they tower majestically in the water.  During the War of 1812 president James Madion (my favorite founding father) issued Letters of Marquee and Reprisal allowing private ship owners to arm their ships as privateers and essentially act as legal pirates.  The ships were allowed to prey on Britain's merchant and war ships in an attempt to disrupt Britain's ability to wage war on the United States.  These Letters were an attempt to underscore the size of the United State's small navy (at the time the US Navy had only 8 frigates and 14 sloops and brigs, whereas the British Navy had over 600 battle cruisers, with 85 operating in American waters), and proved to be a pivotal part in the War of 1812.

Schooners are sailing vessels with a fore and aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear.  In the 1790's Maryland was the nations leader in shipbuilding, and provided many of the ships that continually harassed the British in the War of 1812.  The Baltimore Schooners were fast ships that were able to outrun and out maneuver the large and heavily armed ships of the British Navy. 1,554 vessels were claimed captured by all American naval and privateering vessels in the War of 1812, and 1,300 of which were captured by privateers.

Being the ship geek that I am, I headed down to Charlotte Beach to see them come into port.  The weather was beautiful, sunny with few clouds, and the lake was calm and quiet, with gentile rolling waves.  I arrived around 11:15 and decided to take a nice walk down the pier and find a nice place to get a few pictures.

Close to noon the ships began coming in towering beautifully above the water.  The ship Lynx sailed in first, and the Pride of Baltimore II followed it.  I was snapping tons of pictures and admiring the beauty of the ships when I heard an ear splitting bang, and turned to see the Pride of Baltimore II firing its cannons.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen, as the smoke soon engulfed the ship.  As they headed into port both ships opened fire announcing their arrival in a loud and smokey display.

I spent probably an hour watching them sail and dock, and was simply astounded by their beauty.  The were wonderful tributes to the schooners of the past, and made me think of other maritime journeys undertaken throughout the years of our history.  Christopher Columbus sailed to America for the first time in ships that were less than half the size of the ones that sailed in today.  I can only imagine the men on those ships as they sailed into uncharted waters, not knowing if they would ever come home and what they must have been thinking. 

There is something wonderful about open water and ships like these that captivates my soul.  They are beautiful majestic crafts that offer a glimpse into both maritime history and our national history.  Seeing them in person really makes you appreciate their history and encourages you to learn more about them. 

After finally getting my fill of the ships, I was a little hungry and had been craving sushi for the past week or so, and luckily enough for me, right in the port was California Rollin II!  So I stopped in to get a Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll, and it was amazing!  I have only just recently become a fan of sushi, but I sure do love it now!  As the name implies, it was crunchy, spicy, and delish! 

Tis all for now!  Hope you all have a great day and enjoyed the pictures!  If you get a chance this weekend, head over to Charlotte Beach and go to the Rochester Harbor and Carousel Festival!  You certainly wont be disappointed.  Friday you can go on board the Pride of Baltimore II for an evening sail from 5-7 p.m. or sail on it from 8-10 p.m. as part of the boat parade.  Saturday and Sunday you can go sail from 3-5 p.m. as part of a "Ship Battle Sail," no idea what that it, but I'm willing to bet they'll shoot a bunch of cannons, and give you a really good time.  Here is a link to get tickets if you are interested!  If you go, let me know how it is and be sure to take lots of cool pictures!