Although held every year in Toronto, the Redpath Waterfront Festival features tall ships only every third year. As 2019 was a year with tall ships, the Virtual Museum of Maritime History presents this photo tour of the participating tall ships.
Photos taken 30 June 2019
Below: The front and reverse sides of a pamphlet for the Redpath Waterfront Festival 2019, showing the dates and locations of the tall ship port visits.
Below: The information guide for the Redpath Waterfront Festival's tall ships tour, showing the schedule of events and the locations of the visiting tall ships along the Toronto waterfront.
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| HMCS Oriole, the sail training vessel of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Homeported in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Oriole is a 69-ton ketch, a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than its mizzen mast. Originally built as Oriole IV, a private yacht for Toronto businessman and politician George H. Gooderham, the Commodore of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, the vessel was launched on 4 June 1921. Acquired by the RCN during the Second World War as a training vessel, Oriole was returned to private ownership after the war but then re-acquired and commissioned into the RCN on 19 June 1952. In 1956, Oriole transferred to the RCN's Pacific base in Esquimalt, British Columbia where she was homeported until being transferred to Halifax in May 2018. HMCS Oriole is the RCN's oldest commissioned vessel. |
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| The wheel of HMCS Oriole, with the boat's crest displayed on the casing surrounding the wheel. The steel-hulled HMCS Oriole measures 31.1 metres (102 feet) long, with a beam of 5.8 metres (19 feet), and a draught of 2.7 metres (9 feet). She carries 1,458.6 square metres (15,700 square feet) of sail, as well as a 261-horsepower Detroit Diesel auxiliary engine, and can attain a speed of 8 knots (15 km/h). Oriole's decks, cabin house, skylights, and hatches are crafted from teak. Her complement consists of six crew and 18 trainees. |
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| Looking aft from the stern of HMCS Oriole at Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Thunder Cape, one of the Coast Guard's 36 Cape-class motor lifeboats. The white-hulled barque Picton Castle can be seen in the background. |
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| CCGS Thunder Cape was built in Kingston, Ontario in 2000 and is homeported at Sarnia, Ontario. She measures 14.6 metres (47 feet 11 inches) long, with a beam of 4.27 metres (14 feet), a draught of 1.37 metres (4 feet 6 inches), and a total complement of four crew and up to five passengers. Displacing 33.8 gross tons, Thunder Cape is built from marine-grade aluminium and is powered by two Caterpillar 3196 diesel engines generating 870 shaft horsepower and a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h). When cruising at 22 knots (41 km/h), the Cape-class motor lifeboats have a range of 370 kilometres (200 nautical miles) with a full load of 1,500 litres (400 US gallons) of fuel. |
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| A stern view of CCGS Thunder Cape. The vessel is named after Thunder Cape at the southern tip of Sibley Peninsula at the entrance to Thunder Bay, Ontario and is assigned to the Coast Guard's Central and Arctic Region, operating in Lake Erie. |
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The iron-hulled, three-masted, square-rigged barque Picton Castle, moored alongside Corus Quay in Toronto harbour. She measures 55 metres (179 feet) in length and displaces 300 tons.
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| Originally built as a motorised fishing trawler in 1928, Picton Castle was named after the 13th century Picton Castle in Wales, and was one of five such trawlers constructed for a fishing company based out of Swansea, Wales. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939, the vessel was refitted as a minesweeper and commissioned as HMS Picton Castle. Following the Second World War, Picton Castle returned to commercial service and was renamed Dolmar, operating as a freighter in the Baltic and North Seas. In the early 1990s, the ship was purchased by a private owner, taken to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and in 1996 converted to its present configuration as a barque at the cost of two million dollars. |
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Today, Picton Castle operates as a deep ocean sail training and education vessel. She is registered in the Cook Islands but homeported in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ship is best known for her world circumnavigation cruises, of which she had completed seven as of 2019, but she has also visited the Great Lakes, the east coast of the Americas, the Caribbean, African and European waters, and the South Pacific.
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Looking aft, down the starboard side of Picton Castle's weather deck.
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Picton Castle's steel mainmast towers overhead. Trainee crew members who sign on for a voyage aboard the ship perform all the duties of a sailor, including standing watches; manning the helm; cleaning, scrubbing, and painting the ship; sail handling; and working in the galley. The ship's 12-strong professional crew hold regular workshops for the trainees on a variety of subjects, such as seamanship, sail handling, sail making, ship maintenance, rigging, rope work, celestial navigation, plotting and chart work, meteorology, small boat handling, and basic engineering.
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A view inside Picton Castle's galley. Food is prepared here for the ship's 12 professional crew and up to 40 trainee sailors.
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| Looking forward on the port side of Picton Castle's quarterdeck. The bridge and chart room is in the yellow-painted deckhouse on the right. |
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Picton Castle's binnacle, housing the ship's compass, and the wheel. The mizzen boom extends aft over the wheel.
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Looking upwards at the rigging on Picton Castle's mainmast. The ship carries 1,160 square metres (12,500 square feet) of sail on her three masts, as well as a 690 horsepower diesel engine.
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The stern of Picton Castle, showing her registration in the Cook Islands community of Avatiu on the island of Rarotonga.
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The Bluenose II, a replica of the famous fishing and racing schooner Bluenose (1921-1946). The vessel was built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1963 for the Halifax-based Oland Brewery as a marketing tool to promote the company's Schooner Lager beer brand. In 1971, Bluenose II was sold to the Government of Nova Scotia for $1 and has served as the province's 'sailing ambassador' ever since. In 2010, the Government of Nova Scotia had the vessel dismantled and reconstructed at great cost, with the name Bluenose II being retained. She returned to sailing in 2013 and is based in Lunenburg, operated by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society.
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Bluenose II's distinctive bow.
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| Visitors board Bluenose II via a gangway. |
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Looking aft down the starboard side of Bluenose II's main deck. Bluenose II measures 49 metres (161 feet) in overall length, with a beam of 8 metres (26 feet), a draught of 5 metres (16 feet), and a displacement of 191 gross tons.
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| Bluenose II's brass bell. |
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| One of Bluenose II's iron anchors on deck, near the bow. |
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Visitors crowd the main deck of Bluenose II. The ship's crew of 18 consists of five officers, a chief cook, and 12 deckhands.
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Looking forward, up the starboard side of Bluenose II's main deck, next to the mizzen boom.
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Bluenose II's foremast is 36 metres (118 feet 1 inch) tall, while her mainmast is 38 metres (124 feet 8 inches) tall. Her deck and masts are crafted from Douglas fir, while her hull is made from South American Angelique timber, and her deck houses from mahogany.
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A view of the ship's wheel, located at the stern of Bluenose II. Although her primary means of propulsion are the 1,036 square metres (11,139 square feet) of dacron sail she carries, Bluenose II is also equipped with two 250-horsepower Caterpillar auxiliary diesel engines. Under sail, the vessel can achieve a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h).
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| The stern of the Bluenose II. |
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Bluenose II is fully dressed with signal flags to mark the Canada Day long weekend in Toronto.
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A Nova Scotia Tourism trailer parked next to Bluenose II tells the story of the vessel's famous namesake, Bluenose, a North Atlantic fishing and racing schooner featured on the Canadian 10 cent coin.
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One of the Bluenose II's wheels, on display in the Nova Scotia Tourism trailer.
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| The three-masted, wooden, topsail schooner Denis Sullivan. Homeported in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, the vessel serves as the flagship of the state of Wisconsin, as well as the flagship of the United Nations Environment Programme. Designed as an homage to Great Lakes cargo schooners of the 19th century, Denis Sullivan was built in Milwaukee and launched in June 2000 to serve as a platform for educating people about the Great Lakes. During the winter, Denis Sullivan operates in the waters off Florida and the Bahamas. |
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Denis Sullivan measures 42 metres (137 feet) in length overall, with a beam of 7.3 metres (24 feet), a draught of 2.6 metres (8.75 feet), and a mainmast height of 29 metres (95 feet). She displaces 172 tons. She is named after Captain Denis Sullivan, owner and captain of the schooner Moonlight in the 1850s.
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The main deck of Denis Sullivan. Her three masts carry ten sails with a total area of 427.1 square metres (4,597 square feet), and the vessel is equipped with two 180-horsepower auxiliary engines.
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Looking forward on the port side of Denis Sullivan. The ship carries a crew of 10, with capacity for an additional 21 overnight guests or 50 persons for day sails.
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Inside the deckhouse at the aft end of the Denis Sullivan, with navigation charts spread out on the plotting table.
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As a modern-day tall ship, Denis Sullivan houses a scientific laboratory and computer work stations and features showers for the crew and modern navigation equipment. Single- and multi-day sails aboard the ship provide visitors with the opportunity to learn about sailing, maritime history, and the ecosystem of the Great Lakes.
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| The Denis Sullivan's wheel, located at the ship's stern. |
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A view of Denis Sullivan's stern and starboard side from shore.
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The Redpath sugar refinery located on the Toronto waterfront. The giant green crane is used to transfer thousands of tons of unrefined raw sugar from cargo freighters to the enormous storage shed, from where the sugar is processed into refined white sugar. The Redpath Sugar Museum is located onsite.
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The USS Niagara, a wooden-hulled snow-brig. Niagara was built at Erie, Pennsylvania and launched on 4 June 1813. She most famously served as the relief flagship for US Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry during the 10 September 1813 Battle of Lake Erie between the United Kingdom and the United States. The Treaty of Ghent, signed on 24 December 1814, ended the War of 1812 and, with Niagara having deteriorated considerably since then, she was intentionally scuttled in Misery Bay on Presque Isle in Lake Erie in 1820.
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| After 93 years scuttled in Lake Erie's Misery Bay, Niagara was raised and rebuilt in 1913 as part of efforts to mark the centennial of the Battle of Lake Erie, being towed to various Great Lakes ports as a tourist attraction between July and September 1913. Further restorations were carried out between 1931 and 1943 and in 1963 before Niagara was completely dismantled in the the mid-1980s and rebuilt almost entirely out of new materials, with only a few pieces of original wood being re-used in non-structural areas. The new Niagara was completed in September 1988 and launched in July 1990. USS Niagara has been listed on the US National Register of Historic Places since 11 April 1973. |
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The gangway leading aboard the USS Niagara, with her mainmast towering overhead. The ship's two masts carry 15 sails with a combined area of 929 square metres (10,000 square feet). As a brig, Niagara is defined by its two masts, both of which are square-rigged. This replica of the War of 1812-era Niagara is also equipped with two two 200-horsepower diesel engines.
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Looking forward, up the starboard side of USS Niagara. The ship displaces 297 tons and measures 37.49 metres (123 feet) in length, with a beam of 9.75 metres (32 feet), and draught of 3.66 metres (12 feet).
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A view of the upper deck of USS Niagara, from under the shelter of canvas screens slung to protect visitors from the hot June sun.
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| A hammock slung on the lower deck. |
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The Niagara crew's kit bags hang from pegs on the bulkhead on the ship's cramped lower deck.
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The galley of USS Niagara. Meals are prepared here for the ship's current crew of 18 professional mariners and 25 trainees.
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One of two replica 32-pounder carronades aboard USS Niagara. A carronade is a short, smooth bore, cast-iron cannon first produced by the Carron ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland and in use between the 1770s and the 1850s. The original Niagara of 1813 carried 18 32-pounder carronades, as well as two 12-pounder long guns.
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Looking up at USS Niagara's rigging. The foremast measures 34.5 metres (113 feet 4 inches) tall, while the mainmast is slightly higher, at 36.1 metres (118 feet 4 inches).
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Looking aft, down the starboard side of Niagara's upper deck.
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The USS Niagara's bell, mounted at the bow, just aft of the bowsprit.
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The bow of USS Niagara, with the foremast visible in the centre of the photo.
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Today, USS Niagara is homeported in Erie, Pennsylvania and serves as a sail training ship on the Great Lakes, preserving and interpreting the story of the Battle of Lake Erie and acting as an ambassador in her capacity as Flagship of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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The Pride of Baltimore II, a reproduction of a War of 1812-era square topsail schooner, known as a Baltimore clipper. Built in 1987-88 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Pride of Baltimore II has a sparred length of 48 metres (157 feet), a beam of 8.03 metres (26 feet 4 inches), and a draught of 3.81 metres (12 feet 6 inches). She carries 10 sails comprising 37.8 square metres (9,018 square feet) of canvas on her two masts, giving the vessel a top speed of 13 knots (24.08 km/h). Two 160-horsepower diesel engines provide auxiliary power. Serving as privateer commerce raiders and small but highly-manoeuvrable warships, Baltimore clippers like Pride of Baltimore II achieved a number of successes against British merchant shipping and Royal Navy vessels during the War of 1812.
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Under a canvas awning near the bow of Pride of Baltimore II. Although its outward appearance is that of a 1812-era topsail schooner, Pride of Baltimore II was built with contemporary safety and seaworthiness features and modern amenities.
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Looking aft on the main deck of Pride of Baltimore II. The vessel's keel was laid down in Baltimore's Inner Harbor on 3 May 1987, with the keel and planking timber formed from hardwoods imported from Belize. She was launched on 30 April 1988 and made her maiden voyage on 23 October 1988.
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One of Pride of Baltimore II's whalers, stored on a cradle amidships.
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| A replica saluting cannon aboard Pride of Baltimore II. |
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The stern of Pride of Baltimore II. The vessel was owned by the citizens and state of Maryland and operated by the private, not-for-profit Pride of Baltimore Inc. until 9 June 2010, when ownership was transferred to Pride of Baltimore Inc.
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Looking down into the lower deck of Pride of Baltimore II, which carries a crew of 12.
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| Pride of Baltimore II's helm, located at the ship's stern. |
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A stern view of Pride of Baltimore II. Homeported in Baltimore, Maryland, Pride of Baltimore II today voyages globally as a sailing ambassador for the State of Maryland, promoting economic and cultural ties.
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The traditionally-rigged brigantine Fair Jeanne, built and registered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and operated by the Ottawa-based youth charity Bytown Brigantine Inc. Laid down in 1978, Fair Jeanne was built out of fibreglass over a steel frame, and was launched in 1980. Berthed in Kingston, Ontario during the summer months, she hosts youth sail training programs on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, carrying a crew of six and 18-24 trainee sailors. Fair Jeanne has a sparred length of 34 metres (110 feet), a beam of 7.5 metres (24.5 feet), and a draught of 1.7 metres (5.5 feet). Although equipped with a 140-horsepower Detroit Diesel auxiliary engine, Fair Jeanne's primary propulsion comes from her 10 sails, comprising 420 square metres (4,500 square feet) of canvas.
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Training Ship (TS) Playfair (outboard) and Sail Training Vessel (STV) St. Lawrence II (inboard), moored at Harbour Square Park.
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TS Playfair, (right) is a 22-metre (72 feet), traditionally-rigged brigantine of 32.98 gross registered tons, launched in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II. She is operated by Toronto Brigantine Inc and serves as a youth sail training vessel in the Great Lakes during the summer months, carrying a crew of 28. Also part of the Toronto Brigantine fleet, STV St. Lawrence II (left) is a brigantine-rigged vessel built in Kingston, Ontario in 1953 for the purpose of youth sail training in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River during the summer months.
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| The bow of STV St. Lawrence II. |
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Visitors tour the upper deck of STV St. Lawrence II. When sailing, the vessel carries a crew of 28, comprising a captain, executive officer, cook, bosun, three watch officers, three petty officers or chief petty officers, and 18 trainees.
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the stern of STV St. Lawrence II, with the ship's wheel seen in the centre of the photograph.
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Looking down into the interior of STV St. Lawrence II, forward of the ship's wheel and binnacle.
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TS Playfair (right) and STV St. Lawrence II, moored at Harbour Square Park on the Toronto waterfront.
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A closer, port bow view of TS Playfair and STV St. Lawrence II.
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| This section of boardwalk at Harbour Square Park is closed after high spring water levels left it temporarily awash under several inches of Lake Ontario. |
