20+ Tall Ships at Festival of Sail

Over twenty tall ships will make way for San Diego's North Embarcadero.

LANDLUBBER'S DELIGHT: It's pretty much a fact that one tall ship will draw a crowd of people on land over to a dock for a better look. Two tall ships? All the cameras and camera phones are out and pointed at the water. Three tall ships? People are madly texting various friends to get down to the harbor this instant before the majestic vessels drift into the horizon and onto new adventurers and admirers. But over twenty tall ships? That right there is a party. And, in San Diego each Labor Day Weekend, that party has a name: Festival of Sail. The Maritime Museum of San Diego puts it on, meaning that there will be a historical element and loads of activities. And, yep, there will be the oh-so-watchable cannon battles and some pirate action, too, plus dozens of arts and crafts vendors. Surely tall ships of yore met tall ships dropping anchor in various ports, although the types of goods for sale have likely changed over the century. (Although maybe you will be able to buy a leather jerkin, like in ye olden days?)

ON THE SCHEDULE: Lots of going aboard the ships, the aforementioned battles, and "interaction with pirates" (if you have young sea fans, they might want to arrive in their tri-cornered hats). There are a number of ticket options and multi-day passes, and, due to the Labor Day dates, you'll want to purchase ahead of time. Oh, and when we say "Labor Day Weekend" we do mean an over-sized Labor Day Weekend: The festivities start on Friday, Aug. 31 and run right through Monday, Sept. 3.

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