How to Experience the Vintage Sailing Parade That Will Take Over NYC on July 4

OpSail began from concern that the last working, cargo-carrying tall ships were going out of service and might vanish. The original goal did not come to pass, because tall-ship participation has increased, with 25 ships expected for the semiquincentennial after 16 appeared in 1976. Once moored, ships open to the public so spectators can board, meet sailors, and walk the decks. Ships include Romania’s Mircea, which will sail from the Black Sea to Brooklyn Bridge Park. The procession is best viewed west of Brooklyn, with Governors Island serving as a broadcast point where NBC will air coverage. The festival’s oldest ship, a Class A vessel from 1877, offers limited early boarding spots for about $10,000.

"“So the concept was: Let's gather these majestic ships before they disappear off the face of the earth forever,” O'Brien says. That forecast has not come to pass—if anything the numbers are up, at least ceremonially. A mere 16 tall ships showed up OpSail's 1976 bicentennial event, a paltry turnout when compared with the 25 that will sail in this year for the semiquincentennial."

"Once moored, the ships will open up to the public, inviting spectators aboard to meet the sailors and wander the decks. Among them: Romania's 88-year-old Mircea, which will again journey from the Black Sea to Brooklyn Bridge Park under the watch of its mustachioed figurehead, contributing to Mircea 's faintly piratical vibe. “It is kind of classic. Not sure we can promise any peg legs or Captain Hook though,” Commodore Harrington said."

"The most ideal perch for the procession lies just west of Brooklyn. O'Brien will be stationed on Governors Island, where he once cut his teeth as a young Coast Guard officer and where NBC—including The Today Show—will broadcast the beauties for six hours. “Between the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island's southern tip, there's this pitch point where the channel gets narrow and the tall ships seem like they're right on top of you,” he said. “Great for the cameras.”"

"The festival's oldest ship, , happens to also be one of the few Class A vessels upon which spectators can actually board early that morning and effectively participate in July 4th's parade of sail up and down New York Harbor. The 50 available spots aboard this surprisingly seaworthy ship from 1877 run around $10,000"

Read at Conde Nast Traveler