First tall ship to arrive tomorrow afternoon in Portland

Iberdrola Tall Ships® Portland 2015 festival officially kicks off with Parade of Sail Saturday

Portland, Maine - The first visiting tall ship will arrive in Portland Harbor tomorrow afternoon as preparations begin for Iberdrola Tall Ships® Portland 2015 festival, which officially kicks off with a Parade of Sail Saturday. The 170' El Galeon Andalucia, a Spanish replica of the famous galeon-class oceangoing sailing ships of the late 16th century, will arrive sometime late afternoon and tie up at Maine Pier.

"This is a very exciting moment and beginning tomorrow afternoon, Portland's waterfront will begin its transformation into a Tall Ships Festival," said Alex Agnew, President of Sailing Ships Portland and Chair of Iberdola USA Tall Ships® Portland. "Anyone near the harbor won't be able to miss El Galeon and it's just a sample of what is to come this weekend."

The exact arrival time of El Galeon is dependent on weather and sailing conditions, but is expected between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. The best place for the public to view the approach would be from Ft. Allen on Portland's East End and from the Spring Point area in South Portland.

The festival kicks off with a Parade of Sail Saturday afternoon with over a dozen tall ships sailing past Portland Head Light and into Portland Harbor before tying up along the waterfront. The vessels range in size from 70 feet to nearly 300 feet and come from as far away as Spain and the Cook Islands.

The waterfront festival will also include food and drink, nearly 20 concerts, vendors, children's activities and more.

The vessels will be available for boarding all day Sunday and Monday. Tickets are $15 and available at www.tallshipsportland.com. Tickets allow boarding of the ships and access to the festival grounds and music.

Agnew said the weather for the event is looking promising.

"This is a rain or shine event, but the forecast looks pretty good with only the chance of a passing shower and summer temperatures in the upper 70s," Agnew said.

Sailing Ships Portland, the local event organizer in cooperation with Tall Ships America, is a Maine-based nonprofit and proceeds from the event will go toward youth sail training and education at sea. The fleet is coming to Portland as the final port in the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2015 Atlantic Coast series of tall ships races and maritime festivals, organized by Tall Ships America.

TALL SHIPS AMERICA is the hub for tall ships activity, information, and expertise in North America, and is commended by the United States Congress as the national sail training organization representing the United States. As a national membership organization, TALL SHIPS AMERICA supports the people, ships and programs of sail training and tall ships through professional development grants, sail training scholarships, conferences, education, publications, regulatory and licensing information, public events and advocacy.