If you didn't make it to Portsmouth to see the Tall Ships, you lost out on a great opportunity. The weekend of July 6th and 8th they were open to the public for viewing. For $8.00 one could board all 3 ships. The Prince William from Portsmouth, England, Pride of Baltimore which is used to promote tourism in MD and the Spirit of Bermuda. Unfortunately we weren't able to see them coming in with full sails, which I wanted desperately to take photos of. We arrived Saturday morning with our motorhome and were planning a weekend trip up Rte. 1 along the coast of NH and ME. We arrived in Portsmouth and parked in the Albacore Submarine parking lot then walked across to the docks where the ships were. Fortunately we arrived at 10:10 am before the lengthy crowds arrived. The gates opened at 11:00 am.
Being a photographer I was fascinated by all the ropes and rigging on board these ships. One of the ships, Prince William, is used as a training ship. It's hard to believe all the work that is needed with all that rigging. I can't imagine climbing to the tops of the rigging on the rope ladders. We can only imagine what life was like, and how hard it must have been back in the days when these ships were the only ones available to cross the seas.
After viewing the tall ships we went back to the motorhome and had lunch then toured the submarine. A Kingston local, Norm Bower, former Chief of Police of Newton and former Kingston police officer was originally one of the crew members aboard the submarine. Tight quarters normally don't bother me, I quickly decided I wouldn't have wanted to live aboard that sub for any length of time. At least they could have painted some bright cheery colors to make it more appealing for living there for a long period of time. It was really drab and dreery looking inside.
My age was showing when I tried passing through the small openings between the compartments. After putting my first foot over the high opening, I kept catching my other foot. A friend recently told me you are suppose to use the bar above the opening to pull yourself up and swing both feet through the opening at once. He said it would take forever to move from one section to the other the way I was trying to go through. So much for me wanting to be a sailor. No wonder the Air Force interested me more than the Navy. I always wanted to go into the Air Force but opted to get married instead.
Anyone who made it to the Tall Ships please send your experiences on board. If not make sure you take the time to see them the next time they come into port. It is time well spent.
Anyone wishing to see my photos of the Tall Ships can visit my website at: yessy.com/kathyradford