Thrifty Foods, Navy join forces to present Festival’s new Tall Ships University
VICTORIA, B.C. (May 5, 2008) – So you think you have what it takes to crew aboard a mighty Tall Ship?
Thanks to Thrifty Foods and the Canadian Navy, youth will now have the
opportunity to hone their Tall Ships® skills as part of a new hands-on
training program being offered at the Victoria Tall Ships Festival,
June 26-29.
Full festival passes on sale now at all Thrifty Foods locations
At Thrifty Foods Tall Ships University, youth aged 10 and up will learn practical sailing skills with expert training from Navy personnel from Maritime Forces Pacific. Education stations include knot tying, line hurling and semaphore, visual signalling with flags, plus many others. There will also be an assortment of interesting equipment on display such as rigid hulled inflatable boats and diving gear.
“Tall Ships-U expands the activities at the festival for youth and is the next level of training for graduates of the returning and ever-popular Pirate School for kids,” said Bob Cross, Chair of the Victoria Tall Ships Society.
Following their training, youth will then visit a number of Tall Ships at the festival where they will demonstrate their newly acquired skills to onboard crew and receive a stamp in their Tall Ships-U passport. A completed passport earns them a diploma and commemorative photo.
“Thrifty Foods is delighted to be the exclusive grocery retailer for this year’s Tall Ships festival and is a proud sponsor of Tall Ships-U,” said Thrifty Foods CEO Milford Sorensen. “This fun, interactive learning program will provide young people with an understanding of nautical skills and enable them to work through the curriculum to earn a Tall Ships-U diploma for their efforts.”
“I am looking forward to taking HMCS Oriole to the Victoria Tall Ships Festival and having the opportunity to work with so many young people,” said Lieutenant-Commander Erik James, Captain of HMCS Oriole.
In addition to overseeing training at the Tall Ships-U, the Canadian Navy’s oldest serving vessel, tall ship HMCS Oriole, will once again be centre stage in the festival, as well as one of the Navy’s newest Orca class training vessels.
The Navy is also supporting the Victoria Tall Ships Festival behind the scenes with safety boats and the use of the Naval Reserve Division HMCS Malahat for the Festival operations centre.
In addition to touring the more than two-dozen Tall Ships docked in Victoria’s beautiful Inner Harbour, the festival will feature a wide variety of dockside activities including live music, art displays, maritime cultural displays and much more.
“With so many activities for the whole family to enjoy, we encourage people to plan on spending several days at the festival experiencing all there is to see and do,” said Cross.
Starting today, Thrifty Foods will begin selling the four-day Tall Ships Festival Pass wristbands at all store locations on Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island, and in Tsawwassen and Coquitlam. By purchasing their Festival wristband conveniently at Thrifty Foods, people can avoid the need to exchange tickets for a wristband before or at the festival site. Festival Passes are $35 and are only available in stores until June 19.
At today’s announcement in front of Grade 7 students from Shoreline Middle School, Cross also took the opportunity to unveil the 2008 Victoria Tall Ships Teacher’s Resource Guide. The guide, produced with financial support from BC Ferries, covers all aspects of maritime history from the science of sailing and navigation to sea shanties. Students discover who sailed the tall ships, how they were rigged, what daily life was like on board, and what the sailors did for fun.
The 2008 Victoria Tall Ships Teacher’s Resource Guide is being distributed free to schools on southern Vancouver Island. For more information, contact the Victoria Tall Ships Festival office at
(250) 384-2005.
About the 2008 Victoria Tall Ships Festival, June 26-29
Victoria is the first port of call, and the only Canadian stop, for the full Tall Ships fleet participating in the 2008 Tall Ships Challenge®, a series of races along the west coast of Canada and the United States.
More than 40,000 visitors are expected, plus thousands more will view the opening Parade of Sail on June 26 and evening cannon battles off Ogden Point. In 2005, the festival attracted 38,000 visitors and resulted in a $5.2 million impact to the local economy.
To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.tallshipsvictoria.ca. The festival’s website features the full line-up of ship profiles and photos, plus volunteer opportunities and information on all family activities planned as part of the event.
Media Contact:
Bill Eisenhauer, Good Relations Inc.
2008 Tall Ships Festival Media Relations
250-744-4748 or
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Geoff Corbett, Executive Director
2008 Tall Ships Festival
250-384-2005 or
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