Set Sail for Victoria’s Tall Ships Festival

Taking center stage at Tall Ships 2008 is the Bounty.  Famous for her role alongside Marlon Brando in Mutiny on the Bounty, this leading lady is a crowd favourite wherever she docks.  It’s been nearly two decades since Bounty’s last appearance in British Columbia and event organizers worked hard to bring her to this year’s festival.

“We have been working on getting Bounty to Victoria almost since we conceived of this festival,” says Bob Cross, President of the Victoria Tall Ships Society, the local group organizing the festival. “It’ll be a thrill for people to walk her decks and think of Captain Bligh and his mutinous crew, one of the greatest sea stories of all time.”

Another star ship joining Bounty in Victoria’s harbour is Niña, a replica of the 15th century vessel commanded by Christopher Columbus during his historic voyage of discovery in 1492.  Said to be Columbus’ favourite ship, Niña’s story is one of survival.  Weathering a hurricane and even a clash with pirates off the coast of Italy, Niña’s adventurous spirit will captivate touring visitors.

Other ships in the 2008 fleet include USCG Eagle, the famous brig Lady Washington, featured in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, the oldest ship in the Canadian Navy, HMCS Oriole, and Hawaiian Chieftain, a replica of a nineteenth century European merchant trader.

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.

The four-day international festival – named a marquee maritime event for the province’s BC150 celebrations – promises a host of family-friendly activities including informative ship tours and a wide variety of dockside activities including a pirate school for kids, sail training activities for youth, live music, artists, maritime cultural displays, model boat building and much more.

Visitors should also stop by Maritime Mosaic, a multi-cultural showcase celebrating the contributions the various immigrant communities have made to the development of our province.

Younger kids can explore a pirate’s life and discover the art of treasure map-making at the popular Coast Capital Savings Pirate School, while youth aged 10 and older can gear-up for Thrifty Foods’ first-ever Tall Ships University.
At Tall Ships U, students will have the opportunity learn practical sailing skills from expert Canadian Navy personnel from Maritime Forces Pacific. Following their training, the youth can visit a number of the Tall Ships to demonstrate their newly acquired skills to crewmembers and receive a stamp in their Tall Ships U passport.  A completed passport will earn them a diploma and commemorative photo.

All that knot tying and line hurling will surely build up an appetite!  Hungry graduates and festival-goers can head down to the History Bites food pavilions and get their fill of historically-inspired “bites” prepared by local chefs. Special kiosks will serve a variety of culinary treats including early Jewish and Chinese food, Gold Rush fare and Afternoon Tea.

In the evening, visitors should make their way to Ogden Point and the Dallas Road waterfront for a front row seat to watch mock cannon battles staged nightly.  Set before the backdrop of the Olympic Mountains, the whole family will enjoy spectacular cannon blasts and the skilled manoeuvring of the six participating ships.

If you have ever dreamed of playing pirates on a real pirate ship, now is your chance to make it a reality. A limited number of tickets are available for passage on the ships taking part in the battles.  Tours run Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening during the festival.

If experiencing everyday life aboard a working Tall Ship is more your style, you’ll want to consider one of the daily afternoon adventure sails. Passengers can get as involved as they like during the three-hour tour assisting crew or just enjoying the exhilaration of the wind in the sails. Three beautiful heritage Tall Ships will participate in these tours: the 133-foot schooner Adventuress; the renowned Canadian 92-foot schooner Maple Leaf; and Amazing Grace, an 83-foot topsail schooner reminiscent of the early American privateer ships.

To purchase tickets online and for more information, visit www.tallshipsvictoria.ca or call 1-800-663-3883. The festival’s website features the full line-up of ship profiles and photos, plus volunteer opportunities and information on family activities planned as part of the event.

Tickets are also available in person at all Vancouver Island branches of Coast Capital Savings and at all Thrifty Foods locations, including the Lower Mainland. The four-day All Event Pass is $35, including full ship boarding privileges. A Single Day Pass is $15. Free admission for children six and under.

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Media Contact:
Bill Eisenhauer, Good Relations Inc.
2008 Victoria Tall Ships Festival Media Relations
250-744-4748 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Geoff Corbett, Executive Director
2008 Victoria Tall Ships Festival
250-384-2005 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it