A majestic tall ship that visited Sarnia in 2019 caught the eye of some residents along Sarnia's riverfront as it travelled up the St. Clair River Wednesday morning.
The Christopher Columbus replica Santa Maria passed under the Blue Water Bridges heading north into Lake Huron at mid-morning.
It was headed to the 2022 Festival of Sail in Alpena, Michigan before heading to Midland, Ontario after being on display at the Tall Ships Festival in Cleveland this past weekend.
Seven replica or restored ships were docked at the Cleveland festival, including; the Nao Trinidad [Santa Maria] from Spain, the Empire Sandy and St. Lawrence II from Canada, and the Appledore IV, Inland Seas, Pride of Baltimore II, U.S. Brig Niagara from the United States.
Five tall ships are expected at the Midland port for the Tall Ships Tour from July 22 to 24.
The Schooner Huron Jewel, Pride of Baltimore II, Nao Trinidad [Santa Maria], St. Lawrence II, and HMCS Oriole were scheduled to be on display.
The Niagara was heading northbound and crossing Lake St. Clair at 10 a.m.
While no official announcements have been made about the tall ships passing by, you can track the vessels participating in the tall ship challenge on a live map by clicking here.
Over 20,000 people visited Sarnia's waterfront in August 2019 for the Tall Ships Celebration.
The Nao Trinidad [Santa Maria] was one of the vessels moored at Sarnia Harbour.
Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Executive Director Mark Perrin told Sarnia News Today on Wednesday that the organization is "actively pursuing" another tall ship event.
He said they've been in contact with the Tall Ships America organization and are planning to put together a bid to host another event in 2025.
