Tall ships

Last weekend was a holiday weekend and normally we hunker down and stay at home as much as possible on such occasions. But Saturday was the exception. One of my favorite little villages - Greenport - was hosting some tall ships in the harbor and making it into a festival. So we loaded up two cars with adults and kids and headed for the ferry early in the morning.

I must admit to being enthralled with tall ships. I've been on them before, in Plymouth Massachusetts, for instance, and Mystic, Connecticut. But they hold an endless fascination for me and I couldn't resist this chance to take advantage of a visit so close to home. I remember watching them (on TV) descend on New York Harbor during the bicentennial celebration back in 1776, each one as unique as a fingerprint, and wishing I could see a gathering like that in person. This was my chance.

They didn't disappoint, with their amazing webs of rigging and miles of canvas sails, and the beautiful wood of their decks and railings shone in the sunshine of a beautiful day. Coming in to Greenport by ferry was especially exciting because we could see them all in port from a nice distance, imagining what that same harbor looked like back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The masts stood straight and tall and looked as much like giant toys as anything else. Seeing the small figures of people climbing into that rigging was something to behold.

I felt lucky to see those ships in port and imagine the glory of our nautical past here on the East End.It is something to be proud of.