FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Melanie Kelleher, Ainsley & Co., 410.317.8388
Celebrating 40 years of Pride in Baltimore
BALTIMORE, MD – February 17, 2017 – Pride of Baltimore, Inc. is celebrating 40 years of Pride in Baltimore with their inaugural Spring Sailabration on Thursday, April 27, 2017, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI).
Pride friends and family, and local business leaders will come together on the waterfront to celebrate 40 years of Pride. Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy will welcome guests with a sword arch. Inside, guests will enjoy live music, heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks from local establishments, a silent auction, and great company. Pride II, illuminated in twinkling lights, will be docked outside of the BMI open for guests to board for a deck tour.
Pride of Baltimore, Inc. is pleased to have BGE on board as a major sponsor of Spring Sailabration 2017. Limited sponsorships are still available. Organizations or individuals interested in becoming a Sailabration sponsor may call the Pride office at 410.539.1151 for more information.
Business attire is suggested. Early bird tickets are $95 each until March 24, 2017, and can be purchased at www.pride2.org/sailabration/. Tickets will be $125 each after March 24.
40 Years of Pride in Baltimore
In 1975, the City of Baltimore adopted a proposal for the construction of a replica sailing vessel as the centerpiece of its Inner Harbor revitalization efforts. An iconic clipper ship was chosen because of the pivotal role Baltimore privateer vessels played in the War of 1812.
Pride of Baltimore, the first Baltimore Clipper to be built in 150 years, and the first tall ship to represent a city and a state, was commissioned on May 1, 1977, in a ceremony at the Inner Harbor attended by thousands. During her nine years at sea, between her maiden voyage to Bermuda, New York, and Nova Scotia in 1977, to her final European voyage in 1986, Pride of Baltimore extended the hand of friendship to countless visitors. Altogether, she logged more than 150,000 nautical miles, equal to six times around the globe. She sailed further in nine years than most sailing vessels travel in their lifetimes.
On her way home from a successful European campaign, Pride of Baltimore was struck by a microburst squall north of Puerto Rico. Within minutes, the schooner sank; the ship, her captain, and three crew members were lost at sea.
After the tragic sinking of Pride of Baltimore, an outpouring of unsolicited public support all but forced Pride of Baltimore, Inc. into going forward with a new ship. By late summer of 1986, plans for a replacement were under way. The ship was to be named Pride of Baltimore II and serve as a sailing memorial to the original Pride.
Pride of Baltimore II was hoisted aloft and launched from her Inner Harbor birthplace on April 30, 1988. After being fitted out and rigged, she was commissioned on October 23, 1988, at Brown’s Wharf in Fells Point, just blocks from the shipyard where Chasseur, the original “Pride of Baltimore,” had been built in 1812. Since her commissioning, Pride II has sailed over
250,000 nautical miles and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries in North, South, and Central America; Europe; and Asia.
For four decades, these modern-day “prides” of Baltimore have promoted historical maritime education, fostered economic development and tourism, and represented the people of Maryland in ports throughout the world.
Pride of Baltimore II’s 2017 Season
Pride of Baltimore II will begin her 2017 season on March 25, Maryland Day and the 202nd anniversary of Chasseur’s triumphant homecoming in 1815 when she was dubbed the “pride of Baltimore.” Besides ticketed day sails and free deck tours for the public, private charters and dockside receptions are available, and education programs will be scheduled on the ship.
For more information, please go to www.pride2.org, call 410.539.1151, or email pride2@pride2.org.
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