Sail Boston

"Sail Boston" was here from June 17 - 22. The previous "tall ships" festival was 17 years ago!

I grabbed my camera and a few lenses and headed off to see if I could capture the spirit of it. I elected to not venture across Fort Point Channel to the Fan Pier, Fish Pier, and the Seaport World Trade Center (a.k.a. Seaport District) side of Boston, where it turns out, many of the ships were docked. It was a really hot day, and the masses of crowds coming over the bridges kind of scared me away. There were still plenty of people on or near Rowe's Wharf where I spent a portion of my time. From Rowe's, Central, and Long Wharfs, I was able to see some of the ships, albeit at a distance, that were docked in the Seaport District. While I have some misgivings about what I may have missed, I ended up capturing some views of Boston on a hot summer day that I would likely not have otherwise obtained. The truth is that these tall ships look about 1000 times better when they have full sails up and are sailing in the water. When docked, the sails are (mostly) down, and they don't quite have that same majestic beauty.

 This is a Netherlands vessel, the Europa, docked at Rowe's Wharf:

Europa

Some of the "scene" at Rowe's Wharf:

Rowe's Wharf Scene

I asked these police officers very nicely if I could take their picture. They said yes, but from the looks of the gentleman on the left, I'm thinking maybe he would have preferred I move on elsewhere. I thought they looked very professional in their official outfits.

Officers On Duty

The World Trade Center has a lot of flags, which on this day were behind substantial rigging.

International Rigging

I got a shot off of the popular Esmeralda, just before yet another tourist cruise ship blocked my view.

Esmeralda

This guy jumped in the water on a $100 bet from a friend. The Boston Harbor is indeed where one normally does *not* see anyone swimming, but this guy made a quick $100. He just had to make it to the next pier, and it wasn't that far away.

Betting Swimmer

At one point I saw this police boat barreling along, with lights flashing. Hope they fixed whatever the problem was.

Environmental Police

This ship seemed a bit small to be classified as a "Tall Ship" but I liked the way it looked, especially from this particular angle.

View From a Pier

Here's a famous Boston clock, seen from Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park.

Clock Tower

Kids in public fountains on a hot day? How can you beat that?

Invisible Partner

I watched this street performer for a short while during his last act.

Street Performer Smile

Line Up Those Hips

Yes, he really ran and jumped over all those people, while doing a somersault in the air. Well done!!

Midair Flight

Sprinkler Wash Cycle

Fountain Highlights

Here's a closer crop of the previous image:

Fountain Highlights v2

Fountain Cascade

Tall Sails

All photos © 2017, all rights reserved.  Contact me for licensing or to order prints.

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