Some of the tall ships heading to the Sail250 celebration in Boston made their way through the Cape Cod Canal Thursday, and spectators gathered at the canal overlooks to spend the afternoon.
Several ships came through at midday, including the Schooner Bowdoin from Maine Maritime Academy. Its white sails were up, an American flag fluttering in the breeze.
People set up their beach chairs and broke out picnic lunches.
Peter and Lucille Maregni of Falmouth watched from the Herring Run Recreation area.
“Some of them had their sails up; some didn't,” he said. “One was like a pirate ship. … It was beautiful. That was really good.”
“It's like a happening,” his wife said. “Yeah, it's a beautiful day.”
Tall ships from around the world will spend the week in Boston for Sail250, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
As ships motored through the canal, Penny Howard watched with friends and family from Wareham.
“The ships have come through, five or six of them, and they're beautiful,” she said. “And we've got the wind, and the breeze, and the shade. It's a beautiful day to be out here.”
Her group sat under a pop-up canopy, sharing fruit.
“The crowd is fantastic,” she said. “Everybody's happy to be here, so that's always a nice bonus. And we've got snacks, so we're going to be here for the duration.”
The tallest ships are too large for the canal and will go around Cape Cod on their way from New York to Boston.
The ships hail from around the world, including Bermuda, Ecuador, Germany, and India.
The Parade of Sail is Saturday, and the ships will be in Boston until Thursday.
