Tall Ships Family Day: Sightlines to history

Majestic…marvellous…magnificent…

Every time the Tall Ships come to town, Haligonians flock to the waterfront in droves for the chance to see more than 20 sailing ships docked in the city’s port. From there, they travel to ports around Nova Scotia: Shelburne, Lunenburg, Pictou, Port Hawkesbury and Pugwash.

Their exit from the harbor—the Parade of Sail—is one of the highlights of the entire festival, and Dalhousie alumni and their families had one of the best views of it.

The Dalhousie Alumni Association hosted a Tall Ships Family Day event this past Monday, July 23 on the beautiful rooftop patio of the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market. Dozens of alumni and their families were in attendance, watching as ships from the renowned HMS Bounty to the flag-waging USCGE Eagle were escorted around and out of the harbour by Halifax’s own Theodore Tugboat.

See also: A Tall Ships farewell (photo essay)

Stewart Cameron, a Dalhousie alumnus twice over and director of faculty development with Dalhousie Family Medicine, was sporting one of the largest camera lenses on the entire rooftop. He’d also been down exploring the ships on the waterfront over the weekend.

“It’s one of our favourite parts of Halifax,” he said. "For my money, the real soul of Halifax is the waterfront.”

Jim Wilson, president of the Dalhousie Alumni Association, split his time between mingling with attendees and tending to the BBQ, where hamburgers and hot dogs were being served.

“We were up here and thought how wonderful it would be to have this view for the Tall Ships,” he said, speaking about the location. “And it worked out.”

Given that there was barely a cloud in the sky, some attendees improvised for sun protection. Physics alumnus Tim Bardouille made newspaper pirate hats for him and his family, including his son Solomon, who was excitedly bounding about the patio to look at the ships.

“It’s just great to see them – and to get out in the sun,” said Mr. Bardouille.

Proceeds from the event went to the Alumni Association Leadership Scholarships, awarded annual to students who demonstrate leadership and achievement in their extra-curricular activities and in their communities.

See also: A Tall Ships farewell (photo essay)