Sail Detroit Festival
Detroit waterfront
Aug. 8, 2025
Few may realize the Great Lakes host one of the largest economies in the world, and that the Detroit River is a primary connector between the lakes and the Atlantic Coast. With that status comes a rich maritime history – one with cool ships, which Detroiters got a glimpse of during the Sail Detroit festival.
For the first time in more than 20 years, “tall ship” schooners appeared along the Detroit waterfront. The three-day event featured four large sailboats for visitors to explore, one of which offered cruises along the Detroit River. The event was part of Tall Ships America’s annual Tall Ships Challenge, which focused on the Great Lakes this year.
The boats came from different parts of North America with different histories and purposes. Built in 1894, the 156-foot-long, Massachusetts-based Ernestina-Morrisey was the oldest of the four. It was also the oldest surviving Grand Banks fishing schooner and one of only two remaining Fredonia-style schooners. While it originated as a fishing boat, it transitioned to being used in Arctic exploration in 1926; a crew member told me there were “definitely polar bears on this ship.” It then served to transport immigrants brought to the United States and is now used for sail and leadership training for cadets, K-12 STEM education and community outreach.
The other boats were newer, but the 157-foot Pride of Baltimore II from Maryland was a replica of a ship used in the War of 1812. Since its launch in 1988, it has traveled 275,000 nautical miles to more than 200 ports in 40 countries across the world and is used now primarily for maritime education and tourism.
The largest of the tall ships was the 203-foot Empire Sandy, Canada’s largest sailing ship, hailing from Toronto. The boat was built in 1943 as a deep-sea tug for World War II and today serves primarily for tourism cruises and as an event venue.
The 105-foot Alliance was the only boat offering cruises along the Detroit River, which were sold out, and visiting the boat while docked did not appear to be an option while I was there. Based in Suttons Bay in Northern Michigan, the Alliance is a frequent visitor to Detroit and is primarily used to teach about the Great Lakes ecosystem. It was built in 1995 but designed with a traditional, late 1800s-style rig. Though I couldn’t go aboard, it was fun to see it sailing around the Detroit River.
I wouldn’t call myself a boat person, per se, but I do enjoy history and found it interesting to see the pirate-like ships up close. Only the decks were open to the public, so we got to see the ships’ wheels, ropes and masts, plus historic photos and information sheets on the Ernestina-Morrisey and cannons on the Pride of Baltimore II. It would have been cool to go below deck and see the living quarters of the crew, but the second-best option was speaking with crew members who shared what their lives were like “at sea.”
I spent the most time speaking with the second mate on the Ernestina-Morrisey, who lived on the boat full-time with the rest of the 12-member crew. She said the crew included the captain, first and second mates and deckhands, plus a boat mechanic/engineer and chef. I was surprised to learn that most of her crew were women – which she attributed to as making up for lost time, as ship crews had largely been made up of men – and that they had to do their laundry at laundromats while at port.
Off the boats, the festival had live music and some vendors, though I apparently missed the historic maritime lectures that were supposed to be offered, which was a bummer. It was hot as hell that day, so I also didn’t look too hard.
While I don’t think about sailboats very much, it was interesting to get a glimpse of history and develop a greater appreciation for what these ships are capable of. The Tall Ships Challenge still has a couple Great Lakes stops left this summer and will return to a different part of the country next year, so it’s worth a visit if you can.
