North Island residents have been treated to a sight in this summer that would make most Canadians envious.
A pair of tall ships arrived in Port Hardy on July 24, as part of a summer training camp.
The Pacific Grace and Pacific Swift are owned and operated by the non-profit S.A.L.T.S. Sail and Life Training Society. While the homeport for the vessels is Victoria, in the summer months, they provide sail training programs for young enthusiasts along the coast of British Columbia.
Pacific Grace
Built at the S.A.L.T.S. Heritage Shipyard in Victoria, the Pacific Grace slipped her lines May 31, 2001 to embark on her maiden voyage. The Pacific Grace completed several successful seasons of coastal programs before embarking in September 2003 on her maiden offshore voyage to the “South Pacific”. The Grace also sailed offshore from June 2007-June 2008
Pacific Swift
Built by S.A.L.T.S. as a working exhibit at Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Pacific Swift has sailed over 100,000 deep-sea miles on training voyages for young trainees. Her offshore travels have taken her to Australia and Europe, to remote communities on Easter and Pitcairn Islands, and to many other far-flung ports of call.
For more photos and stories, visit salts.ca/tall-ships.html
-With files from salts.ca
