Maritime Festival sails into town

Complete coverage from the festival with multimedia and more.

They're no Paul Reveres, but the folks at the South Carolina Maritime Foundation want you to know that, "Tall ships are coming!"

You've probably seen the posters all over town. In big red letters on bright orange stationary the message is clear: All things boat will be happening this weekend. Starting Friday and running through Sunday, dock space in Charleston Harbor will be hard to come by when the Charleston Maritime Festival sails into town. The annual celebration of sailing vessels and traditions promises to have something for everyone with a love of the sea.

The crown jewel of the festival is Tall Ships Charleston, a gathering of 12 traditional sailing ships from around the world. Also mixed into the festivities will be the start of the Charleston to Bermuda Race, better known as C2B.

Some of the other events on tap for the three-day event include maritime art displays, a family boat-building contest, live music and the Children's Village complete with pirate hats, jump castles and face-painting. Also, as part of the festival, the shipyard where the Spirit of South Carolina was built will be transformed into a pirate camp for children with pirate shows and learn-to-be-a-pirate classes that "arrrrrr" not to be missed.

As for what it costs, access to the festival grounds and docks is free, but individual boarding passes are required to board the vessels. Boarding passes, which can be purchase on-site or at www.etix.com, will be available for $10, which allow access to the ships for all three days of the event. Children 10 and under get in free. Adults will have to present a photo ID to tour the ships.

Tall ships

Besides being a ship that is really good at basketball, a tall ship is defined as "a large, traditionally rigged sailing vessel." For racing purposes (yes, they don't just sit there), they are separated into four classes based on details such as what type of fore topmast staysail they have and if they are a Barquentine or three-masted schooner. You know, the basic kind of differences most of us are familiar with.

Some of the cooler ships to check out include:

--The Spirit of South Carolina: You've probably seen this 140-foot wooden schooner hanging around the Maritime Center for the past couple of years. So why should you check it out? Well, now it's actually in the water. And it's quite impressive.

--The Spirit of Bermuda: This 112-foot cold-moulded, epoxy-hulled beauty is based out of — and you'll never guess this — Bermuda. Its shape is based on the speedy patrol vessels that used to run from Bermuda to Halifax to Jamaica to contain rebel colonies.

--The Pride of Baltimore II: At 157 feet long, this baby was built with one purpose in mind: to pick up chicks. Only replace "pick up chicks" with "promote Maryland trade and tourism as well as represent the goodwill of the entire state."

--The Gloria: Measuring more than 250 feet, this three-masted Spanish-built behemoth has logged more than 500,000 nautical miles in its lifetime and visited 143 different ports around the world.

C2B 2007

After looking at a bunch of big boats sitting still, it will be a thrill to see some actually set sail as the Charleston to Bermuda 2007 race gets under way Friday. The 777-nautical-mile race, which will feature abouth 20 competitors, will start behind the Maritime Center at noon.

Founded in 1997 and run every other year since, the race challenges sailors to navigate the waters between Charleston and Bermuda at a time of year known for tricky, unpredictable weather.

The C2B isn't exclusive either. In fact, every seaworthy boat of 30 feet or longer is welcome to enter.

'Mummies' know best

Every day in the shipyard (the area in front of the Maritime Center) there will be free live music. But the real draw is sure to be Here come the Mummies, a funk band that's billed as "beyond the grave." In addition to actually having talent, this six-piece ensemble dresses up as a bunch of mummies. That's assuming they aren't actual mummies. And with one guitarist who plays suspiciously like Jimi Hendrix, there's really no telling.

On Saturday, the group will play 6-10 p.m. in the old Spirit of South Carolina shipyard. Tickets are $10.

Where art thou?

The Maritime Festival also will feature a variety of art, including handcrafted model ships, paintings, drawings and photography. On the grass field surrounding the Maritime Center, visitors may peruse and purchase a variety of arts and crafts by artisans. Also, there will be an art walk scheduled for Friday up and down King Street, as well as a collection of Michael Kahn's nautical photography on display at the Martin Gallery on Broad Street.

Size doesn't matter

The Maritime Festival isn't exclusive to tall ships. In fact, the harbor will be filled with all sorts of vessels. From hand-built canoes to restored cruisers, there will be a variety of classic wooden boats on land and in the water. Also, be sure to place a vote for your favorite wooden boat.

If you'd rather ride in a boat than look at them, The Palmetto Breeze, which holds about 80 people, will be offering two-hour rides around Charleston Harbor at 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets, which are available through www.etix.com, are $15 and include sodas and water.

The Ocean Sailing Academy also will offer free sailing and rowing classes to the public throughout the weekend.

Charleston Water Taxi will be running back and forth from Patriots Point to the Maritime Center docks. Those in Mount Pleasant can park at Patriots Point and take the taxi. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day during the festival, the water taxis will run on the hour in Mount Pleasant and on the half-hour downtown. Tickets are available on-site Friday-Sunday or at www.charlestonwatertaxi.com.

There are also a limited number of berths on the tall ships Picton Castle and the Prince William. These berths will be available for the next legs of the ships' journeys and include training and the opportunity to experience life on a tall ship. For more information or to purchase one of the remaining berths, contact Christine Haigh at 722-1030 or chaigh@scmaritime.org.

For ye kids

While it's too late to sign up for the family boat-building contest, it's not too late to watch (and possibly laugh at) the contestants already entered. Starting Friday and running through Sunday, you can see families bonding or — and this is FAR more likely — bickering over a boat that they are supposed to build together from scratch. But for the best theater, Sunday at 1 p.m., be sure to head down to the water to see if what they made actually floats.

On the other hand, if your idea of family time means getting AWAY from the kids, drop yours off at the Children's Village.

There, they can get their faces painted and a fake tattoo, play with balloon animals, learn how to be a pirate, build a model sailboat, learn how to tie a bowline, jump around in the giant castle or inflatable ship and search for buried treasure in the Pirate Camp. Most activities are free.