Tall Ships Festival Schedule of Events

The Brig Niagara at full sail.

STURGEON BAY

Monday, July 29

3-4 pm: Ships will muster near Sherwood Point and George K. Pinney County Park

3 pm, Graham Park: One Barrel Brewing will serve brats, hot dogs and refreshments, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit PATH of Door County; the Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center will serve wine and beer; and the Scat’s Got Your Tongue food truck will feature Chef Rob and his special Tall Ship creations. 

4-6 pm: Ships will proceed into the Sturgeon Bay channel to dock for the night, with accompanying cannon salutes at the Door County Maritime Museum. 

 4-7 pm, Sawyer Park: Sturgeon Bay Police Cadets will serve brats, burgers, hot dogs and cold refreshments. Add chips and a drink to create a meal for $5. Proceeds will benefit the Sturgeon Bay Police Cadet program. Enjoy live music at Stone Harbor Resort’s waterfront patio.

5-7 pm: Dockside docents will share the story of each tall ship.

5:30-8:30 pm: The Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center (SBVC) will provide trolley rides to and from docking locations. Throughout the afternoon and evening, kayak tours, segway tours, private sail tours, sunset cruises and the Swans of Sturgeon Bay paddleboats will be available. Call the SBVC at 920.743.6246 to hear details about tour opportunities.

Until 8 pm: The Door County Maritime Museum will offer extended hours until 8 pm. Visit the museum, and view the tall ships from the second floor with your admission fee!

Tuesday, July 30

6-9 am: The Boys & Girls Club of Door County will serve all-you-can-eat pancakes, pork patties, scrambled eggs, Door County maple syrup, Door County cherries, coffee, milk and orange juice for $10 at CenterPointe Yacht Services, 222 1st Ave., next to Graham Park. All proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Door County.

7 am: Cherry mimosas will be available in Graham Park at the Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center tent. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve and U.S. Coast Guard Station grounds will be open for viewing.

8 am: The Door County Maritime Museum will host special morning hours so that visitors can view the ships from the second floor with their admission fee. 

8 am: The tall ships will leave Sturgeon Bay through the shipping canal and sail into Lake Michigan to go to the Tall Ships Challenge starting line in Algoma.

ALGOMA

Tuesday, July 30

10 am: Bob Desh will give a presentation about the history of the naval swing gun and its uses. See a demonstration of loading and firing and a replica costume from 1790s Revenue Marine at Yardstick Books, 317 Steele St.

10 am – 1 pm: The Friends of Crescent Beach will host beach games and toys. Join Massart Chiropractic at the ducky pool and coloring station to win prizes.

11 am – 1 pm: Enjoy pulled-pork sandwiches, hamburgers and brats served by local nonprofits, the Bruemmer Park Zoological Society and Algoma Long Term Care Unit in the Algoma Youth Club parking lot, at the north end of the beach. The Dough Shoppe will serve dessert.

11am – 1pm: At Crescent Beach, take your picture with the baby ducks; listen to cannon demonstrations; and meet Coastie, a robotic cartoon boat that talks, plays music and interacts with kids to teach them about boat safety and what to do in a water emergency.

12 pm: The tall ships will muster at full sail. Watch the U.S. Brig Niagara, Utopia (pending), Bluenose II, Pride of Baltimore and Appledore IV as they muster a mile off Crescent Beach. 

1 pm: The tall ships will leave for the Kenosha leg of the Tall Ships Challenge.1:30 pm: Local historian Virginia Feld Johnson will visit Yardstick Books, 317 Steele St., to share tales of Ahnapee’s sailing heyday and the colorful sailors who contributed to it.