Tall Ships Will Be Back in 2007 and 2009

In 2004, they brought more than 500,000 visitors, an $18.2-million boost to the economy and 550 jobs to Nova Scotia --and Tall Ships are coming back in 2007 and 2009.

Waterfront Development Corporation Limited has signed agreements with two separate groups so Nova Scotians can welcome Tall Ships' sailors, crew and ships to Halifax Harbour in 2007 and again in 2009.

"Halifax is a favourite port of the sailors and ships, and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2007 and 2009," Ernest Fage, Minister of Economic Development, said today, Nov. 3. "Events like Tall Ships create jobs and increase the number of visitors to our province and all Nova Scotians benefit from the investment they help make in our economy."

The 2007 Tall Ships Challenge, organized by the American Sail Training Association, will start in the United States, and head along the east coast to Nova Scotia. U.S. port cities are still being finalized, but the Tall Ships are expected to be in Halifax around July 13 to 16, 2007.

"The American Sail Training Association is excited about returning to Halifax in 2007 with our Tall Ships Challenge Series," said Peter Mello, executive director of the association. "No other city has won the association's prestigious Port of the Year Award more often than Halifax, which is a testament to the community's interest in and support of its rich maritime history and traditions."

The fleet participating in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge in 2009, organised by Sail Training International, will arrive in Halifax in July after a series of races that will begin in Spain and include stops in the Canary Islands, Bermuda and ports along the east coast of the United States. From Halifax, the fleet will race back across the Atlantic to the U.K.

"We are delighted to be bringing an international fleet of Tall Ships back to Halifax in 2009," said Nigel Rowe, chairman of Sail Training International Group Limited. "The last time we did this, for Tall Ships 2000, the fleet and participating young trainees from around the world had a great time here. Nova Scotian hospitality and the natural beauty of the waterfront combined to make it a memorable visit."

In 2004, Halifax was voted the port of the year by The American Sail Training Association, an honour which recognized Halifax for its dedicated volunteers and ship liaisons, the educational and cultural opportunities offered to the sail trainees and crews, and the smooth handling of hundreds of thousands of people who visited the waterfront.