Tickets are now on sale for the Victoria Tall Ships Challenge 2005, an international event that will bring as many as 30 tall ships to Victoria's Inner Harbour from June 23 to 26. The B.C. capital will be the first port of call for the participating tall ships, followed by Vancouver, Port Alberni, Tacoma, Wash., San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Star attractions confirmed to date include the Lady Washington from Gray's Harbour, Wash, famous for its use in the film Pirates of the Caribbean; the Mexican navy's 82-metre Cuauhtemoc; and the 107-metre Pallada from Russia, one of the largest tall ships in the world. The event will open with a ship parade into Victoria's Inner Harbour. The vessels will then moor at Ship's Point and Ogden Point. There will also be mock gun battles, the carving and launch of an aboriginal dugout canoe, and demonstrations of traditional maritime skills such as sail-making and wooden boatbuilding.
For tickets and more information, visit http://www.tourismvictoria.com/tallships and http://www.tallshipsvictoria.ca.