From Candy Thomson's Baltimore Sun column today: "The sales pitch to 46 uniformed men was simple: Welcome to Baltimore. Next time, bring a tall ship.
City and state officials and the nautical community have begun a marketing drive aimed at filling the Inner Harbor with majestic sailing vessels and gray-hulled warships for the War of 1812 commemoration finale, Sept. 6-14, 2014.
On Wednesday, they pitched military attaches from 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
Navies begin planning their sea exercises and courtesy calls about a year in advance, and there's a lot of jockeying among East Coast seaports to secure the biggest and best ships for summer events.
'Everyone — New York, Miami, Norfolk, Boston — wants tall ships. It's very competitive and the best man wins,' said Nan Nawrocki, president of the nonprofit Sail Baltimore." Read the full scoop and see some video here.
Here's a 1.5-minute-long SpinSheet video taken aboard the tall ship Guayas at Baltimore's Sailabration last summer.
