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By Charles Lohrmann Corpus Christi’s Naval
Station Ingleside will take on the appearance of an historic port of call as
four tall sailing ships hailing from four countries in the Western Hemisphere
arrive in early July. The ships range in size from the 205-foot staysail
schooner Capitan Miranda from Uruguay to the 371-foot, four-masted
barquentine Esmeralda from Chile. The other two historic ships are the
270-foot barque Cuahtémoc from Mexico and the 295-foot barque USCG Eagle from
New London, Connecticut. Each ship serves in its respective country’s navy
and is commissioned primarily for training sailors. “We are very proud to bring the tall ship experience to the South Texas region in a larger scale than before."
Corpus Christi will be the
only stop in North America for the four ships, which will highlight an event
called Sail South Texas, July 1-5. Sail South Texas celebrates three
important milestones: The bicentennial of Latin American independence from
Spain, the 234th anniversary of U.S. independence, and the return of the
Naval Station Ingleside to the Port of Corpus Christi. This is the last stop
for the ships, which represent a larger fleet that sailed around South
America to celebrate that continent’s sovereignty.
“We are very proud to bring
the tall ship experience to the South Texas region in a larger scale than
before. Our community will have the opportunity to celebrate and learn not
only about tall ships, but also about the countries they represent,” says
Mike Carrell, Chairman of the Port Corpus Christi Commission.
The public is invited to take
part in tours of the ships, demonstrations of naval traditions, fireworks
each evening, food booths, and music by performers from Latin America and the
United States. For more information, visit www.sailsouthtexas2010.com. | 
