El Galeon

Fifteen tall ships of different nationalities are crossing five Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie, Huron, Superior and Michigan) this summer as part of the Great Lakes Tall Ship Adventure Challenge 2016. They are docking at various USA and Canadian ports.

I love tall ships and I was hoping we’d be able to see some of them. We really wanted to see the Norwegian viking ship, the Draken Harald Harfagre, but that ship sailed past during the week without stopping in Traverse City so we missed it. However, we found out today that El Galeon was docked in Traverse City this weekend, so we went to tour it. I learned that the El Galeon is a 164′ Spanish galleon homeported in Seville, Spain. It is the replica of the 16th century Spanish merchant ship sailed by Pedro Menendez. It has covered more than 35,000 nautical miles between 2010 to 2013 along the world’s largest seas and oceans, visiting ports in four continents and participating in many cultural projects. El Galeon has sailed across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Southern China Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Bosporus Strait and the Caribbean Sea. So far, visitors have been able to step on her decks in almost fifty ports all over the world. And now it has sailed on the Great Lakes!

I was amazed at how absolutely gorgeous it is and how big it is. I was so thrilled to be able to tour it! I love tall ships! Here is a short video I took of the ship as we walked toward it.

Here are some photos I took of the El Galeon:

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Have I told you how much I LOVE living in Northern Michigan? There is so many unique experiences to enjoy!