Providence Journal / Frieda Squires
Arabella under full sail passes under the Pell Bridge during the Parade of Sail.
NEWPORT, R.I. -- The four-day Ocean State Tall Ships Festival came to a close Monday afternoon, in stately, wind-blown fashion, with a Parade of Sail.
At noon, a line of a dozen tall ships, some dating back a century, entered Narragansett Bay, passed by an adoring crowd at Fort Adams, passed under the Newport Bridge and up to Gould Island before turning around heading back out to sea.
About 1,000 people gathered at Fort Adams with blankets and lawn chairs, cameras and binoculars, and a shared appreciation for ships of an earlier era.
"They're not just magnificent, they're breathtaking," said Donna Capezza of Cranston. "You don't see them that often, and there will be a time when you won't see them at all."
Tall Ships Galleries