USA 250 Sail Boston 7/11/2026 in Photographs

Click on the image below to watch a video of the Tall Ships in parade order:

Click on the image above to watch a video of the Tall Ships in parade order:

In honor of the USA’s 250th birthday, Boston hosted 50+ Tall Ships from around the world. We took this opportunity to see the Tall Ships very seriously! The goal was to make this memorable and doable for Dick, the MVP, who has been going through cancer treatment for the past few months. Because his blood counts are depleted from chemo, he has limited stamina and tolerance to heat, standing too long, and germs. He was feeling well a few days before the event, so I made this plan to go see the tall ships parade on Saturday keeping in mind his physical limitations and Boston’s security protocol for the event.

We checked into the Marriott Long Wharf (I always wanted to stay there!) at 2pm on Friday and enjoyed the aquarium and Long Wharf before going to the room and getting some low key but great room service. The next day we were up at 4:30 to leave the hotel by 6:00 after storing a bag with the valet. The car was already there from the day before. We didn’t have to go through security and lined up for the boat at 6:15. We were on one of the Aquarium whale watching boats, booked through City Experiences. Long Wharf was already hopping at 6:15!

Once underway, we went out to the edge of the parade channel and anchored, which is not such an easy feat because the whale watching boats never anchor, they always tie up at the dock. Because we know the boat from whale watching, we knew to stay on the first deck and utilize the limited seating at the bow for the best views. We had little competition. This position put us in the thick of operations with three of the crew hanging out there full time. Two men and woman captain, (Maeve) they were a great, fun bunch and we had lots of laughs with them. They hustled to keep the boat from dragging anchor and worked well together with good humor. One of the crew, Jake, was very funny and would cheer “Get ’em Get ’em!” when the harbor patrol or Coast Guard would go after private small boats getting too close to the channel. We were out on the boat from 6:30 until 4:00, we brought snacks, drinks, and sunblock, and bought a gatorade and hot dog to split. I had printed out a chart of the ships and Dick kept track of the order once the parade was underway. I took pictures.

The whole thing was exhilarating and exhausting. We made it back to the harbor just in time to make our 4:45 reservation at Legal Seafoods on Long Wharf, where we waited until 6:00 to go to the hotel to get our car and bag, and for Atlantic Ave to reopen. I thought the roads would be crowded, but they weren’t at all and we were home by 7:30 full of so many memories and artistic inspirations to draw from!