Pride of Baltimore II clipper ship sails into Greenport next month

More than a decade after its last visit, the Pride of Baltimore II will return to Greenport in July for three days’ worth of deck tours and day sails.

Pride of Baltimore II is a clipper topsail schooner and a replica of the original Pride of Baltimore, which sank in 1986. Since its commissioning, Pride II has sailed some 275,000 nautical miles and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries, according to its website.

The last time Pride II docked in Greenport was in the summer of 2012 during the Tall Ships Challenge tour, but thanks to the encouragement of local resident Pat Nelson and positive reception from village officials, the Baltimore crew was convinced to come back to the seaside village.

“One of the bigger influencers on our schedule is the Tall Ships America festival circuit and that’s every three years,” said Patrick Smith, program coordinator at Pride of Baltimore Inc. “With this year not being a festival year, we were left to find our own way — we actually reached out to [Mr. Nelson] and asked, ‘If we were to go back to Greenport, what do you think the reception would be?’ and he was like, ‘How can I help?’ ”

After their conversation, Mr. Nelson went straight to Village Hall, got Greenport officials on board with the idea and everything came together rather quickly, Mr. Smith said. The Pride of Baltimore II will arrive in Greenport Harbor around noon on Thursday, July 18, and depart Monday, July 22.

Jeffrey Crosby — who has sailed on and off with Pride of Baltimore II since 2008 — will captain the vessel during its voyage and visit.

“This will be my first time sailing into Greenport, which is pretty exciting,” Mr. Crosby said. “It’s always nice to check out new places and sail around new areas.”

Through the crew’s boat tour offerings and sailing excursions, Pride of Baltimore’s mission at every port they visit is to educate the public on Maryland’s maritime history and how it has contributed to America’s maritime legacy.

Visitors who come aboard learn not only about the past, but the maritime industry at present.

“Maritime history is American history. It’s just a fundamental part of our nation’s founding and legacy,” Mr. Smith said. “The Baltimore clipper story is a real coming-of-age tale for Baltimore, for Maryland and the young United States and it dovetails perfectly with the history of Greenport.”

Once the historic ship docks, the schedule of events — which is subject to change — will be as follows:

The day sail is a two-hour sunset cruise around Greenport. Tickets are $55 for adults and $35 for children age 12 and under. Register and secure your spot.