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Classically-masted vessel returning to Steveston port
Once upon a time,
Steveston’s lively waterfront was teaming with classically-masted vessels
hailing from ports throughout the world.
This week, a tall ship
will magically reappear in a much-anticipated tribute to the community’s
maritime history.
Headlining the Ships to
Shore King of the Sea Festival, produced by the City of Richmond and presented
by Re/Max, will be Japan’s majestic Kaiwo Maru which will be making a rare
visit to North America for the free celebration May 5 to 7 in Richmond’s Garry
Point Park.
Translated into English as
the King of the Sea, the Kaiwo Maru is one of the world’s largest tall
ships—a four-masted, 361-foot long and 182-foot high naval training vessel.
“The Kaiwo Maru rarely
leaves Japan and Richmond will be the only North American port of call on this
visit,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “This special visit recognizes the
strong cultural ties and long-standing friendship between Richmond and Japan.”
The tall ship will be
available for public viewing from its arrival May 3 until its departure May 8.
Free boarding will only be during the festival, but only a limited number of
passes will be available online in advance and a small number on site. A
notable highlight of the visit will be a Sail Drill on Saturday, May 6 when
nearly 200 crew members will climb high into the masts to unfurl nearly 30,000
square feet of sail.
A century ago, the
biggest and fastest sailing ships in the world came to Steveston’s busy cannery
row to load a particularly precious cargo: Pacific salmon.Today, the harbour is
still the largest commercial fishing port in Western Canada and also home to a
growing tourism sector based largely on its extensive maritime history.
Richmond Coun. Harold
Steves, with whom the idea of a tall ships festival first originated, said it’s
gratifying to see the ongoing interest and success of what has become an annual
celebration of the community’s maritime history.
“When the idea was first
floated in 2000 we were just working on restoring the Britannia Heritage
Shipyard building and cannery,” he recalled.
Recognizing the first
shipment of salmon to Europe went through Britannia, not long after its opening
in 1889 as a cannery, Steves thought an ideal way to celebrate would be with the
visit of a tall ship. So he asked a friend “Can you find us a tall ship to
bring in (to celebrate)?”
That friend promptly went
on the Internet and found an entire fleet.
“He found the American
Sail Training Association which was looking to bring tall ships to California,”
Steves said. “He made contact and asked if they might not come here.”
After securing that,
Steves was inspired to see if expanding the visit into a festival might be
possible. With fears that the cost would be prohibitive, it took a bit of
convincing, he said, but ultimately council approved a five-day festival in the
summer of 2002. The first night, a Thursday, drew 170,000 people to Garry Point
Park. By the end, the event had drawn some 400,000.
“(Richmond) spent
$800,000 on the event, but we were also building infrastructure there including
what is now a popular fishing pier,” he said. “And when it was over the
economic spinoff was about $10 million.”
Today, Steves looks at
the tall ships festival, and the myriad of other events the city now hosts, as
a “staycation.”
“It’s become very popular
for people staying at home and I think it’s helped our businesses as well,” he
said.
As
founder and president of the Steveston Merchants’ Association, Jim van der Tas
is dedicated to bringing the business community together. He sees events like
the Ships to Shore King of the Sea Festival as helping to advance the cause.
“I
think it’s great, and it (promises to be) one super weekend here in Steveston,”
he told the Richmond Sentinel. “For us at the restaurant (van der tas is an
operating partner at Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant) we’ve asked all staff to
be available (for the May 5 to 7 event).”
van
der Tas said he hopes Steveston will collectively continue to expand on its
maritime history, as well as consider additional events to help draw even more
tourism. One idea he shared is converting Steveston into a truly Christmas
village.
“We
have a blank template here for a winter wonderland,” he enthused. “We could
have a throwback to the 1920s and 1930s, with special shopping events while
carollers (stroll) throughout the village.”
An
annual event, Ships to Shore launched in 2002 with a five-day celebration of
maritime history and culture. An estimated 40,000 people turned out to greet a
majestic fleet at that year’s Tall Ships Festival. The success of the festival
was pronounced, with the city recognized with several awards including the Port
of the Year Award from the American Sail Training Association, Tourism BC’s
2003 award for Best Tourism Marketing Campaign and the 2002 Gateway Award from
Tourism Richmond.
A
2004 visit of the Kaiwo Maru also thrilled crowds, which lined up for free
public tours and an awe-inspiring demonstration of the crew’s sail rigging
skills.
Part
of Richmond’s year-long celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of
confederation, Ships to Shore King of the Sea affords festival-goers an
opportunity to not only board and view the visiting ships, but also enjoy a
myriad of music, food, culture and fireworks.
The
festival includes free headline concerts by Alan Doyle and the Beautiful
Gypsies and Dear Rouge, plus a free Saturday night fireworks spectacular over
the Fraser River. Ongoing entertainment includes buskers, pop-up demonstrations
and hands-on activities, food trucks, a maritime-themed Kids Cove, community
art installations, a marketplace and various displays. Festival hours are 9
a.m. to 9 p.m. May 5 and 6 and May 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More event details
are at shipstoshore.ca.