Tall Ships on course for 2011
The Tall Ships 2002 festival attracted an estimated 400,000 people to the banks of the Fraser River.
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Updated: July 02, 2009 4:48 PM
Richmond is continuing to sale toward its goal of hosting a second major Tall Ships festival in Steveston.
The city is hoping to lure the ships here in 2011, but the American Sail Training Association, which organizes events involving classically masted vessels, has yet to formalize its program.
"We're still on target—once they make up their mind when exactly they'll have it," said Coun. Harold Steves.
The 2011 festival will involve several events in various West Coast port cities. A provisional schedule includes Richmond as a host port in late August 2011.
Victoria, Tacoma, Port Alberni and Anacortes are also vying for positions on the ASTA schedule, according to a new report from Richmond's Bryan Klassen, supervisor of Britannia Heritage Shipyard.
Last October, Mayor Malcolm Brodie sent a formal expression of Richmond's interest in hosting an event. Although informal response from ASTA has been positive, Klassen said, no formal response has come through.
Hosting the event will require Fraser River dredging and new floats at Imperial Landing—estimated at $1.5 million—work that city staff contend will benefit the area for years.
In 2002, Richmond held a Tall Ships festival that attracted an estimated 400,000 people to the shores of Steveston over five days.
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