DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — On Tuesday, NBC 26 viewers got a quick glimpse of the Liberty Clipper. Friday, the tall ship returned to Sturgeon Bay for the first time in six years with NBC 26’s Hanna Lopez on board.
Come with us on board the Liberty Clipper where we spoke with folks about their excitement for tall ships festival:
"It's just fun to be on this one today," Diane Bramlett, who was riding the Liberty Clipper, said.
The last time tall ships came to Sturgeon Bay was back in 2019 and Diane Bramlett missed the boat, literally.
"We actually tried to do it then, but we didn't get tickets in time," Bramlett said.
This time, she marked her birthday sailing aboard the Liberty Clipper.
"It's a lot of fun. I'm surprised at how many people they can fit on the ship so that's really cool," Bramlett said.
The four-day event includes ship tours and rides, including trips on the Liberty Clipper, where participants even get the chance to help haul the sail.
"It's harder than it looks, especially when you get near the end. You'd expect, with 26 people hauling 2,600 pounds, it wouldn't be that heavy. But, it is," Mark Abels, who was on board hauling the sail, said.
Abels and others had a unique experience during the trip.
"We were just very excited, because this is an experience none of us have had and this is a very interesting, historic boat," Abels said.
Sue Adams had never been to Tall Ships before and her first time didn’t disappoint.
"We were at some state park, I don't know where we were yesterday and we saw the parade and we saw all the sails go up as they got further up in Sturgeon Bay. That was amazing," Adams said.
Destination Sturgeon Bay says for the long-awaited return, they sold 1,400 tickets, showing just how excited folks were to see the tall ships back in town.
Though all the tickets are sold out, you can still see the Pride of Baltimore II up close. They’ll be giving free deck tours until Sunday.
