NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The 47th Annual Norfolk Harborfest starts today! Parade of Sail begins at noon. WAVY Digital Desk Host Sarah Goode and WAVY Reporter Brett Hall are hosting a livestream of the opening event. Watch the live conversation in the video player on this page.
Goode spoke with Festevents Maritime Expert, Hank Mosley about what visitors can expect this year. “Harborfest is about celebrating our maritime roots, which are really important in Norfolk,” says Mosley.
Watch the parade to see tall ships, like Kalmar Nyckel and Schooner Virginia, and other vessels, like the catamaran Impossible Dream and military ships. There will also be private vessels in the harbor. People are able to ride on the vessels in the parade.
When choosing boats to participate in the event, Mosley says “we like to showcase our harbor, which covers all of those things. We have a lot of history here.”
Mosley has about 30 years of experience working with tall ships. He says for some of the ships it is all about getting people to see the ships sailing, getting people on the decks, and keeping the history alive. That is the case for local tall ships, like Godspeed, which is operated by a volunteer program.
Remember you can visit ships in the harbor throughout the weekend. Meet the crews and find out more about the vessels. Click here to find out more about the featured vessels.
