Where's Marty? At The Harbor With Sail Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- After COVID-19 hit, the harbor stood still. But now, the city is pushing beyond the pandemic.
Now, the boats are now starting to return—and so is Fleet Week.
But before we get into that, let's discuss "Sail Baltimore."
Here is the short backstory: It was created in the'70s by then-Mayor William Donald Schaeffer as a vehicle to promote Baltimore, Baltimore's maritime heritage, and, in a way, the port.
They say timing is everything. Well, in this case, the bicentennial celebration of the United States was in full swing.
A big part of that was the "tall ships" armada that sailed into New York harbor.
Well, being just a short distance away from Baltimore, many of those ships stopped by afterward or scheduled a visit in the future.
And yearly, not only tall ships but naval ships from around the world found this to be a grand port of call, including a few U.S. Navy Fleet Week celebrations that drew just north of 100,000 people downtown.
But then the pandemic prompted many businesses to shutter their doors.
Now, the city is recovering from the pandemic. Enter Nan Nawrocki and Kathy Hornig.
Nawrocki retired from the Naval Academy in the world of information technology. Hornig was with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Tourism.
Hornig was part of a little thing some people may remember called Light City.
Between Nawrocki and Hornig, who have been hard at work, the boats are now starting to return—and so is Fleet Week.
That is a huge deal.
A Sail Baltimore charity golf tournament will be held too.
Indeed, these are good times for the waterfront.
And it is kicking off with a return visit from the Stad Amsterdam, a three-masted clipper ship.
Public tours are being held Sunday.