Tall Ship Returns Thursday For Two-Week Stay

OCEAN CITY — The replica tall ship El Galeon Andalucia is scheduled to make its return trip to Ocean City next Thursday, creating a unique spectacle as it passes through the Inlet and then narrowly through the Route 50 drawbridge to it temporary home along the bulkhead between 2nd and 3rd streets.

El Galeon made two successful stops in Ocean City, first in 2013 and again in 2014, and delighted thousands of visitors and school-age kids with daily tours and lavish receptions.

El Galeon will arrive off the coast of Ocean City next Thursday and will likely make the trip to its dockside home sometime midday, depending on a variety of factors including the tides, winds and currents. It was scheduled to make a pass in review under full sail down the beachfront in Ocean City on its way to the Inlet, but city officials learned this week that might be in jeopardy.

Because the tide windows are so tight, it will likely be challenging for El Galeon to make the pass under full sail down the beach and then get the sails furled and the yards up in a short time before the passage through the Inlet. Special Events Director Frank Miller remains in contact with the vessel’s crew and was working on some timetable solutions this week, but the pass in review under full sail might be scrubbed in order to accommodate the primary goal of getting the vessel through the Inlet and drawbridge.

More