Tall Ship A Timely, Quality Attraction

This week’s arrival of the tall ship is perfectly timed to coincide with the resort’s summer season winding down and the example of what a high-profile special event can do for the town.
The ship arrived in Ocean City on Tuesday, but abnormally low tides in the bays prevented it from coming in the Inlet and eventually through the Route 50 Bridge and to its temporary resting place on 3rd Street. The ship remained a couple miles offshore overnight, providing some excitement for beach-goers who were able to easily see it on the clear day and watch the sun rise with it in the foreground. Come Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. the ship was escorted through the Inlet and squeezed through the drawbridge, providing some of the most magical vistas we have seen in this area.
The event captured media attention from all areas and the tall ship appears to have captured the attention of many. As of Wednesday night at 9:30, there were about 200 people taking pictures of the ship on 3rd Street in advance of Thursday morning’s first public tours, which reportedly exceeded organizer expectations.
When the idea of bringing the tall ship to Ocean City was first broached just last month, there appeared to be some trepidation over the logistics of how the Nao Victoria Galeon could get into Ocean City and where it would be docked exactly during its nearly two-week stay. The bulkhead between 3rd and 4th streets was eventually chosen and Ocean City had about $3,000 in infrastructure improvements that needed to be done to accommodate the enormous vessel.
The paltry expense in this case is well worth it, as Ocean City received a tremendous amount of positive media exposure this week, thanks largely to the tremendous photo and video opportunities that came with the Galeon maneuvering around our unique geography.
That kind of exposure and excitement is priceless, and it was a good move for the Mayor and Council to react quickly and approve this unique event.