Friendship Sails to Newburyport
August 23 - 27
Schedule of Events
*Wed, Aug. 23, 4pm: Friendship docks in Newburyport
Thu, Aug 24, 9am: Welcoming Ceremony
Aug 24 – 26, 10am – 4pm: FREE public tours
*Sun, Aug 27, 10am: Farewell Ceremony
*Schedule subject to change due to tide constraints.
As part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Essex National Heritage Area, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC) are bringing the tall ship Friendship of Salem to Newburyport. Friendship will sail into Newburyport on Wednesday, August 23 and will be open for free public tours August 24 – 26.
Friendship is a replica of a 1797 three-masted, square rigged "East Indiaman" merchant ship used to open international trade with the Far East, Europe and Russia in the years after the American Revolution. The original Friendship was built in Salem by shipbuilder Enos Briggs at his shipyard across the river from what is today the National Park Service/Salem Maritime National Historic Site. As one of several interpretive features of the National Historic Site, Friendship is a commissioned vessel permanently moored at Derby Wharf. Under sail, Friendship also serves as goodwill ambassador for Essex County, and proudly shows the flag at each and every port she travels to.
Friendship will sail from Salem to Newburyport and arrive mid-afternoon on Wednesday, August 23 on the high tide and will dock at the public wharf in Newburyport’s central waterfront. A welcoming ceremony with local officials and representatives from the National Park Service will be held on Thursday morning, 9AM. Friendship will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, August 24 – 26. Prior to her departure at high tide on Sunday, August 27, there will be a farewell event including the ceremonial loading of cargo.
Friendship’s visit to Newburyport is sponsored by the Community Newspaper Company, The Institution for Savings, The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank and The Provident Bank and with the cooperation of the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and North of Boston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
For more information about the history of Friendship, visit the Salem Maritime National Historic Site at www.nps.gov/sama.