Festival of Sail Lake Superior

The Nao Trinidad hails from Seville, Spain, and is a replica of Ferdinand Magellan's flagship in the 1500s.

The tall-masted ships will be back on Lake Superior next year with an extended stop in Two Harbors.

The 2022 edition of Festival of Sail Lake Superior from Aug. 4-7 will boast at least a dozen ships – including an impressive new visitor from Seville, Spain – along with a number of special V.I.P. additions with limited tickets and additional on-board activities. It’s the sixth installment of the popular festival and part of the Tall Ships Challenge Race series.

The venue had to change from Duluth to Two Harbors, said festival producer Craig Samborski, because of reconstruction on the sea wall in front of the DECC, where the ships usually would tie up. The projected construction on the multi-million dollar project will continue into 2023.

“We’re excited for the new sea wall and future event space on Duluth’s waterfront,” Craig said in a press release. “However, cancelling the event in 2022 was not an option for us. The search for a new venue didn’t take us far. We approached Two Harbors’ Mayor Chris Swanson, and he, along with the community of Two Harbors, have graciously offered to host the festival on their beautiful waterfront. Two Harbors has that wonderful small-town charm, yet boasts a stunning, expansive waterfront.”

Mayor Chris Swanson said the community is excited about hosting the event and introducing people to all the town has to offer. "We’ve had a vision to bring more events to the community … although we were focusing on much smaller events. … The way our waterfront is laid out, it’s going to be absolutely spectacular."

Chris said already they have logistics experts working on how to safely and conveniently accommodate the thousands of people who come to the festival. "The bulk of the folks will be shuttled in," he said, adding that most of the shops and attractions of Two Harbors are within walking distance of the waterfront. "We would love to have people percolate more through the community."

Craig pointed out that the waterfront space available in Duluth was about 900 feet whereas in Two Harbors, about 2,200 feet of usable space are available.

“Two Harbors’ Agate Bay has extensive dock space for more ships, and the event site on land is nearly three times as large as previous years,” Craig said, “not to mention the impressive volume of Great Lakes commercial ship traffic to ogle. With that said, I’m really excited to announce that we have a record number of ships appearing at the festival in 2022 –12 to be exact. The popular festival will flood Two Harbors’ waterfront with an impressive fleet of majestic ships.”

Both new vessels and old favorites, sailing and motorized, so far have committed to the festival: U.S. Brig Niagara, Pride of Baltimore II, Inland Seas, Schooner Utopia, St. Lawrence II (out of Kingston, Ont.), Gerhard Folgero, Abbey Road, Schooner Charley, the retired Coast Guard cutter Sundew, the tug Edna G. and the 2021 winner of the Chicago Yacht Club’s Chicago to Mackinaw Race, Schooner Perception. A showpiece ship will be the Nao Trinidad from Spain. The original Trinidad was the flag ship for the 1519 voyage of circumnavigation by Ferdinand Magellan that left from Seville.

The event will feature onboard tours, day-sails and a grand parade of sail. The Agate Bay waterfront will also have a full complement of vendors, artisans, food, music, entertainment and a craft beer garden.

Craig said he’s also excited about what will be brand new for this year’s festival – curated craft whiskey and beer tastings aboard the ships; early admission tickets for exclusive access to the ships without the lines (limited number of tickets); early admission for photographers with extensive ship access (limited number of tickets); plus an elevated festival experience in an exclusive V.I.P. tent with complimentary meals and beverages.

Event and ticket information available at festofsail.com. The Festival of Sail Lake Superior is presented by Lake Superior Magazine, Midwest Communications, ShowClix, Audience Republic and is produced by Draw Events. The ship line up is subject to change and others may join, too.