Tall Ships To Sail the Great Lakes in 2016

At least 20 tall ships will race across the Great Lakes this Summer, visiting 9 ports including Chicago, Illinois and 2 stops in Michigan.

Tall ships are replicas of vessels that sailed the seas many, many years ago. Viking longships, Spanish galleons and Italian schooners are just a few examples of the large, fully-rigged sailing ships you may see as Tall Ships America brings their annual racing series to the Great Lakes in 2016.

The fleet will navigate down the St. Lawrence River from the Atlantic Ocean and into Lake Ontario. The voyage continues into Great Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior before sailing back to the Atlantic Ocean.

The planned itinerary includes stops in:

• Toronto, ON. July 1-3
• Bay City, MI. July 14-17
• Chicago, ILL. July 28-31
• Green Bay, WI August 4-7
• Duluth, MN August 18-21
• Erie, PA September 8-11
• Brockville, ON September 16-18

More stops may be added and tours are often available at each port with times and ticket prices varying. Check tallshipsamerica.org or watch their Facebook page for information.

In between ports, the ships will be competing with crews seeking favorable winds and fast times on America's freshwater seas, the Great Lakes.

Bonus Video: Fall Storms on lake Michigan