Denis Sullivan leads Tall Ships Challenge

This summer an international fleet of 15 tall ships will race the Great Lakes to promote water conservation and environmental protection of one of the world’s largest freshwater resources. Leading them will be Milwaukee’s own lake schooner S/V Denis Sullivan.

The Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge will stop in six ports: Toronto (June 30-July 4); Cleveland (July 7-11); Bay City, Mich. (July 15-18); Duluth, Minn. (July 29-Aug. 1); Green Bay, Wis. (Aug. 12-15); and Chicago (Aug. 26-30).

The ships are “racing to protect the world’s greatest watershed” in an event organized by the American Sail Training Association and the binational coalition Great Lakes United. 

“These tall ships represent one of the most sustainable forms of transportation, making this one of the most environmentally friendly races on the planet,” according to Great Lakes United.

Leading the fleet will be Wisconsin’s flagship, the Denis Sullivan, a science vessel based out of Milwaukee’s Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. An education and research ship, the Denis Sullivan is a replica of a three-masted Great Lakes schooner. The ship was built in 2000 by a team of volunteers.

Annually the Denis Sullivan travels over 18,000 nautical miles a year from Milwaukee in the summer, down the East Coast, and southern Florida in the winter. The journey is an unparalleled exploration of the five Great Lakes, East Coast, and Caribbean-and the hydrological cycle in its entirety. Despite its appearance, the Denis Sullivan is a modern educational sailing vessel with two 180-horsepower diesel engines, a scientific laboratory, two computer workstations, and a modern communication and navigation equipment.

This summer, the ship will be joined by over 15 others, each racing from port to port. Also anticipated are the Amistad, Bounty, Empire Sandy, Europa, Niagara, and Pride of Baltimore II.

To join the crew Aug. 2-6 from Duluth, Minn. to the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. locks, call (414) 765-8650.

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