2010: The Start of a Grand Tour of Tall Ships Along Latin America

February 7, 2010

Velas Sudamerica 2010, a multi-month tour of tall ships (large, traditionally rigged sailing vessels) traveling along the coastline of Latin America, officially began with the departure of that flotilla from Rio de Janeiro. This tour was organized by the navies of Argentina and Chile to commemorate the bicentennial of when those countries each achieved independence from colonial rule.  

The participants in Velas Sudamerica 2010 (also known as Regata de Bicentario) were mostly Latin American countries. The specific participants and the tall ships representing those countries were as follows:

• Argentina — ARA Libertad
• Chile – Esmeralda
• Colombia – ARC Gloria
• Ecuador – Guayas
• Uruguay – Capitán Miranda
• Venezuela – Simón Bolívar
• Spain – Juan Sebastián de Elcano
• Mexico – ARM Cuauhutémoc
• Portugal – NRP Sagres
• Brazil – Cisne Branco
• The Netherlands — Europa
• Panama – Xplore
• The United States – USCGC Eagle

After departing from Rio de Janeiro, this flotilla made its way to the South Atlantic. To reach the Pacific Ocean, several of the ships circle around Cape Horn while the others crossed the Strait of Magellan instead. (The accompanying photo features a few ships taking the latter of those routes.) The fleet then headed north and, after traveling through the Panama Canal, sailed to the  major port city of Veracruz, Mexico, for the completion of the celebratory expedition on June 28.

During the course of Velas Sudamerica 2010 in its entirety, this fleet stopped at a total of 13 ports. The visit to the seaport at Valparaiso, Chile, exemplified the rousing receptions accorded the ships at those destinations. The Miami-based El Nuevo Herald, in reporting on what it called the “spectacular arrival” of the vessels at Valparaiso, confirmed that thousands of people were lined up along the coast there to welcome the vessels and their respective crews. Those taking part in this large-scale welcome included Admiral Edmundo González (born in 1956), who was commander-in-chief of the Chilean Navy from 2009 to 2013.

Velas Sudamerica 2010, from its launch in Rio de Janeiro to the grand finale in Veracruz nearly five months later, covered about 15,000 nautical miles (27,780 kilometers) altogether.

Photo Credit: Serge Ouachée (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license at CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported | Creative Commons

For more information on Velas Sudamerica 2010, please check out Velas Sudamerica 2010 – Wikipedia