In 2018, thousands of people from Texas and beyond lined the sidewalks and beaches of the Galveston Seawall, armed with binoculars, telephoto lenses, and telescopes. They came for an unprecedented sight: six historical sailing ships, moving at full mast in a parade up and down the Galveston coast.
That event, the Tall Ships Challenge, was such a success that the Galveston Historical Foundation has decided to host it again, from April 13-16, at the historic Galveston seaport. Four new ships will be sailing into Galveston for this year’s event, joining two returning ships: When and If, a wood-hulled schooner built in 1939, and Galveston’s own Elissa, an iron-hulled commercial cargo vessel built in 1877.