Whether it’s tall ships or navy ships, people love to inspect every inch of them.
“I find it very interesting,” said Gary Spears of Halifax. “You never get an opportunity to get on these ships.”
Thousands of people visited the international ships in town for the Fleet Review over the weekend. More than 20 ships and 5,000 sailors are in town for the week.
Spears and his wife, Cathy, toured the HMCS Toronto and the BNS Independencia yesterday, but they wanted to get on the aircraft carriers. Problem is, so did everybody else: The lineups outside CFB Halifax were long all weekend.
“The sea always tends to draw the people whether it’s the tall ships or these,” Spears said.
“When you leave the ship, you leave with such a sense of pride,” added Cathy.
For pharmaceutical student Johannah Profit, touring the ships offered her a sneak peek at a possible career path.
“They try to get us to sign with the navy so I was thinking about it. It’s a good way to try to see what they do, what the boats are like,” she said.
One difference she noticed between the ships she visited yesterday was their security.
“The States seem to be a lot more security-heavy with the metal-detectors. The Canadian one you just walked right on.”
Nine-year-old Sam Jillett of Halifax was eager to get aboard yesterday. He’d never been on a boat before and was very excited.
“I think it’s going to be cool,” he said. “I’ve seen some shows with the navy and stuff.”
There are no public tours today or tomorrow because of the Queen’s visit. The tours resume on Wednesday.
Schedule
• Today: The ships are moving into the Bedford Basin for review tomorrow
• Tomorrow: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh review the ships from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ships are open for public tours
• Until Thursday: From noon-6 p.m. the Naval Centennial Village has displays, exhibits, ship models and a pub
• Friday: Ships leave the harbour
