Guayas arrives in Baltimore in style

BALTIMORE (WMAR) - In the year 1812 Baltimore, its Harbor and Fort were at the center of what is now naval history.

The year is now 2012 and Baltimore again is at the center of the naval world.  From June 14 to June 18 naval vessels from around the world will be gracing our fair city.

"Sailabration is a salute to America's Naval power and a commemoration of the War of 1812, and as such as part of a grand celebration that's going on along the eastern seaboard Baltimore is host to 40 naval vessels and about 10 to 15 tall ships both class A's and class B's,” says Lisa Shenkle with Saul Baltimore.

Ships from 12 countries entered the outer harbor and came under the Key Bridge. Among those is the Guayas a tall ship from Ecuador in South America. A ship built in 1977 and now serves as a training vessel for sailors of the countries naval academy.

"This ship has 250 fits and we are sailing now 161 peoples," said Captain A. Villavicencio.

Of the 161 people on board, eight are women and these ships have all the technology at their disposal things that couldn't imagined in 1812. As the ship sailed by Fort McHenry a volley of cannon fire erupted.  

The Fort and arriving vessels exchanged 21 gun salutes.

The Guayas has been at sea since April 2 and won’t return to Ecuador until December.

Party they do, with they're own band blasting Latin music up the bay, Sailors on every level of the ships’ mast and people on the shores welcoming these ambassadors of the high seas.

Operations Officer F. Vasquez says that "every day’s gonna be open to visit to all people to come and visit the tall ships and know something about us."

Take some time and show some love to these visitors from across the globe as they have come into the charmed city on the bay. It will help you appreciate the lives sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy in our country.