As you’ve probably heard, the Victoria Tall Ships Festival has been postponed for this year due to a lack of funding. But 5 visiting tall ships will still be gracing the Inner Harbour this summer! There are no public engagements planned, but the ships will be participating in the 2011 Summer Educational Outreach Programme, which will give youths amazing opportunities to sail on tall ships.

The Stikky Media team is incredibly excited about this announcement because we’re lending a hand! Throughout the summer, we’ll be helping the Victoria Tall Ships Society spread the magic of the sea by providing social media training and support and by blogging about our firsthand experiences on the ships.

On June 1, I’ll be joining navy cadets on the Hawaiian Chieftain, a topsail ketch from Grays Harbor, Washington. It’s a replica of a typical European merchant trader from the turn of the nineteenth century—her hull and rigging are similar to Spanish explorer’s ships—and was originally intended for cargo trade among the Hawaiian Islands. Now, it’s used by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority for educational cruises, ambassadorial visits and sail training.

I’m used to sailing on 15-foot skiffs, so I’m unbelievably excited about hopping aboard a 103-foot tall ship with a whopping 75-foot mast (I actually lost sleep over it last night). The navy cadets and I will spend the whole day sailing from Victoria to Sidney and will top the day off with a visit to the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.

From June 10 to 12, Zodiac (the largest working schooner on the West Coast) and Adventuress (a gaff topsail schooner) will take diverse community groups, including the Boys and Girls Club and First Nations youth, on day sails in and out of the Inner Harbour. Members of the Stikky Team will join the sail on Friday June 10, but we’re still drawing straws to determine who gets to go.