CLEVELAND -- Get ready to set sail next year when the Tall Ships make their return to Cleveland.
Ten ships will visit Cleveland's lakefront as part of the 2019 Cleveland Tall Ships Festival from July 11-14. Seven are boarding ships and three will be sail-away ships. Six are American ships, three are Canadian and one is an international vessel from the Cook Islands.
The boarding vessels will dock north of FirstEnergy Stadium and the city is still determining locations for the sail-aways.
Visitors will have a chance to explore the ships, set sail on them and learn about their history while also enjoying food and live entertainment during the three-day festival.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, who was in attendance at a news conference announcing the ships' visit Monday, noted their historical context to the city of Cleveland.
"Then, they were just sail vessels and they provided movement of commerce and they allowed for the development of cities like Cleveland," Jackson said. "So it's a very important loop, not only the Tall Ships today and reminiscing, but it's really about the historical perspective of what made Cleveland and other Great Lakes cities what they are today. That would not have happened without these vessels."
The ships will make 10 stops at 11 ports during this summer's tour of the Great Lakes, which also includes visits to Buffalo, Toronto and Green Bay.