Portuguese Tall Ship Visits San Diego

Monday, 07 June 2010
Contact: Dale Frost (619) 686-6461

[Updated Information]

The Portuguese tall ship Sagres sailed into San Diego Bay on Monday, June 7, 2010, while on an around-the-world voyage.

“I always want to show the sails and the Portuguese flag when coming into port,” Commander Pedro Proenca Mendes said after the vessel docked at the North Embarcadero.

The three-masted, 295-foot-long ship serves as a training vessel for cadets in the Portuguese Navy and as a traveling goodwill ambassador for Portugal.

Sagres docked adjacent to the San Diego Maritime Museum at the North Embarcadero. It will be open for public touring during its one-week visit.

The name Sagres derives from the historic port that sent forth many famed Portuguese explorers and navigators centuries ago.

"The Sagres visit will help bring awareness to the San Diego Maritime Museum's plans to build a replica of the San Salvador--flagship of Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo," said Robyn Gallant, the museum's director of public relations and events.

Early explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542.

Sagres has sailed under the Portuguese flag for the last 48 years, logging thousands of miles at sea and visiting hundreds of ports.

Sagres was built in 1937 in Hamburg, Germany, and is a sister ship to the United States Coast Guard vessel Eagle.

Both vessels have previously visited San Diego and participated in Festival of Sail events along the North Embarcadero.

From San Diego, Sagres will sail across the Pacific to Honolulu, Hawaii, and onward to World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. The World Expo is held from May to October 2010. The vessel will participate in celebrations highlighting the arrival of the Portuguese to the Orient more than 500 years ago.

For public visiting hours while Sagres is in San Diego, please go to sdmaritime.org/sagres-visiting-hours/

Admission is free to tour Sagres. Visitors are encouraged to also tour the San Diego Maritime Museum vessels.

Admission is $14 for adults and $8 children.

The Maritime Museum is a tenant and partner of the Port of San Diego.