Table of Contents
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Pride of Baltimore II, a reproduction of a 19th-century Baltimore Clipper topsail schooner, is set to sail into Alexandria's harbor in the early hours of Thursday, April 30, prompting the temporary opening of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.
The City of Alexandria announced the bridge opening Wednesday afternoon in a traffic alert.
"Traffic Alert: The Pride of Baltimore II will be sailing into Alexandria's harbor at midnight (12 a.m.) on Thursday, April 30," the city posted on social media. "The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge will open to allow the ship's passage. Expect delays and follow all posted signs."
The visit is the first official voyage of Pride of Baltimore II's 2026 sailing season, according to a Facebook post from Pride of Baltimore Inc., the nonprofit that operates the ship. The ship departed Baltimore Tuesday morning under power, with plans to lay on sail as conditions allowed, and was expected to spend Tuesday night at anchor before proceeding up the Potomac to clear the Wilson Bridge around midnight Thursday.
"We're going on an adventure," the nonprofit wrote in announcing the trip. "PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II will be getting underway tomorrow and is bound for Alexandria, Virginia. This is the first official voyage of our 2026 sailing season and we are thrilled to be returning to Old Town."
Free deck tours and day sails
The ship will dock at the G/H Pier of the Alexandria City Marina near Founders Park, where it has tied up during previous visits. The visit will run through Sunday, May 3, with departure scheduled for 4 a.m. Monday, May 4.
The full schedule of public events:
- Friday, May 1, noon to 8 p.m. — Free deck tours
- Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Day sail
- Saturday, May 2, 2 to 4 p.m. — Day sail
- Saturday, May 2, 5 to 8 p.m. — Free deck tours
- Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. to noon — Day sail
- Sunday, May 3, 1 to 6 p.m. — Free deck tours
Day sail tickets are $55 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under, and are available at pride2.org. The two-hour sails take guests onto the Potomac aboard the working topsail schooner.
Pride II joins Tall Ship Providence on the waterfront
While Pride II is in town, visitors can also tour Tall Ship Providence, the 18th-century sloop reproduction that calls Alexandria home. Providence is permanently docked at the Senator John Warner Maritime Heritage Center at Waterfront Park, 1A Prince Street.
Providence is a reproduction of the first ship authorized to serve in the Continental Navy and Captain John Paul Jones' first American command. The ship was built for the American bicentennial in 1976 and arrived in Alexandria in 2019. The Tall Ship Providence Foundation, which owns and operates the vessel, was established in 2017 by a group of Alexandria business leaders. Providence has appeared in two "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
The ship offers immersive tours that take guests back to 1776 as a sailor in the Continental Navy, with an encounter with a costumed Captain John Paul Jones. Tour information is available at tallshipprovidence.org.
The ship and its history
The Pride of Baltimore II is a 157-foot topsail schooner built to the lines of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper. According to Pride of Baltimore Inc., the ship has sailed nearly 250,000 miles and visited more than 200 ports in 40 countries since her launch in 1988.
The ship serves as a goodwill ambassador for Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region. Twelve crew members live aboard and operate the vessel using sailing techniques similar to those used more than 200 years ago.
Pride II was commissioned as a memorial to the original Pride of Baltimore, which was lost at sea in May 1986 when a microburst squall struck the ship 250 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico. The captain and three crew members died; eight crew members were rescued after four days adrift in a partially inflated life raft.
The current ship is a member of the National Park Service's Chesapeake Gateways network and is part of the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.
Pride II has visited Alexandria multiple times in past years, including a three-day stop in October 2023 and a four-day visit in April 2025.
A preview of June's tall ships festival
This week's visit comes weeks before Sails on the Potomac, the City of Alexandria's free three-day tall ships festival scheduled for June 12-14 at Waterfront Park. Council appropriated $376,000 for the festival at its April 28 meeting, including $200,000 from the Virginia America 250 Commission.
The June festival will feature four historic tall ships visiting Alexandria — Gazela, Kalmar Nyckel, Sultana, and Alexandria's own Tall Ship Providence — but not Pride II. The festival is part of Alexandria's broader America 250 calendar, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A free fireworks show is planned for Saturday, June 13 at 9 p.m.
Pride II's broader 2026 schedule includes additional Virginia stops as part of America 250 commemorations. The ship is scheduled to participate in Sail250 Virginia events in Richmond from June 11 to 15 and in Norfolk from June 18 to 23, before returning to Baltimore for Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore from June 24 through July 1.
Tickets and more information about the June festival are available at alexandriava.gov/Sails250.
Track the ship
The ship's route, timing and sails set are dependent on the wind and weather, according to Pride of Baltimore Inc. The ship's location can be tracked at pride2.org. For updates from the ship, follow Pride of Baltimore II on Facebook at facebook.com/prideII.
