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To Do in RI: 2 Tall Ships close by. Sagres (now) in New Bedford. Eagle (soon) in Newport
After more than 10 years, and after the historic parade of Tall Ships in nearby Boston, the historic Portuguese Naval vessel Sagres has returned to New Bedford.
The Navio da Republica Portuguesa (ship of the Portuguese Republic) Sagres sails into New Bedford Harbor on Sunday, July 19. The Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey and the City’s authentic Azorean whaleboats will escort it to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, 16 Blackmer St., where it will dock and kick off four days of public tours and events.
“We are excited to welcome the Sagres back to the Port of New Bedford,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “The vessel is an emblem of the City’s deep and enduring relationship to Portugal and a reflection of our mutual connection to the sea. I encourage residents of Greater New Bedford to take the opportunity to tour the vessel and learn about its fascinating history.”
This is the ship’s third visit to New Bedford and first since 2015. The first visit, in 1996, coincided with the dedication of the monument to Prince Henry the Navigator on Pope’s Island. It returned in 2015, docking at State Pier for two days during a tour of the East Coast.
The steel-built, three-masted barque is easily recognizable by its bright white hull and square sails that feature the red crosses of the Order of Christ. It has sailed under the Portuguese flag since 1962, serving as a training vessel for generations of navy sailors.
Sagres arrived on Sunday, July 19. The best viewing areas for its arrival include the Harbor Walk on Gifford Street and along the eastern side of the peninsula in the South End.
The public tours are finishing up TODAY and WEDNESDAY – Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The New Bedford Chapter of the Prince Henry Society will host a wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the monument on Pope’s Island.
The New Bedford Whaling Museum and Azorean Maritime Heritage Society are co-presenting a special program at the museum on Tuesday – TODAY. Sagres Commander Jose Eduardo de Sousa Luis will give a presentation on the ship’s history, its voyages over the years, and its role as a cultural ambassador for Portugal. Following his talk, Francisco António Duarte Lopes, Ambassador of Portugal, will deliver remarks. Tickets for the event are available on the Whaling Museum’s website.
Sagres will head back out to sea on Thursday, July 23 at 10 a.m.
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“America’s Tall Ship,” U.S. Coast Guard Barque EAGLE to Visit RI
Every USCG officer commissioned into the service since the 1940s has sailed aboard the EAGLE, which will dock in Newport July 31 to August 3
The 295-foot sailing vessel U.S. Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE (WIX 327) is scheduled to visit the Ocean State during the last weekend of July through early August and will be open to visitors. The USCG Barque EAGLE is a tall ship and the premier sail training vessel of the United States.
Members of the public are invited to step aboard this ‘national treasure’ of a ship where past, present, and future U.S. Coast Guard officers learn the “old ways” of sailing and how the forces of nature like wind, waves, and currents impact ships at sea.
The EAGLE will be moored in Newport at State Pier #9, directly to the west and abutting Mary Ferrazoli Park, and is scheduled to offer free public tours from Friday, July 31 to Monday August 3. Admission is free and no tickets will be required for entry.
Newport is one of several ports of call for the EAGLE during the cutter’s 106-day journey along the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico, with other stops scheduled in places like Pensacola, Baltimore, Charleston, New Orleans, New York City, Boston, and Portland.
The EAGLE is a three-masted sailing barque with teak decks and more than 22,300 square feet of sail and six miles of rigging. Homeported at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, the EAGLE is the only active square-rigger in United States government service. It usually has a crew of eight officers and 50 enlisted personnel and trains up to 150 cadets or officers on any voyage. It is Captained by Captain Kris Ensley who took command of EAGLE in June of 2025.
The ship was taken by the Allies among war reparations from the Germans at the conclusion of World War II concluded in 1945 and the U.S. won it in a prize drawing with the British and Soviet navies. The EAGLE has served as a training vessel for Coast Guard Academy cadets and candidates from officer candidate school. The mission of EAGLE is to develop and grow future officers, and every cadet will spend at least six weeks on board learning seamanship, navigation, and leadership skills.
The last time EAGLE visited Rhode Island was in 2022 during the 50th celebration of Tall Ships America.
For the latest information about EAGLE, including port cities, tour schedules, current events, as well as cadet and active-duty crew member photographs, check out the U.S. Coast Guard Barque EAGLE Instagram page: @barqueeagle.
Two more 360-foot twin USGC OPCs that weigh in at about 4,500 long tons when fully loaded, will soon be homeporting in Rhode Island.
Newport is also home to USCGC TAHOMA (WMEC-908) and USCGC CAMPBELL (WMEC-909) – soon to be swapped out for USCGC LEGARE (WMEC 912) – USCGC OAK, USCGC SYCAMORE, USCGC IDA LEWIS, as well as Station Castle Hill and Point Judith. These multi-mission assets service aids-to-navigation, conduct search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, ports and waterways security, living marine resources, and defense and homeland security missions.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE (WIX 327) by the numbers:
Length: 295 feet, 233 feet at waterline
Beam: greatest 39.1 feet
Displacement: 1,816 tons
Lead ballast: 344 tons
Mainmast: 147.3 feet
Foremast: 147.3 feet
Mizzenmast: 132 feet
Speed under power: 11 knots
Speed under full sail: 17.5 knots
Number of sails: 23
Sail area: 22,300 square feet
Engine: 1,000 horsepower diesel Caterpillar D399 engine
Maximum capacity: 239
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