OpSail Parade of Ships Today in Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads and Norfolk

     Virginia Beach, Va. -- Mariners are advised that the captain of the port of Hampton Roads will establish a safety zone today, June 8, on Tuesday, June 12 in connection with the OpSail 2012 Parade of Sail.
The regulated area is all waters within 100 yards of any OpSail vessel while operating in the navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay or its tributaries, south of the Maryland-Virginia border. Mariners must remain outside the regulated area unless otherwise authorized by the captain of the port or his representative.

     The International fleet of tall ships began arriving on Thursday. They are anchored in Lynnhaven Roads, just north of the John A. Lesner Bridge on the Virginia Beach waterfront.

     The Parade of Sail will begin at 7 a.m. this morning. The fleet will parade from the Lynnhaven Roads anchorage through Thimble Shoals Channel, past the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (between Trestles A and B) and past Fort Monroe in Hampton. From there, the ships will move through Hampton Roads and up the Elizabeth River to downtown Norfolk. The first ships in the parade will reach Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk at noon today. Ships will then proceed to their docks in downtown Norfolk, or in other affiliate ports, before opening to the public for tours.