Mike Efford has definitely witnessed several changes to Port of Baltimore in his35 years as a harbor pilot.
“There was no Light Street Pavilion back then,” said Efford of Baltimore?s port in the 1960s.
“United Fruit Co. unloaded bananas right where the U.S.S. Constellation is now.”
Efford, who converted a tugboat into a yacht on which he lives, is helping to organize Saturday?s tugboat parade to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Baltimore Steam Tug.
The Steam Tug is the last operational, hand-fired, coal-burning steam tug on the East Coast, said Walter Mathers of Baltimore Chesapeake Steamboat Co., a nonprofit also organizing the tug event.
About 35 boats will parade from Fort McHenry into the Harbor, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, as part of Family Fun Weekend, which continues the 300th anniversary celebrations of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.
“We?ve got steam launchers, commercial tugs, retired tugs, museum tugs. We have Bay pilots and docking pilots, and we?ve got the 1902 tugboat Jupiter, which came out of Philadelphia,” said Mathers.
Children?s activities will include kedging ? the process of dropping anchor and pulling the boat forward in the case of no wind ? knotting, signaling and using naval terms.
This year has been the first centennial celebration in the port?s history, starting with events in January and lasting through December, said Rebecca Barber with the Maryland Port Administration.
“After the 100th [anniversary], Baltimore did nothing, and after the 200th, there was the Great Fire that took down half of Baltimore, leaving the city in no mood to celebrate at that time,” Barber said.
Also as part of Family Fun Weekend, bus tours will take celebrators onto the port terminals for a behind-the-scenes look at daily port operations.
“We used to do this terminal tour annually, but have cut back due to security,” said Barber. Visitors will be asked to present identification and will be screened before boarding buses.
IF YOU GO
Saturday
» 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Bus tours leaving from Point Breeze Maritime Center, 2310 Broening Highway
» 11:30 a.m.: Tugboat Parade, Fort McHenry to Inner Harbor
Sunday
» 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Bus tours leaving from Point Breeze Maritime Center, 2310 Broening Highway
» 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Workboat Regatta, Canton Basin to Naval Reserve Center
» For more information: portofbaltimore300.org.
