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home > research > 20260711-boston-tall-ships · Jul 17, 2026
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Boston Tall Ships 2026: ADS-B and AIS Coverage

Table of Contents

Overview

July 11-17, 2026. Boston Harbor. Tall Ships festival. Dual RTL-SDR receivers capturing aircraft (ADS-B 1090 MHz) and vessels (AIS 162 MHz).

Timeline

Date Event ADS-B AIS Notes
Jul 10 Ships arrive - - Opening ceremony
Jul 11 Parade of Sail 6.83M msgs 78k ~340 Logan flights delayed
Jul 12 Ships at dock 5.78M msgs 85k Public boarding opens
Jul 13 Crew parade 6.49M msgs 77k Lufthansa A380 spotted
Jul 14 Early departures 6.14M msgs 91k Elissa, Gorch Fock leave
Jul 15 Closing fireworks 6.48M msgs 92k Peak vessel count
Jul 16 Fleet departure 6.59M msgs 61k Oosterschelde to Quincy
Jul 17 Final departures tracking   MIRCEA et al depart

Parade of Sail (Jul 11)

Time Event
09:00 Parade begins, USS Constitution leads
10:15 F/A-18 Navy jet flyover
16:00 Parade concludes
17:00 Public boarding opens
17:30 UK Red Arrows flyover
21:15 Fireworks (Fan Pier)

~340 Logan flights delayed, 18 canceled due to ships passing under approach paths.

Setup

hydra (FreeBSD 14.3)          pi (Raspberry Pi 5)
├── RTL-SDR V4 (AIS)          └── NESDR SMArt v5
├── RTL2832U (ADS-B)              └── PiAware → FlightAware
├── dump1090 :30004
├── sbs-logger → CSV
├── ais-capture → CSV
└── adsb-server :8081

Location: East Boston, 1.2 mi from KBOS Logan (42.369°N, 71.041°W)

Totals (Jul 11-16)

ADS-B

Receiver Messages Share
hydra2 17,860,578 46.6%
pi 20,453,107 53.4%
Total 38,313,685  

AIS

Metric Value
Total messages 484,672
Cached vessels 29
Tall ships 9
Coast Guard vessels 6

Participating Ships

60+ ships from 20+ countries. Largest Sail Boston since 2000.

International Naval Training Ships (Class A)

Ship Flag Type Length Built MMSI
Amerigo Vespucci Italy Ship 331 ft 1931 247999000
ARA Libertad Argentina Ship 341 ft 1963 701000001
BAP Union Peru 4-mast bark 379 ft 2015 760105000
Esmeralda Chile Barquentine 371 ft 1953 725019006
Dar Mlodziezy Poland Ship 357 ft 1982 261148000
USCGC Eagle USA Barque 295 ft 1936 303990000
MIRCEA Romania Barque 269 ft 1938 264800057
Sagres Portugal Barque 294 ft 1937 263141000
Gorch Fock Germany Barque 292 ft 1958 211210280
ARC Gloria Colombia Barque 212 ft 1968 730153580
BAE Guayas Ecuador Barque 257 ft 1976 735059037
Capitan Miranda Uruguay Schooner 210 ft 1930 770576100
INS Sudarshini India Barque 177 ft 2011  

Military (Non-Sail)

Ship Flag Type Length Notes
USS Constitution USA Frigate 305 ft Led parade
LHD Juan Carlos I Spain Amphibious assault 758 ft Largest ship at event
USS Arlington USA Transport dock 684 ft  
TS Patriot State USA Training ship 525 ft MA Maritime Academy

Notable Vessels (AIS Captured)

Tall Ships

MMSI Name Flag Type Length Built
244750537 OOSTERSCHELDE Netherlands Schooner 164 ft 1918
264800057 MIRCEA Romania Barque 269 ft 1938
369914081 USS CONSTITUTION USA Frigate 204 ft 1797
366325930 SSV TABOR BOY USA Topsail schooner 115 ft 1914
369018000 WHEN AND IF USA Schooner 80 ft 1939
368137770 MAYFLOWER II USA Ship (replica) 106 ft 1957
338427000 REBECCA USA Schooner 138 ft 2001
368354270 BELLE NICOLE USA Sailing 43 ft  
368290020 SERENITY USA Sailing 46 ft  
367434230 MOON SHADOW USA Sailing 36 ft  

Notable Ship Details

  • SSV TABOR BOY (366325930): Built in Netherlands as "Loodsschoener II". Only USCG-inspected vessel licensed with all-student crew. Home: Marion, MA.
  • WHEN AND IF (369018000): Designed by John Alden for General George S. Patton. Name from his plan to sail "when and if I return from the war." Wrecked 1990, rebuilt 1994.
  • MAYFLOWER II (368137770): Full-scale 1620 replica. National Register of Historic Places (2020). Operated by Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

Coast Guard

MMSI Name Class Length Commissioned
338926454 CGC WILLIAM SPARLING Sentinel (WPC-1154) 154 ft Oct 2023
366999710 CGC STURGEON Marine Protector 87 ft Sep 2001
338926143 CG26143 Response Boat-Medium 45 ft  
369990137 CG29137 Response Boat-Medium 45 ft  
369990186 CG29186 Response Boat-Medium 45 ft  
369493708 CG45708 Response Boat-Medium 45 ft  

CGC William Sparling (WPC-1154): 54th Sentinel-class cutter, homeported CG Base Boston. Named for WWII Silver Star recipient Coxswain William Sparling.

Data Pipeline

SBS Logger

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""ADS-B SBS → CSV with receiver attribution."""
import socket
import csv
from datetime import datetime, timezone

def log_sbs(host, port, receiver_name, output_path):
    sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
    sock.connect((host, port))

    with open(output_path, 'a', newline='') as f:
        writer = csv.writer(f)
        while True:
            line = sock.recv(1024).decode().strip()
            if not line:
                continue
            fields = line.split(',')
            ts = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
            writer.writerow([ts, receiver_name] + fields)
            f.flush()

AIS Capture

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""NMEA sentences → CSV."""
import serial
import csv
from datetime import datetime, timezone

def log_ais(device, output_path):
    ser = serial.Serial(device, 38400)

    with open(output_path, 'a', newline='') as f:
        writer = csv.writer(f)
        while True:
            line = ser.readline().decode().strip()
            if line.startswith('!'):
                ts = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
                writer.writerow([ts, line])
                f.flush()

Hourly Rotation

# crontab entry
0 * * * * cd /mnt/usb/adsb/raw && \
  gzip -c latest.csv > $(date -u +\%Y\%m\%d-\%H).csv.gz && \
  echo "recv_timestamp,receiver,msg_type,..." > latest.csv

Monitoring

check process dump1090 with pidfile /var/run/dump1090.pid
  start program = "/usr/local/bin/dump1090 --net"
  stop program = "/bin/kill -TERM `cat /var/run/dump1090.pid`"
  if failed host 127.0.0.1 port 30003 protocol tcp
    with timeout 10 seconds
    then restart

check file sbs-data-freshness with path /mnt/usb/adsb/raw/latest.csv
  if timestamp > 2 minutes then alert

Departure Day (Jul 17)

In progress - ships departing today

Departure Tracking

Per NBC Boston (Jul 16): Ships depart on own schedules throughout Jul 17, no Parade of Sail. Coordinated with Coast Guard.

Early Departures (Jul 14)

Per sailboston.com:

  • [X] AMERIGO VESPUCCI (Italy) - Seaport Pier 5
  • [X] USCGC EAGLE (USA) - Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 1
  • [X] ARC GLORIA (Colombia) - Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 11
  • [X] SSV TABOR BOY (USA) - Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 8
  • [X] LHD JUAN CARLOS I (Spain) - marked "Departed"

Jul 16 Departures

  • [X] OOSTERSCHELDE - Rowes Wharf → Quincy Marina Bay (Jul 16-19)

Docked Overnight (confirmed via AIS)

  • [ ] MIRCEA - last AIS 22:13 UTC Jul 16
  • [ ] ESMERALDA - last AIS 23:37 UTC Jul 16
  • [ ] BLUENOSE II - mentioned in NBC article

Pending Jul 17 Departures

  • [ ] Final AIS message counts
  • [ ] Coast Guard escort coverage

Dock Locations (per sailboston.com)

Dock Ships
Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 1 USS Constitution, (Eagle departed)
Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 4 MIRCEA, Dar Młodzieży
Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 6 Angelique, Columbia, Tyrone, Virginia
Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 8 American Eagle, Bloodhound, Hindu,
  Liberty Clipper, Malabar II, When And If
Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 11 BAE Guayas, (Gloria departed)
Commonwealth Pier Capitán Miranda, Esmeralda, BAP Unión
Boston Fish Pier Gorch Fock, Sagres, INS Sudarshini
Fan Pier Bluenose II, Elissa, Mayflower II,
  Spirit of Bermuda
Seaport Pier 5 (Amerigo Vespucci departed), ARA Libertad
Seaport Wharf 8 Ernestina-Morrissey, HMS Gladan,
  Juan Bautista Cambiaso, Lynx
Rowes Wharf Kalmar Nyckel, (Oosterschelde departed)
Moakley Courthouse Adventure, Bowdoin, Denis Sullivan,
  Harvey Gamage, Lewis H. Story,
  Pride of Baltimore II, Thomas E. Lannon
Black Falcon USS Arlington, TS Patriot State

Oosterschelde

Dutch three-masted schooner (1918, 164 ft). Docked at Rowes Wharf during event. Post-Boston route: Quincy → Canada → Spain → France → Netherlands (November 2026). Boston.com article

MIRCEA (Romania)

Romanian Navy training barque, flagship of the fleet.

Specifications

Attribute Value
MMSI 264800057
Type Barque (Class A tall ship)
Builder Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Year Built 1938
Length 82.1 m (269 ft)
Beam 12 m (39 ft)
Displacement 1,844 tons
Masts 3 (44 m height)
Sails 23 sails, 1,750 m² area
Speed (sail) 16+ knots
Crew 89 permanent + 135 trainees
Home Port Constanta, Romania

Sister Ships (Gorch Fock class)

Ship Country Status
MIRCEA Romania Active
USCGC Eagle United States Active
Gorch Fock II Germany Active
Sagres III Portugal Active
Tovarisch Ukraine Decommissioned

2026 Voyage

Date Location
16 Apr Departed Constanta
19-23 Jun Norfolk, VA (Sail250 Virginia)
Late Jun Baltimore, MD
4 Jul New York - Hudson River parade
9 Jul Five Sisters Cup race (NY→Provincetown)
11-16 Jul Boston - Charlestown Navy Yard Pier 4
Sep 2026 Return to Constanta

History

Named after Mircea the Old (Mircea cel Bătrân), 14th-century Wallachian ruler. Seized by USSR 1944-1946 (renamed "Rion"). Previous Boston visit: 2009.

S/V Vela (British Virgin Islands)

112 ft schooner, built 2020 in Thailand. Operated by Sea-mester (Sarasota, FL).

Crew

  • Captain: Mac LaBarge, 25 (Nauset High 2019, Dennis MA)
  • Chief Mate: Sam Peene

2026 Voyage

Completed circumnavigation Jan 2025 - Apr 2026: Antigua → Panama → Pacific → Fiji → Bali → Indian Ocean → Cape Town → Brazil → Antigua

Arrived Provincetown July 9, sailed overnight to Boston for Jul 11 parade. Continuing to Lisbon and Mediterranean for fall semester.

Provincetown Fleet

Three ships sailed from Provincetown to Boston (Jul 10-11):

  • S/V Hindu (owned by Erin Desmond & Josh Rowan)
  • S/V Bloodhound (owned by Erin Desmond & Josh Rowan)
  • S/V Appledore IV - steel-hulled schooner (newest)

Analysis Queries

-- Unique aircraft by day
SELECT date(first_seen) as day, COUNT(DISTINCT icao) as aircraft
FROM aircraft
WHERE first_seen >= '2026-07-11'
GROUP BY date(first_seen);

-- Helicopter activity
SELECT icao, registration, COUNT(*) as sightings
FROM aircraft a
JOIN aircraft_metadata m ON a.icao = m.icao
WHERE m.icon = 'helicopter'
  AND a.first_seen >= '2026-07-11'
GROUP BY icao;

# Count messages by day
for day in 11 12 13 14 15 16 17; do
  count=$(zcat /mnt/usb/adsb/raw/hydra2-latest.csv/2026/07/$day/*.csv.gz 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
  echo "Jul $day: $count"
done

Event Summary

  • Scale: 60+ ships, 20+ countries, 1M+ visitors
  • Duration: 5 days (July 11-16)
  • Occasion: Sail250 (America's 250th anniversary)
  • Impact: ~340 Logan flights delayed during Parade of Sail
  • Previous: Fifth Boston tall ships event since 1992

Links