Tall ships to begin arriving for Conn. festival

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — Tall ships are expected to begin arriving for a three-day festival, OpSail 2012, in southeastern Connecticut.

Organizers say the fleet will have a staggered arrival on Friday afternoon in Niantic Bay, with many arriving between noon and 3 p.m. After they anchor, crews are scheduled to come ashore in East Lyme for a welcoming ceremony. A food stroll is planned in Niantic.

Twenty-four ships, including some military vessels, are scheduled to be on hand for this weekend's event. They will head from Niantic to New London on Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m., for a welcoming parade.

Besides the mouth of the Niantic River, there are good viewing spots along the Waterford shoreline and Harkness Memorial State Park, Ocean Beach Park, and the New London and Groton shorelines.

Link: www.opsail2012ct.org