Tall Ship Gloria Visits D.C.

By Ned Chalker

I got a call from the Colombia Embassy in early July asking if I would help bring their tall ship La Gloria to Washington on July 22. The Colombian government wanted to show the flag while the free trade agreement was being negotiated. I’m past president of the Potomac River Pilots Association and am currently with the National Maritime Heritage Foundation, so they thought I might be able to help.

The first obstacle was getting the ship through the new Wilson Bridge, which crosses the Potomac just south of the city. The river had been closed to river traffic for the past six months while new draw spans were being put in place. The eight draw spans, at 200 tons each, are a marvel of engineering, but were not scheduled to be tested until July 17.

Gloria left San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday, July 13, heading north. The plan was that if the new bridge spans had trouble opening, Gloria would turn around and go back to its home port in Cartagena.

Fair winds and favorable currents brought Gloria into the Potomac several days early, before tests were completed. They anchored off Mount Vernon and used the time to spruce up the ship—polish the brass and put new coats of varnish on her bright work. We scheduled the bridge opening for Sunday morning, July 22, when traffic on I-95, the main north/south artery on the east coast, would be at a minimum.

Gloria showed up at the bridge at her appointed time, Wilson Bridge opened, and she became the first vessel to pass through. But she faced a second obstacle— water, or rather, lack of water. Gloria came through the bridge at low tide. There’s a sand bar at the entrance to the Washington Channel, and at low tide the depth is only nine feet. Gloria draws 12.5 feet. So we had to drop anchor and wait six hours while the tide came in.

At 3 p.m. we docked at the city pier, where about 1,500 enthusiastic Colombians were on hand to greet the ship. A party con música típica ensued, and Arleen Cheston and I had a chance to chat up the Ambassador and the Minister of Defense about our planned visit to Cartagena in February. Being gracious hosts, the Colombians offered FOC the use of the Gloria for a cocktail party during the conference. Needless to say, we accepted their offer. See you aboard La Gloria in Cartagena!