July 9, 2009 Tall Ships roll out welcome mat in Boston Play video

(NECN: John Moroney, Boston) - The tall ships are in town. They are majestic and historic, serving as 21st century reminders of Boston's fabled maritime legacy.

"I've never seen anything like it. To think that people existed that way years ago. That's kind of cool.

"We saw them on the water coming into Boston. That was cool because you saw them through the binoculars."

In all, about 40 ships now ring the harbor as part of Sail Boston 2009. They come from 17 different countries, giving modern-day land lovers a taste of what it must have been like to live on the high seas centuries ago.

Click here to view the schedule.

www.sailboston.com

"We did see the galley on the Russian ship. I don't think I would have wanted to be on a ship."

This is the Europa. It's from the Netherlands. Built in 1911 as a lightship, the steel-hulled vessel was restored as a training ship in 1994, and now sails the world with a permanent crew of 14.

The crowds started building along the waterfront as the sun started to come out from behind the clouds. Sail Boston was almost scrapped because of concerns about the cost of security. That didn't happen, making a lot of people very grateful.