Mexican Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc to Visit Norfolk for Memorial Day Weekend

Media Advisory Media Contact:
For Immediate Release Karen Scherberger, Norfolk Festevents
April 6, 2015 P: 757.441.2345
E: [email protected]

MEXICAN TALL SHIP ARM CUAUHTEMOC
TO VISIT NORFOLK FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
NORFOLK IS ONLY U.S. PORT CALL
Norfolk, VA (April 6, 2015) – On Thursday, May 21, 2015 the Mexican Navy sail training tall ship the “ARM CUAUHTEMOC” is scheduled to arrive in Downtown Norfolk, docking at Otter Berth next to Waterside. The ARM CUAUHTEMOC’s last visit to Norfolk was in the spring of 2013 and was also part of the OpSail2012 Virginia fleet. The ship will depart on Monday, May 25, 2015. The City of Norfolk is the only US port call for the ship’s 2015 sail training tour.
Ship tours are free and open to the public.
CUAUHTEMOC Public Tour Times:
• Thursday, May 21, 2015 – 11AM – 4PM
• Friday, May 22, 2015 – 10AM – 8PM
• Saturday May, 23, 2015 – 10AM – 8PM
• Sunday, May 24, 2015 – 10AM – 8PM

The CUAUHTEMOC, commissioned under the Mexican Navy, sails with 42 officers, 43 cadets and 125 enlisted crew members. Launched in July 1982, the vessel is 270 ft with her homeport in Acapulco, Mexico. The CUAUHTEMOC serves Mexico as the training vessel for the Mexican Navy, a role she has fulfilled for more than twenty years. She participates in worldwide tall ship events while teaching the essential elements of seamanship and navigation, taking more than one hundred cadets to sea for each of its cruises. The program helps develop individual leadership skills and teambuilding skills while at sea.
Facts & History: ARM Cuauhtémoc
• The training tall ship CUAUHTÉMOC was built for the Mexican Navy in the Celaya shipyards (Bilbao, Spain) and launched in July 1982. She was the last of four windjammers built by Bilbao shipyards (her predecessors were the GLORIA for Columbia, the GUAYAS for Ecuador, and the SIMON BOLIVAR for Venezuela). The CUAUHTÉMOC is named for the last Aztec emperor who was imprisoned and executed by the conquistador, Herman Cortes, in 1525.
• Overall Length: 270 ft
• Rig: Barque
• Height of Rig: 39 ft
• 42 officers; 43 Cadets/Midshipmen; 125 Enlisted. Average age of cadets is 18-22

For more information on events, including hours, park regulations and parking please visit www.festevents.org or call 757.441.2345.
Norfolk Festevents, Ltd., based in Norfolk, Virginia, is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating the most dynamic urban waterfront community in America through innovative programming and imaginative uses of its historic waterfront spaces. An extensive 10 month schedule of diverse outdoor cultural events, festivals, concerts, entertainment, holiday programs, tall ship visits, sports and recreation are presented in two popular and welcoming waterfront environments—Town Point Park located in downtown Norfolk on the banks of the Elizabeth River and Ocean View Beach Park situated on the shore line of the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk Festevents has served as the City of Norfolk’s official event marketing agency since the city’s downtown waterfront revitalization initiatives began in 1982. The organization has garnered international acclaim for its advocacy for public access to waterfronts, outstanding quality programming, and development of public spaces, transforming Norfolk into one of the most progressive, fun and livable waterfront communities in the country.
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