If you are looking forward to Tall Ships Sturgeon Bay this weekend, you can get a preview right now along the city’s downtown shoreline. The first vessels began arriving before 9 a.m. on Tuesday, with the When and If and the Liberty Clipper docking first. The Utopia is expected to arrive at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with the Pride of Baltimore II pulling in later in the week. It is just part of the job for crew members like Jake Ryder, who is a ship’s carpenter on the Liberty Clipper. After departing Boston in June, Ryder and the crew have navigated around the Great Lakes, including festival stops in Michigan and Minnesota. In between stops, Ryder finds time to make necessary repairs to the ship to help restore the Liberty Clipper to its former glory. Over a year ago, the Liberty Clipper was destined for the scrap heap, but Ryder now takes great pride in showcasing it across the Great Lakes.

Thanks to the early Tuesday arrival from Port Washington, Wis., to Sturgeon Bay, Ryder says the crew is looking forward to a few days off in the city before Tall Ships Sturgeon Bay begins on Thursday. You can click on this link to check out more information about the event.