A fine morning on the water for the OpSail 2012 Parade of Sail. Underway just after 0800 in overcast skies and 10 kt winds from south. Cruised the southern edge of Thimble Shoals channel from Ft Wool to the Naval Base for three hours enjoying the outbound Naval vessels and Tall Ships. Action started slow with the "Gloria" from Columbia and the Brazilian "Cisne Branco". Then finally just before turning for the barn, they began to roll up the channel "Pride of Baltimore", "Virginia","Godspeed", "Cuauhtemoc" (complete with singing foredeck crew), "Guayas", "Esmeralda" and finally the "Kalmar Nyckel". Not to mention a slew of US,Canadian warships as well as the RFAS Argosy. All and all a beautiful show that really impressed the mates. Pulled sail back to main only and the R&B stabilized for a smooth ride. Best sailing experience this year.