Mother Nature served up the ideal backdrop for the final full day of the Tall Ships Festival in Halifax on Monday.
Crowd estimates won't be available for a few weeks, but tens of thousands of people have made their way along the boardwalk throughout the festival.
“These are really unprecedented crowds. Moving people is always our biggest challenge,” says Jennifer Angel of the Waterfront Development Corporation.
Lineups for the Alderney ferry were more than an hour long at times this weekend, forcing some to simply take in the view from Dartmouth.
“There were some long lineups, but it's worth it,” says Winnipeg visitor Shawn Cottrell.
On the Halifax side, those who wanted to see the Spanish ship el Galeon on Monday spent a good portion of the sunny afternoon in line.
The municipality says Halifax Transit has done everything possible to keep people moving. On Sunday, ferries ran on a 15-minute schedule all day.
But Transport Canada regulations mean that can't happen for the entire festival.
“There has to be a certain amount of hours that crews have to be off before they can get on the ship again and that's basically because they're responsible for so many people,” says Nick Ritcey of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Police say the ferry experience has been safe and orderly so far.
“We're also helping with some of the vehicle traffic, and that includes vessels on the water as well,” says Staff Sgt. Scott MacDonald of Halifax Regional Police.
For waterfront restaurants that are only too happy to offer festival-goers a chance to relax, this has been an endurance test.
“Lots of hydration, lots of sunscreen and a great attitude and they're all just pulling together amazingly well,” says restaurant co-owner Dean Leland.
The visiting ships are scheduled to hoist sail on Tuesday.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie.
