BAY CITY, MI -- As most of Bay City was waking up, the crew of the Draken Harald Harfagre Viking tall ship was motoring down the Saginaw River, kicking off its journey to Chicago.
The world's largest Viking ship left the Bay City port at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 20. The crew was able to raise enough funds through a crowdfunding campaign organized by the Sons of Norway to pay for a pilot to help the crew navigate its ship to the Navy Pier in Chicago.
The crew was initially going to cancel its stops across the Great Lakes due to "unexpected" pilotage fees. It ultimately decided to foot the bill for a pilot for the 2016 Bay City Tall Ship Celebration. The remainder of the Tall Ships Challenge route, which includes stops in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Duluth, Minnesota, and Erie, Pennsylvania, is still up in the air for the ship.
Officials from the Sons of Norway said the goal is to raise at least enough money to get the ship to Duluth, where there's a high concentration of Norwegian-Americans. The overall goal of the campaign is to raise $430,000.
The Spanish ship El Galeon Andalucia, which also stayed in Bay City a few days after the festival wrapped up, departs port at about 7 p.m., according to a crew member.
Bay City Times photographer Jacob Hamilton was up early to capture the Draken's departure this morning, shooting from the Independence Bridge shack.
Were you up early, too, to say farewell to the ship? Share your best photo in the comments section below.