The U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle is among the high-masted, altitudinous sailing vessels, that have visited Portsmouth in the past.

The age of wooden ships and iron men is long gone.  We appear to be square in the era of tall ships and stupid lawyers.  From the SeaCoastonline:

The American Sail Training Association sent a letter to the Piscataqua Maritime Commission on July 23 demanding the organization cease and desist from using references that infringe on ASTA’s federally registered trademarks. Those trademarks include “tall ships,” “tall ships are coming,” “tall ships 2000″ and “tall ships challenge.” For the past 25 years, the city has hosted a Tall Ships Festival without knowing it was violating ASTA’s trademarks. The term “tall ship” has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 1976.

Donald Coker, chairman of the PMC, said his organization has been a member of ASTA for several years, but now would be required to enter into a license agreement to continue to use the term “tall ship.” The cost of the license he said represents 15 to 20 percent of the entire budget, making it likely the 2010 event will have a different name.

‘Very large, tall-masted sailing ships’ to arrive in August

This is stupidity writ large.  One wonders what John Masefield might think.  Will public readings of his famous poem , ‘Sea Fever’ have to be edited?

I must down to the seas again,
to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a  tall ship ship with a really tall mast
and a star to steer her by,

Will ASTA go after the A.J. Meerwald, which is the official Tall Ship of the State of New Jersey, or the Elissa, the Official Tall Ship of Texas?  Or how about the Lady Washington, the Californian, the Official Tall Ships of Washington State and California, respectively.   Then there is the Schoooner Amistad which is the Official Flagship and Tall Ship Ambassador of the State of Connecticut.  Tall Ships Rhode Island is working to finish the Oliver Hazard Perry, Rhode Island’s tall ship.  Everyone appears to be in violation of  ASTA’s federally registered trademarks.

To learn more about  ”tall ships” one could purchase the official ASTA guide book – Sail Tall Ships! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea which is available online from Tall Ships Books.net.   Oops, looks like they have a trademark problem as well.