The Spirit of Massachusetts and The Virginia spent Monday night tied together in Dutch Harbor. The two ships were headed to Newport for the Amica Insurance Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007.

The providence Journal / Frieda Squires Frieda Squires

They’re here!

All week long, Tall Ships have been arriving in Newport, creating a new sport of spotting them and trying to guess which ships they are.

They are here for one of the largest gatherings of such vessels in this century. (Tall Ships also came to Newport in 2000 and 2004.)

Nineteen ships are in town, from eleven nations and including some of the world’s grandest vessels. Class A ships in Newport include the 293-foot German ship Gorch Fock II, the 254-foot Cisne Branco from Brazil, and the 249-foot Gloria from Colombia. (Class A ships are either traditional square-riggers or are at least 131 feet long.)

When they are not at festivals like this one, many of the ships serve as training vessels for naval cadets.

In honor of the ships’ visit to Rhode Island, Newport is throwing one big party, which is happening all along the harborfront where most of the ships are docked, as well as at Fort Adams State Park across the harbor and at Storer Park (the greenspace just north of the causeway that connects Newport to Goat Island). All told, organizers are expecting some 250,000 Tall Ships visitors in Newport from today through the weekend. For many of those visitors, the highlight of the four-day event will be the Parade of Sail on Sunday, when the vessels follow each other out of the harbor, make a turn around the bay, and head out to sea.

But there are other high points, too. The ships are open for free public tours beginning today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at dockside near Bannister’s and Bowen’s Wharves, at the State Pier, at the Newport Yachting Center and at Fort Adams.

Fort Adams is also the site of a Tall Ships Festival, open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday. In addition to being a great viewing spot, the Fort’s big lawn is the staging ground for a festival including a food court, arts and crafts fair, and children’s activities.

There will also be entertainment by musicians and by an acting troupe called Swords, Songs & Moor.

Meanwhile, a second festival is set up across the harbor at Storer Park on Washington Street in Newport’s Point neighborhood. There, an International Village displays the cultures and foods of the various countries whose ships are in Newport. There will be ethnic dancing (such as Bavarian folk dancing in the German tent), crafts and food. Among the countries represented are Brazil, Canada, Colombia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Tomorrow evening, Newport will celebrate Tall Ships with a fireworks display and a band concert beginning at 9:30. On Saturday there will be a noontime parade from Colony House and along Thames Street in honor of the visiting ships, and on Sunday, the 2007 visit of the Tall Ships to Newport will close with the grand Parade of Sail beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Use this guide to help you find your way around Newport and its Tall Ships events and festivals this weekend. For updated information, check the Web site www.tallships rhodeisland.org or call (401) 841-0080.