Sagres, Portuguese naval tall ship, in New Bedford until Thursday

The breeze of Boston Harbor blew gently through the three masts of the NRP Sagres, seemingly searching for the 23 sails that normally carry the ship out to sea, now furled and secured while docked. Instead, the wind brought the sound of eager visitors’ chatter. The watchful wooden eyes of Prince Henry the Navigator, the ship’s figurehead, fell on a crowd rolling in towards the port side of the boat. 

This past weekend, the Portuguese naval tall ship welcomed visitors aboard in Boston. 

On Thursday, the ship departed Boston and turned its sails towards New Bedford.

Steel-hulled and just over 293 feet long, the Sagres was built in 1937 in Hamburg, Germany, and was acquired in 1961 by Portugal to replace an older ship by the same name. It sailed for the first time under the Portuguese flag in April 1962. Now, it has circumnavigated the world three times. A red cross with white bars, known as Christ’s Cross, decorates its sails. Its main mast stands 138 feet high. Two guns flank its upper deck. 

In the interior quarters, cadets and crew members pass through the tight halls in their all-white uniforms. They greet each other while heading toward the crowd on the open decks, or carrying food for lunch, or retreating to the private quarters in the lower part of the ship. Framed images of historical moments for the Sagres decorate the walls, including depictions of cadets from its first training trip and a photo of the ship sailing around the village named Sagres on the cape of southwestern Portugal. 

The Sagres will dock in the Port of New Bedford’s Marine Commerce Terminal this Sunday, July 19, at 10 a.m. — its last stop before returning to Portugal to conclude its 2026 mission. It will leave Thursday, July 23, at 10 a.m. During its visit, the Sagres will host a suite of events open to the public, including four days of open ship hours.

This is the Sagres’ first visit to New Bedford since 2015. Francisco António Duarte Lopes, the Portuguese ambassador to the U.S., will meet the crew of the Sagres and address the city. 

“We wanted to take Sagres to New Bedford as a sort of bless[ing],” Ambassador Duarte Lopes said in an interview. “In New Bedford, the Sagres would be closer to the Southern Massachusetts community.” He described the Sagres as “a permanent resident of Portuguese culture.”

The Sagres’ commander, José Eduardo de Sousa Luís, plans on visiting various landmarks and organizations across the city. 

“For me and my crew, it’s a feeling of pride and responsibility,” Sousa Luís said in an interview onboard the Sagres on Sunday. The crew is made up of 104 military personnel, 38 cadets and four cadet support staff members, totaling 146 people onboard, 12 of whom are officers. Sousa Luís said visiting Portuguese populations across the world is one of his favorite parts of the job. 

“For us, [the Sagres] is the most beautiful ship in the world,” he said.

The Sagres has been traveling on its 2026 mission to international ports since the end of April. Sousa Luís said its mission included celebrating 250 years of American independence by taking part in the nationwide Sail 250 events, and supporting Portugal’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. (Portugal was elected to the Security Council on June 3.)

“It’s like a floating embassy,” said Tiago Cabrita de Sousa, the consul of Portugal in New Bedford, in an interview. He said the trip’s themes also include celebrating the connection between Portugal and the U.S.

On Sunday morning, the Sagres will arrive at the Marine Commerce Terminal, escorted by whaleboats from the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society and the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, the former package ship that carried immigrants to New England from Cabo Verde. A performance by two folkloric dance groups — one from New Bedford’s Club Madeirense S.S. Sacramento — will kick off the celebrations.

The ship will also host closed receptions, with Azorean food products and a toast with Madeira wine, all picked up from their home ports before the Sagres made its way across the sea.

Events include a visit to Mayor Jon Mitchell at New Bedford City Hall, a book donation to the Casa da Saudade Portuguese Library and a soccer match between the crew of the Sagres and the Taunton Eagles Soccer Club. The commander will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to Prince Henry the Navigator on Pope’s Island, as it did for the monument’s dedication in 1996.

The ship itself is carrying two barrels of Madeira wine, which will return to Madeira at the end of the Sagres’s journey. The trip designates the wine as “vinho da rhoda” — honoring the tradition of wine that travelled round-trip and returned to its home port. On board, Madeiran historian Duarte Mendonça will present a lecture on the connection between Madeira wine and the U.S.

For Commander Sousa Luís, the arts of traditional sailing and training cadets are only part of what he loves about the Sagres. He said connecting with the Portuguese diaspora across the world, listening to people’s stories, and hearing how they have remained connected to their heritage inspires him. He recalled stories of visitors bringing gifts from relatives who have passed away and some crying upon seeing the ship. He hopes that the visit to New Bedford welcomes not only Portuguese visitors from the city, but people interested in Portuguese culture from all around. 

The public can view the arrival of the ship at 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, with open ship hours from 2 to 7 p.m. The ship will also be open to the public Monday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Wednesday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Commander Sousa Luís will deliver a lecture about the NRP Sagres, followed by an address by U.S. ambassador Francisco Duarte Lopes on Tuesday, July 21, at 4 p.m. at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The event is co-hosted by the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society. Tickets are $20. 

The Sagres will depart New Bedford Thursday at 10 a.m.

Email Anna Albrecht at aalbrecht@newbedfordlight.org.