Your Guide: Tour Coast Guard Ship Eagle This Weekend

The U.S. Coast Guard training vessel Eagle will return to Portsmouth after four years for the annual Sail Portsmouth 2013 this weekend and the public will be able to tour the tall ship for free, according to event organizers.

This year's festival will be held from Friday, Aug. 2 through Sunday, Aug. 4 and the Eagle, which is known as "America's Tall Ship," will be the only vessel that will participate in the annual event, according to Sail Portsmouth's web site.

The Eagle will be joined by the Portsmouth Fire Boat and the Piscataqua Gundalow for the Tall Ships parade on Friday at 4 p.m. and members of the public can enjoy good viewing locations from Prescott Park and Four Tree Island.

The Eagle and her Coast Guard crew will dock at the New Hampshire Pier on the other side of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which can be accessed from Market Street. Public tours will begin on Friday at 4 p.m. The Eagle's complete weekend touring schedule and events can be found here.

While there is no admission to tour the Eagle, Sail Portsmouth organizers encourage members of the public to purchase T-shirts or other merchandise to support the continued operation and maintenance of the training vessel.

The Eagle is scheduled to depart Portsmouth at 7 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.