Nova Scotia to welcome Rendez-vous 2017 tall ship regatta

Nova Scotia will be a major port of call for a tall ship regatta in 2017 that will also be part of the province's celebration of Canada's 150th birthday.

Premier Stephen McNeil announced Friday thatNova Scotia will serve as a venue for Rendez-vous 2017, a 7,000-nautical mile transatlantic race that visits six countries.

Final leg starts in Halifax

The province will also be the starting point for the final leg of the race.

• Tall ships visiting Charlottetown to mark Canada's 150th birthday

McNeil made the announcement dockside in Halifax, in front of the ARM Cuauhtmoc, a Mexican navy tall ship training vessel in town until Monday.

McNeil said the Bluenose II willparticipate in the 2017 visit.

$1.5M to help more communitieshost tall ships

The provincial government also announced an outport program that will help smaller coastal communities attract visits from tall ships.

Over the next two years, government will provide $1.5 million to help those communities accommodate the ships and tourists.

A list of where the ships will stop and dates for events will be announced in the coming months.