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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016
Shades of the 18th century
Tall ships ill
sails in Ilwaco
A taste of pirate life
By NATALIE ST. JOHN
EO Media Group
I
LWACO, Wash. — The two unique tall
ships, owned and operated by the Grays
Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, give
modern-day landlubbers a chance to ind out
whether the pirate’s life might be for them.
Earlier this month, a steady stream of curi-
ous visitors lined up to tour the Lady Wash-
ington and Hawaiian Chieftain — two artful
replicas of historic ships that make an annual
visit to the Port of Ilwaco. During the sum-
mer, the two ships sail to ports along the West
Coast, to provide a lively, hands-on way to
learn about maritime history. Members of the
public can book tickets on “Adventure Sails”
and “Battle Sails,” join the crew for one-way
“transits,” or even book the boats for pri-
vate events. Between sails, costumed volun-
teers and staff host walk-on tours and happily
answer questions about what it’s like to sail
the high seas in 18th-century style.
Living history
Constructed in Aberdeen, the Lady Wash-
ington is a 27-year-old, 112-feet brig. The
original ship was built in the 1750s, accord-
ing to the Seaport’s website. In the 1780s, she
was reitted in preparation for a voyage to the
Paciic Northwest. In 1788, the Lady became
the irst vessel to make landfall on the West
Coast of North America. In 1791, she became
the irst American-lagged ship to visit Japan,
where the crew attempted to open up trade,
according to the Seaport’s website.
The Lady was also the irst American ship
to visit Honolulu and Hong Kong. When
Hawaiian King Kamehameha became a part-
ner in the ship, it opened up trade in black
pearls and sandalwood between Hawaii and
the Orient.
The Historical Seaport was established
in 1986 to build and maintain the Lady, and
launched her in 1989, as part of the state’s
centennial celebration. As the oficial ship of
Washington state, she has been touring on and
off ever since.
In 2005, the Seaport purchased the Hawai-
ian Chieftain, a 103-feet topsail ketch. Though
the steel ship was built in Hawaii in 1988, and
originally intended for cargo trade among the
Hawaiian Islands, it was designed to resem-
ble one of the passenger and “packet boats”
that sailed up and down the Atlantic seaboard
in colonial times. The name is a tribute to the
Hawaiian King Kahekili. After its launch, the
Chieftain traveled to Tahiti, other destinations
in the South Paciic, and San Francisco. These
days, it’s used for educational cruises and
ambassadorial visits along the West Coast,
according to the website.
Two weeks onboard
On a Saturday in June, volunteer Lyn
Kimpton of Seattle stood under a shade on
the upper deck of the Lady, enthusiastically
sharing trivia and talking about life onboard.
There are about 3 miles of rope in the 156
lines that make up the elaborate rigging,
Kimpton said. The Lady appeared in one of
the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and
a few other shows and ilms, but it’s mostly
Natalie St. John/EO Media Group
Space is very limited on the Lady Washington, so crew members are confined to very small spaces below decks during their sails to
ports around the Pacific Northwest.
IF YOU MISSED THE
SHIPS IN ILWACO
Sail tickets must be purchased in advance.
To learn more, visit http://historicalseaport.
org/sail-with-us/public-sail-schedule/
Aberdeen
Saturday and Sunday
Tours 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Adventure sails 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Westport
June 25 and 26
Tours 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Adventure sails 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Life on the Lady
Natalie St. John/EO Media Group
Visitors toured the Lady Washington, a replica of a wooden ship from the 1790s, in the
Port of Ilwaco in June.
used “for teaching, to kind of keep history
alive,” Kimpton explained.
The Lady operates with a crew of 12, and
can carry up to 45 passengers. Some of the
people on board, including the ship’s cook,
the education coordinator and the irst mate,
are paid staff members. Others, including
Kimpton, are volunteer participants in the
Two Weeks Before the Mast program, which
trains participants in the basics of tall ship
sailing. According to the website, trainee sail-
ors learn about everything from knot-tying to
traditional and modern maintenance skills to
maritime history. Participants have to apply
to the two-week-long program, and pay a fee
of $650.
Everyone on board works very long hours,
helping with “everything from swabbing the
decks to cleaning the heads,” said Kimpton,
who had boarded in Newport a week before.
While Liz Dal Bon climbed high into the
rigging to perform maintenance tasks, edu-
cation coordinator Ali Place, originally from
Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was below decks,
telling a group of young boys about the “Eas-
ter eggs” hidden around the ship — they
include about $1.75 in coins placed under-
neath the mast, and a pair of toy dinosaurs
who are having a lightsaber battle in the rig-
ging, she said.
The brief tours of the ship were enough to
spark dreams of a life at sea for many visitors.
Tyler Backous, who was visiting from Van-
couver with his mom and siblings, liked the
idea of being free from the usual routines of
life on land.
Looking up at Dal Bon, who was perched
on the mast, he joked, “I want to climb on
things and not get yelled at!”
Butt dialing
?
S
o not all butt dials are the same. Just ask that couple in Seaside ...
From the emergency log: “Couple having an intimate moment and the
phone called 911. Couple did not answer upon call back.”
9-1-WHAT?
Follow reporter Kyle Spurr on his 9-1-What? Twitter watch, where a few of
the sometimes head-scratching calls to area dispatch take center stage. The full
feed is at www.twitter.com/9_1_WHAT.
THE BEST OF THE WORST CALLS TO ASTORIA 911 DISPATCH
W hile other n ew spa pers give you less, The D a ily Astoria n
GIVES
YOU
From left: H illa ry Borru d ,
M a teu sz Perk ow sk i,
Pa ris Achen
O u r n ew
M ORE
C APITAL
B UREAU
covers the sta te for you