Fan Photo: Hawaiian Chieftain at the Golden Gate

Filmmaker Bonnie Ember, who joined us on the passage from Oakland to Sausalito this week, sent us this photo of Hawaiian Chieftain near the Golden Gate. "Blue skies, cold crisp weather, great crew," she writes. Do you have a favorite photo of Hawaiian Chieftain or a story to tell? Email them to photos@historicalseaport.org and we may post it on the blog.

Photos of LW's Launch in 1989

We're collecting photos of Lady Washington's construction and launch as we get ready to celebrate her 20th year of operation this summer. Above is a photo taken of the Lady as she's slipping into the Wishkah River at Aberdeen on March 7, 1989. You can see more photos in our Lady Washington launch photo gallery. We've also got some photos of her under construction.

Do you have stories of her construction and launch? Send them plus available photos to stories@historicalseaport.org and we'll publish them on the blog.

LW Stories: "The Best Day Ever"

We're soliciting stories about experiences aboard the Lady Washington for her 20th Anniversary celebration, and Kathy Ray sent us a note about her family's recent trip in Oakland, Calif. Despite feeling sick from a sinus headache, Kathy gathered her daughter Sara, her sister Stef, her brother-in-law Todd, and her nephews Kyle and Dominic for the drive down to Jack London Square. She says she didn't want to miss seeing the ship that appeared in her favorite movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. Their plan was to just look around the boat at first. But they were quickly sold on the idea of a cruise. "The next three hours were filled with an adventure I'm so glad I didn't pass up," she writes.

Afterward, one the crew members were asking what people’s favorite parts were. My answer at the time was 'Everything.' I wasn’t ready to get off the ship when we docked. Later I tried to break it down to some of my most favorite parts. Hm, lets see...the moment the engine was shut off and the wind took us was the most peaceful and graceful feeling; watching the crew pull rigging; and their quick reactions when something didn’t go quite as planned; their knowledge and history and attention to the guests; the shanty songs from Tiny and Sparkle (which are actually the only names I can remember); and a most special appearance by a sailor who stole me heart w/ 'the best day ever'. As it was, at least one of the best days I’ve had in a very long time.

Kathy doesn't identify the sailor "who stole me heart," but we suspect it was someone close. Kathy offered her thanks to the captain and crew of the Lady Washington. "My gypsy heart is longing to sail away with you all again one day."

If you have a Lady Washington story to tell, recent or from long ago, sent it to us via stories@historicalseaport.org. And don't forget a few snaps!

An Overwhelming and Generous Donation

The Historical Seaport received word this week about a donation that has humbled everyone. Ken Birdwell, a Seattle-area resident and a former volunteer aboard Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, has donated $50,000 to the Historical Seaport's educational and volunteer programs. He's given us permission to publish a letter than accompanied his gift.

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority
712 Hagara St.
PO Box 2019
Aberdeen, WA 98520

I'd like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation of the important work you all do at GHHSA. I was honored last year to crew on both the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain, and I've never encountered a more talented, dedicated, and thoroughly wonderful group of people in all my life.


I'd also like to emphasize that the difficult and tireless work you all do is important not only for the history you preserve but for the opportunities you provide to both the public and fellow sailors. Your work changes lives; both through your Youth Adventure programs, your Education programs, as well as through simply supporting and training new sailors.


I know that a lot of your crews are very young and may not recognize it yet, but the life experiences GHHSA offers enrich the souls of everyone who sails aboard. Long after they've moved on, either to others ships or other careers, their time working with the wood and the sea will be remembered as the foundation of a life lived well.


[signed]

Ken Birdwell


PS: Say hi to Tiny and JB and Liz and Esther and Matt and Rosco and Josh and the other great folks I met while on board.

Thanks, Ken. We'll pass the word.

Fan Photo: Tiny's a Bit Inflated

Lady Washington crewman "Tiny" struts his stuff with the newest balloon fashion accessories, courtesy of guest Micha Dunston last weekend during an Adventure Sail in Oakland. Geez Tiny, are you angling for America's Top Model? Or just trying to catch Tyra's eye? Love the parrot on the shoulder!

If you have a favorite photo of hijinks on Lady Washington or Hawaiian Chieftain, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Fan Photos: LW at Bellingham

Photographer Ron Kleinknecht of Bellingham sent in this photo of Lady Washington in Bellingham. Note the longboat just in front of the ship amidships. Not sure which longboat it is (we have two). If you have a favorite photo of Lady Washington or Hawaiian Chieftain you'd like to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org. We're also looking for stories about your experience on LW. Send those, along with photos if you have them, to stories@historicalseaport.org.

Fan Photos: Ships at Jack London Square

Amateur photographer and retired writer Victor Miller sent us this sample of a Flickr gallery of photos showing the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain at Jack London Square in Oakland. Do shutterbugs and scribblers ever really retire? Obviously not, Victor.

If you have a favorite photo of the ships to share, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org.

LW Stories: Message in a Bottle

Lady Washington fan Jodie Jones sent us this touching story about an experience with her grandmother.

In 1999 my mom lived in Eureka, California. This is when my grandma was still alive. The Lady Washington docked there and opened for tours. My mom and my grandma took a tour on the Lady Washington and my mom wrote me a letter, dated 4/15/99. She put pictures and the letter into a bottle and gave it to the captain. I can't remember his name at this time. I did not know anything about this until the captain returned to Aberdeen and called me on the phone. He said that he had a message in a bottle for me and that he was asked to deliver it to me, all the way from Eureka, California. The captain took care of my message in a bottle. I went to the Lady Washington while docked in Aberdeen and picked it up that very day. It will remain a family momento and I will treasure this letter for always.

Jodie promised to send us the photos as soon as she can.If you have a story to share that helps us celebrate Lady Washington's 20 years of changing people's lives, email it (with photos, hopefully) to stories@historicalseaport.org. BTW, if you know the captain's name, please let us know.

LW Stories: Stormy Passage to Eureka

We're soliciting personal stories about experiences on the Lady Washington and publishing them on our blog in honor of LW's 20th year of changing people's lives. The first submission comes from Doranna Benker-Gilkey, aka D'har, and it's a barn-burner. We won't publish all 2,400 words, but here's an excerpt from her journal, dated April 1, 2004. She's on a transit up the California coast from Redwood City (we'll be there April 2-14 this year) to Eureka.

4/01/04 (Thurs.) O.K. - So basically on Monday, we started out from San Francisco. It's Thursday, and we're at Bodega Bay for the second day. We hit NW winds at 30+ knots gusts and 11-foot seas at 11 seconds - plus wind waves. Talk about getting the [crap] beat out of us! I was on a night watch, and it got scary. Most of the crew was down w/ sea sickness. I was fine and I even enjoyed the ride! Wrestling with that tiller though, that was really tough. I'm bruised thru and thru. I didn't get scared until our second watch (that would have been the second night out) when both [First Mate] Mindy [Doroski] and [Shopkeeper] Martin [Johansson] were so sick they could hardly stand, and [Engineer Jeremiah] Myuh [Gempler] was working on the pump that broke (the poop pump no less!) and I was on the tiller. I could hardly keep the course. My instructions were "go for NW, but error on the side of land." In the middle of our watch, Mindy had taken two plots where we lost ground. (I think it was six nautical miles in two hours) she woke Capt. Ryan ["Evil" Meyer] and he came up and turned the boat around. What a difference! The tiller still threw us around quite a bit. In the end, even with following seas, we had to have 2 crew on the tiller. By the time I woke up, we were anchored in Bodega Bay.

As I read my own words, they seem entirely too inadequate for the experience I went through. We were all in a kind of fatigued euphoria at the time I was writing this passage. When I remember that watch when we turned around, my toes go cold and my mouth goes dry. I was hanging on to that tiller with every bit of strength I had. Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually too. That tiller was the only thing that kept me on the boat, that kept the boat on course, that kept everyone safe, and I was on that tiller. I didn't rationalize the responsibility, but I felt it. The seas seemed bigger than God, and our boat but a thimble. A deep and terrifying understanding of my own smallness crept into my bones from my feet that night. It's taken a long time for it to percolate into my mind. I'm very glad it didn't start in my brain, or I'm not sure how I would've reacted.

Entwined throughout, within, and between the fear was the most exhilarating, freeing feeling I've ever had. I was riding my sea-steed through fearsome waters that cared not for me - nor could it deny me. I swear (corny as it sounds), I felt the blood of my ancestors waken in my veins, and laugh and sing in terrible, beautiful voices. I was not the first to ride waves like these on a crazy, moonlit night. Someone rode them with me, and thrilled in the memory of being alive. I had a moment when I embraced this feeling, when I welcomed my ancient past, and death was not important. I would never die. We will never die. I knew who I was, for a moment. It's gone now, lost in fear and insecurity and banality. How will I ever get it back?

If you've got a story to tell about your experience on the Lady Washington, even if it's not quite as dramatic, send it to us with photos, if possible, to stories@historicalseaport.org.

Happy 20th Birthday Lady Washington!

Happy 20th Birthday Lady Washington! Two decades ago today, the brig Lady Washington was launched into the Wishkah River and entered the annals of Washington State's maritime history. Above is a photo from today's article in the Aberdeen Daily World marking the anniversary. The photo is from 1989, just after the launch. The masts were added a few days later.

Today, Lady Washington is at Jack London Square in Oakland, and if you have a morning free, she'll be open for good wishes and congratulations from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We've also got a celebratory Battle Sail scheduled for 2 p.m. More details on our website.

Fan Video: The Life of a Tall Ship Sailor

Film student Noah Smith sent us this wonderful video that shows elementary school kids enjoying our educational program in San Francisco. Do you have photos or videos to share? Email them to us at photos@historicalseaport.org.

We Want Your Lady Washington Stories!

Tomorrow (March 7) is the 20th anniversary of Lady Washington's launch at Aberdeen, and we want your stories about her. Not only of her construction and launch, but also of trips, visits, photos, memories of all kinds.

We're going to be gathering these memories online and at the dock throughout the spring and summer. The Historical Seaport has also asked a videographer to join the ship at many of her stops in Washington and Oregon and record people telling their personal Lady Washington stories. Many of the anecdotes will appear in a 55-minute video now in pre-production. The video is scheduled for release in early 2010.

Email your stories and photos to stories@historicalseaport.org. We'll put them here on the blog!

Tickets for Columbia River Stops Now Available

We've released our schedule for the 2009 Columbia River trip and tickets are now available on our website. It's our “Rediscovering the Columbia River” voyage, the first half of the year-long 20th anniversary celebration of Lady Washington's launch in Aberdeen on March 7, 2009. (That's this Saturday!) Lady Washington and its companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain arrive at Ilwaco on April 23 and continue upriver, reaching Pasco on May 22. Departing Pasco May 31, the ships return to Ilwaco on June 24. Check our website Sailing Schedule page for the complete schedule.

Fan Video: Battle Sail in San Francisco Bay

One of our friends, Charlie Bergstedt, sent us this rare video of the Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington duking it out on San Francisco Bay. It's unusual because most video sent to us is shot from one or the other boats. This video was shot from a third boat, which gives it a more objective feel. And it's fun to hear Charlie commenting on the action. Thanks! Charlie also sent us a link to his album of Battle Sail photos.

Do you have video to share? Email a link to photos@historicalseaport.org. We prefer YouTube video. It seems to work better on the blog.

Fan Photo: Battle Sail in San Francisco

Jerry and Jill Huth of Morro Bay sent us this photo of crew aboard the Hawaiian Chieftain taking in sail on the jibboom with the Lady Washington in the background, apparently trying to flee HC's big guns. :) The Huth had a bit of an odyssey of their own: They were first scheduled for a Battle Sail in Morro Bay on Valentine's Day weekend, but the sail was cancelled due to unsafe conditions. They tried again for last weekend in San Francisco, but the weather turned sour again. Their patience paid off on the third attempt yesterday, and they had a great time. Thanks for sticking with us, Jerry and Jill!

If you have a favorite photo to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.