Fan Photos: Battle Sail in Tri-Cities

John Sokol and his son experienced a Battle Sail in the Tri-Cities and sent a Flickr link to some very unusual and beautiful photos of the boats. John writes: "Wow, my son and I had a very nice time and the crew aboard the Lady Washington was great! Please consider coming back again!! I know of personally at six other people that also enjoyed their time aboard these magnificent ships!" We are definitely putting the Tri-Cities at the top of our list of must-visit-again ports!

Fan Photos: Sailing on the Columbia River

Photographer Matt Watkins sent us two photos of his sail aboard Hawaiian Chieftain over the weekend in the Tri-Cities. The top photo shows Lady Washington; the bottom Capt. Jake of the Chieftain (in baseball cap) with crew and passengers. If you have photos or stories to share, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org.

HC and LW's Columbia River Odyssey

The boats have arrived in the Tri-Cities and local photographer Gary White sent us this photo of the Lady Washington (left) and Hawaiian Chieftain tied up at Cascade Marina in Pasco. Ryan Downs, chief mate on the Chieftain, sent us this tale of the boats' upriver odyssey.

Aloha.

Hawaiian Chieftain continues upriver, despite extreme challenges to the ship and crew. We are now in Pasco, and have had quite the epic journey to get here. After emergency drills in Washougal, we prepared to get ourselves through our first of four (!) locks between us and Pasco. After cockbilling our yards so we could fit inside the lock, we enjoyed the eye-opening views of the Columbia River Gorge.

As the current became stronger and stronger, we realized that Lady Washington, Hawaiian Chieftain's consort vessel, was not going to make it to the lock, as her engine was already overworked. In nothing flat, our giant hawser, "Big Blue" was on deck and rigged to tow Lady. We tied the hawser to our mizzen mast, and Lady tied on. We towed her into calm waters short of the lock and locked through. Quite an amazing sight that we would see many times again.

We spent the night in Stevenson, where the "dock" turned out to be a pier higher up than our poop deck. We tied onto bollards, with Lady rafted to us. The winds increased during the night, shifting our fenders, and we were forced to leave early.

Our next port of call was Hood River, and all hands will remember that town for its hospitality. We had hundreds of visitors, successful sails, and memorable nights out. The WAAAM aeronautical museum even invited Capt. Jake and myself to take a ride in a vintage WWII airplane! Jake and I were able to take the stick for a bit as well, buzzing Lady Washington as she sailed on the Columbia. Truly a beautiful sight silhouetted against the snow-covered slopes of Mt. Hood.

On our last sail out of Hood River, we noticed a kite boarder getting close to the vessel, "hot dogging" as Jake put it. On his third pass, he snagged his kite in the mizzen rigging, and we began to drag him. I asked if he was alright, and then thought about cutting his kite ropes. Jake and I figured the best plan, since he was not in danger, was to tow him into port. When he got tired, we doused sail with most of the crew aloft, rigged the Jacob’s ladder, and brought him aboard. He was good natured about the whole affair, as well as accepting blame and commending the crew for their professionalism. I quite concurred.

Our way continued through innumerable bridges and three more locks. In order to clear some of those bridges, we were forced to down-rig our mainmast, something that according to the logs had never been done. Jim, Jenni, Kurtis and myself figured it out aloft, and sorted it out, getting 13 feet shorter.

On our way to Arlington for the evening of the 20th, the winds were so extreme (gusting to 40 knots!) as to cause a five foot swell on the lake. In a hair-raising docking maneuver, expertly executed by Jake and the crew, we were able to tie on. It was determined to be too sketchy for Lady Washington, and she went on to Umatilla.

There have been no incidents in the entire tour which the crew did not handle without a cool, professional air; I am impressed to no end by the abilities of Purser Jenni Clark, Bosun Jim Rich, Cook Ashlee Mitchell, Engineer Nick Williams, Steward and Ed-Co Shanna Weatherby, Engineer's Mate Kurtis Olson, volunteers Grant Ruddick and Siobhan Dolan, and of course, our Fearless Leader, Jake. This crew takes everything that's thrown at it, sorts it out, and does it again the next day.

Irving Johnson once said the "cargo was king" and that if your cargo wasn't properly cared for "you might as well have stayed at home". Our cargo is our passengers, and if emails, small kindnesses and generosities and compliments to the crew are any indication of our dedication to our cargo, we are indeed caring well for our charge. All Hail Hawaiian Cheiftain!

Mahalo!

-Ryan "Otis" Downs

Chief Mate,
Hawaiian Chieftain

If you have any stories or photos to share, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org.

2009 Summer Schedule Released

We have announced our ports of call and sailing schedule for Summer 2009. The ships will visit 12 ports on Puget Sound and the coast of Washington State, as well as the San Juan Island National Historical Park, where it will join in the sesquicentennial of the Pig War, an 1859 boundary dispute between Great Britain and the United States. The conflict almost came to blows after the shooting of a pig.

The ships will kick off the summer season with a celebration in Aberdeen of the Lady Washington’s 20th anniversary. The celebration takes place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday, June 29 at Aberdeen Landing in Aberdeen. The event features tours of Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, a maritime music concert, and a presentation on Seaport Landing, the ship’s planned home port and maintenance facility on the Chehalis River. For tickets, visit www.historicalseaport.org, or call 800-200-5239.

Ports of call for the ships during June, July, August, and September include (not in order): Aberdeen, Bellingham, Blaine, Brownsville, Edmonds, Gig Harbor, Kirkland, Olympia, Port Townsend, Seattle, Tacoma, and Westport. At the San Juan Island National Historical Park, the ships will anchor in Garrison Bay at English Camp on the north end of San Juan Island July 24-27.

A complete schedule for both vessels is available at www.historicalseaport.org. Most stops include walk-on tours of the vessels dockside. A donation by visitors is appreciated. The schedule includes family-oriented Adventure Sails, featuring a living history experience with demonstrations of tall ship handling and opportunities for passengers to help sail the ships. The vessels will also conduct Battle Sails, a recreation of a typical 18th-century naval skirmish with booming cannon and close-quarters action. For ticket prices and reservations, visit www.historicalseaport.org, or call 800-200-5239.

Fan Photo: Sailing on HC in Vancouver, Wash.

Janna Nichols sent us a link to a bunch of photos she took of one of Hawaiian Chieftain's Battle Sails last weekend in Vancouver, Wash. Above is just a sample. If you have a favorite photo or story to share about your trip, email it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Public Workshops on Maritime National Heritage Area

The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority is asking the public to attend one of seven workshops on a proposed Maritime National Heritage Area. The area, if designated by Congress, would cover Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and most of the state’s Pacific coast. Workshops are scheduled in Aberdeen, Anacortes, Bellingham, Bremerton, Port Townsend, Tacoma, and Seattle.

A National Heritage Area is a federal designation that recognizes the culturally and historically significant resources in a region and that region’s role in the nation’s history. Today, there are over 40 National Heritage Areas across the country, none of which are on the West Coast. The designation supports local citizens in preserving, sharing, and promoting the region’s heritage, and does not increase federal regulation. A Maritime National Heritage Area in Washington State would focus on the region’s maritime history, beginning with native peoples through the present day.

“We believe it’s vital for people to express their views on this idea,” said Capt. Les Bolton, GHHSA’s executive director. “As well as honoring our maritime culture, the heritage area is an exciting economic development opportunity, which could be especially helpful in smaller rural communities.”

Designation of a National Heritage Area could advance the following goals:

• Increase heritage tourism for coastal and Puget Sound communities.
• Provide new funding for community-based museums and heritage groups.
• Support working waterfronts and our region’s maritime industry.
• Raise awareness of marine resources and the health of resource-based industries

The workshops are scheduled for these dates and times:

• May 27: 4:30 p.m., Bremerton, Gateway Community Center
• May 28: 5:30 p.m., Bellingham, Whatcom Museum of History and Art
• June 1, 4:30 p.m., Port Townsend, Pope Marine Park Building
• June 2, 4:30 p.m., Aberdeen, Port of Grays Harbor Commission Chambers
• June 2, 4:30 p.m., Anacortes, City of Anacortes Council Chambers
• June 3, 4:30 p.m., Tacoma, Foss Waterway Seaport
• June 4, 5 p.m., Seattle, Museum of History & Industry

The workshops are organized by Parametrix, an Auburn-based consulting firm conducting a feasibility study on the proposal. The contact for Parametrix is Curt Warber, 425-458-6200, cwarber@parametrix.com. The study is funded by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. The contact for DAHP is Allyson Brooks, 360- 586-3066, Allyson.Brooks@dahp.wa.gov. More details on the proposal are available at Maritime Heritage Network, http://www.maritimeheritage.net/.

Fan Photo: Valentine's Day Battle Sail

Larry Moore of Prunedale, Calif. sent us this photo of the Valentine's Day Battle Sail in Morro Bay last winter. That puff of smoke is one of Hawaiian Chieftain's cannon taking a pot shot at Lady Washington. If you have a favorite photo to share, send it to us at photos@historicalseaport.org. We may post it on our blog!

Fan Photo: Battle Sail in Kalama, Wash.

Laura Burke of Camas, Wash. sent us this photo of her Battle Sail at Kalama last weekend, plus she sent her story to our executive director, Les Bolton:

Dear Captain Bolton,

My three daughters and I were on the Saturday Battle Tour (May 2nd) aboard the Hawaiian Chieftain. We had a great time despite the rainy weather. Fortunately, the rain stopped right at the time of the battle, which was PERFECT! The crew was wonderful - personable, professional, and making sure the passengers were comfortable and having a good time. The ship's steward let two of my girls assist with manning the starboard ropes/rigging. She was fantastic, explaining in detail what they were doing and how they helped to "steer the boat". Needless to say, my girls had a blast! As you may recall, we had the "perfect storm" hit on Saturday where a record amount of rain fell in a very short time. Again, the crew was very quick to ensure all passengers were taken below deck for the most comfort in this very unusual weather situation.

My girls and I love to travel and we schedule all sorts of trips and events - and this was one of the best experiences we've had! I cannot express enough how impressed I was with the vessel, the trip and especially the captain and wonderful crew.

Thank you so much for the wonderful adventure for my family.

Best Regards,
Laura Kagawa-Burke
Camas, WA

If you have photos and/or a story to share, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org and we'll post them on our blog.