Young volunteer wins award, accepted to school

One our hardest working volunteers, Elizabeth Palmer, (Lizzy to her friends) will receive an award from her high school in June. Her mom, Dianna Palmer, wrote to us with news that Lizzy will receive the Presidential Service Award from Moses Lake High School for the work she has done for the Historical Seaport. Lizzy has volunteered for us since age 16, sailing to California and Puget Sound ports while earning high school credit. She completed coursework in March and she'll receive the award on June 8th and walk with her class.

And there's more exciting news: Lizzy has been accepted into the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Wash. She'll start in the fall after a spring and summer aboard the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain. Dianna says Lizzy is working towards a career as a shipwright and a professional sailor. Congratulations, Lizzy!

Fan Photo: Boats Battle in Port Angeles

Guest Richard Storch sent us this photo of Lady Washington just ahead of the Hawaiian Chieftain (foreground) during a Battle Sail in Port Angeles earlier this month. If you have a photo to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Lady Washington Crew Portrait

Photographer Vern Perryman took this portrait of the Lady Washington crew during their stay last weekend in Port Ludlow. If you have a photo to share of Lady Washington's or Hawaiian Chieftain's crew, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

15 Ports Added to Tall Ships' Schedule

Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain have added 15 Puget Sound ports to the pair’s summer sailing itinerary. The vessels will visit major cities, as well as small ports rarely called on by tall ships. At most stops, the boats will offer walk-on tours, Battle Sails, Adventure Sails, and K-12 educational programs. The July schedule includes the popular family and youth sailing camp experiences in the San Juan Islands. Here’s the schedule:

• Port Orchard: June 15-20
• Gig Harbor: June 22-23
• Olympia: June 25-29
• Seattle: July 1-11
• Blaine: July 13-19
• Bellingham: July 21-24
• San Juan Islands Family and Youth Camps: July 26-30
• Anacortes: July 31-August 3
• Roche Harbor: August 5-9
• Cama Beach State Park: August 12
• Coupeville: August 14-15
• Bainbridge Island (Eagle Harbor): August 17
• Brownsville: August 19-22
• Tacoma: August 25-29
• Port Angeles: August 31-Sept. 12

A complete schedule is available on the Historical Seaport’s Sailing Schedule page at the Seaport website. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 800-200-5239. For information on our dockside and sailing education programs for young people, as well as our annual family and youth camping trips to the San Juan Islands, contact Roxie Underwood, runderwood@historicalseaport.org, 800-200-5239, ext. 102.

Volunteer tells LW's story at Clark College

Longtime Historical Seaport supporter Jim Mockford sent us a note about the participation of his daughter Jenny in the Sakura Festival at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., on April 22. Here's what he wrote.

A successful Cherry Blossom or Sakura Festival was held at Clark College, Vancouver on April 22, where Lady Washington crew alumna Jenny Mockford organized a bilingual English and Japanese language display about the tall ship. Jenny is a junior at Washington State University Vancouver, and she has been studying Japanese at Clark College. She will visit Japan this summer for a few weeks as part of the Clark College exchange program.

In addition to touring Kyoto, Tokyo, and Vancouver's sister city, Joyo, the group will also visit the small coastal town of Mihama, hometown of Japanese castaway Otokichi. In 1832-33, the 14-year-old drifted across the Pacific Ocean and was shipwrecked south of Cape Flattery. The Makah Cultural Center at Neah Bay features a model of the junk that made landfall with Otokichi and two companions. There's also a monument to the shipwreck at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, where the trio were brought in 1834 to be sent back to Asia by the Hudson's Bay Company. The castaways were the first Japanese to visit what would become Washington State.

More than three decades earlier, in 1791, the Lady Washington was the first American ship to visit Japan. Today, there is bronze statue of the Lady Washington at Kushimoto and a display at the US-Japan Historical Museum at Oshima Island to remember this early US-Japan history.

Have you visited the Kushimoto display? Send a photo to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Fan Photo: Hawaiian Chieftain at Coos Bay

Photographer Lee Wright sent us a CD of photos showing the Hawaiian Chieftain passing under the McCullough Memorial Bridge, which carries US Highway 101 over Coos Bay. The photo above was taken March 19 as the vessel made its way to its berth at the Port of Coos Bay. Hawaiian Chieftain is now working her way to Friday Harbor, Wash., as consort to the Lady Washington. If you have a photo to share of Hawaiian Chieftain or Lady Washington, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Photos from Port Angeles Education Program

Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain's visit to Port Angeles last weekend included educational programs for young people. Here's three photos of a program that included the Cowan family. Lisa Cowan wrote to us saying that she was impressed with the Voyages of Discovery activities. "The crew was absolutely terrific and went above and beyond to make sure our children had the best learning experience possible," she wrote. "We have already recommended it to families that live near some of your next seaport stops." Thank you, Lisa!

If you're interested in an educational program for your K-12 students or home-school group, contact Roxie Underwood, our programs manager, at 800-200-5239, ext. 102, runderwood@historicalseaport.org.

Fan Photos: Port Angeles Battle Sail

Two guests on one of our Port Angeles Battle Sails last weekend sent us photos showing opposite views of the action. Amelia Reimer submitted the top photo, showing the Hawaiian Chieftain behind a pall of smoke from Lady Washington's cannon in the foreground. The middle and bottom photos were taken by Jean Sokolinski on the defending vessel. In the middle pic, crew member Pony shows off the gunpowder on this hands. The bottom image shows one of Lady Washington's cannon blasts during the mock battle.

Of course, it's all in fun. "This was one of the most wonderful things I've done in awhile," Jean wrote to us in an email. "There was a lot of comraderie between the crew and it was obvious that Capt. [Andrew] Jagger loves his job... This was worth every dollar and even more for the experience." Thanks for the kind words, Jean!

If you have photos to share of your experience, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Nine North Puget Sound Ports on Tall Ships' Agenda

The Lady Washington will visit nine ports in the North Puget Sound region, the San Juan Islands, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Spring 2010. Accompanied by her companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain, Lady Washington will offer three-hour Battle Sails, Adventure Sails, walk-on tours, and educational programs for K-12 students in most ports. Here’s the schedule:

• Port Angeles: April 15-19
• Sequim: April 21
• Port Ludlow: April 23-25
• Friday Harbor: April 27-28
• Anacortes: May 3
• Bellingham: May 5-16
• Coupeville: May 20-23 CANCELLED
• Everett: May 26-June 2
• Edmonds: June 4-13

A Battle Sail is a recreation of a typical 18th-century naval action, featuring booming cannon and close-quarters maneuvers. An Adventure Sail is a family-oriented experience with demonstrations of tall ship handling, a sea shanty, and a chance for guests to help sail a real tall ship. A detailed schedule is available at www.historicalseaport.org. Guests may purchase tickets for public sails online or by calling 800-200-5239.

During educational programs, students visit stations aboard the ships, learning about charts, ship operations, navigation, and the daily lives of 18th century mariners. For details, educators and home-school groups should contact Roxie Underwood, runderwood@historicalseaport.org, 800-200-5239, ext. 102.