Hawaiian Chieftain Sails By Seattle Waterfront

Here's a photo taken this afternoon of Hawaiian Chieftain cruising in front of the Seattle waterfront. She and Lady Washington are scheduled to arrive at Lake Union Park sometime after seven p.m. after transiting the Chittenden Locks in Ballard. New this visit are Evening Sails aboard Hawaiian Chieftain this coming Monday and Wednesday of next week. Lady Washington will host an Evening Sail on Friday, July 9. All three sails are special value-priced. For details, visit the Historical Seaport website.

Value-Priced Evening Sails Added to July Schedule

We've added seven value-priced Evening Sails to our schedule in July. The Hawaiian Chieftain will offer two-hour sails in Seattle on July 5 and 7, in Blaine on July 19, and in Bellingham on July 21. Tickets are just $35, our best value when compared to adult prices for Battle Sails, our most popular experience.

The Lady Washington will offer three-hour Evening Sails in Seattle on July 9, in Blaine on July 16, and in Bellingham on July 21. Guests buying two tickets will get a third ticket of equal or lesser value FREE!

You can buy these tickets via our website or by calling 800-200-5239. Service charges apply. We hope you'll join us!

Olympia's Phoenix Inn Donates Rooms to Boats

Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain received a generous donation today from the Phoenix Inn Suites in Olympia, where the boats are now docked. The hotel, which is located near the state capitol, donated to the crew the use of two rooms on Sunday. The crew is extremely grateful, because they don't have shore power or water at their current berth. Many thanks to Phoenix Inn for its generosity! More information about the company and its ten locations in Washington and Oregon is available on its website.

If you 'd like to make an in-kind or cash donation, please call us at 800-200-5239 or visit our website for more information on donation options.

Fan Photos: HC in Seattle; LW in Edmonds

Two fans of Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain emailed these photos to us over the weekend. Top: Hawaiian Chieftain fires her cannon at Lady Washington on Lake Union in Seattle. (The boats will be in Seattle over the July 4 holiday. Fireworks Sail!) Middle: Hawaiian Chieftain passes in front of the container ship Basle Express. Click the image to see a larger version. Thanks to Chad Emerson for the top and middle pics. Bottom: Sunset at Edmonds on June 5 from Lady Washington. Thanks to Grey Larsen for the Edmonds photo. If you have a photo to share, email it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Both boats are now on the move to Port Orchard for a visit through June 20. See you there!

Volunteer Liz Palmer Wins Presidential Award

Liz Palmer, a young volunteer aboard Lady Washington, has received a prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award. A graduating senior at Moses Lake High School in Moses Lake, Liz was nominated for the award earlier this year by school officials. Since starting as a volunteer in August 2007 at age 16, she has completed more than 5,000 hours of community service aboard Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain. Liz has served as a topman and education coordinator, and she has sailed to all major ports of the west coast, participating in educational programs for K-12 students and the general public.

School officials presented the award to Liz at a ceremony June 8 in Moses Lake. As a Gold Level award recipient, she received a gold pin, a certificate of achievement, and a letter of congratulations signed by President Barack Obama. Liz also received a letter of congratulations from Gov. Chris Gregoire and the First Gentleman. The governor and her husband met Liz during a recent visit by Lady Washington to Olympia.

Liz is pursuing a career as a shipwright and professional seafarer. She plans to attend the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock this fall.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award program is overseen by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation , which was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and to encourage more people to serve. The awards are a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The program is administered by the Points of Light Institute.

Fan Photo: Hawaiian Chieftain off Everett

Historical Seaport friends Vic and Vicki Wyant sent us this photo of Hawaiian Chieftain off Everett on Memorial Day. "It was a rainy, blustery day and we felt so privileged to see her under sail," they wrote. If you have a photo to share, email it to photos@historicalseaport.org. If you'd like to visit Hawaiian Chieftain, she's with Lady Washington in Edmonds, Wash., through June 13.

Blackbeard leads scurvy crew in Everett film shoot

As we mentioned earlier this week, Lady Washington was the set for a new documentary on the golden age of piracy in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The documentary also features members of the Lady Washington's crew, plus Capt. John Aydelotte of Cornet Bay, Wash., a longtime friend of the Historical Seaport. He sent us these photos of Thursday's video shoot in Everett.

Top: John Aydelotte as Blackbeard the pirate; Second from top: John cackles for the director and the producer; Second from bottom: Sara Gempler (?) as female pirate Anne Bonny; Bottom: Actors aboard Lady Washington recreate a pirate attack with Hawaiian Chieftain as the victim.

The new documentary is called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Real Story, and it's produced by UK-based Blink Films. No air date yet.

Aboard Lady Washington with Blink Films

Lady Washington hosted a film crew today in Everett from UK-based Blink Films, which is producing a new documentary on the golden age of piracy for the Smithsonian Channel. (News release.) The film, tentatively titled Pirates of the Caribbean: The Real Story, shows the historical background of Hollywood movies, in this case, Disney's 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Lady Washington appeared in the Disney picture, and now she's one of the sets for the new documentary. LW's crew appeared in several of today's shots, and good friend Capt. John Aydelotte of Cornet Bay, Wash., played the role of the famed pirate Blackbeard.

Top: Capt. Jeremiah Gempler of Lady Washington offers some ideas to the film's director. Middle: Capt. Andrew Jagger of Hawaiian Chieftain, which sailed with the Lady Washington for the shoot, helps the sound engineer load his gear. Bottom: The sound engineer and the cameraman get ready for the shoot.

The documentary doesn't have an air date yet, though Blink Films plans to deliver it in late August. We'll let you know when it's on.