Fan Photos: Tiller, and LW near SF's Pier 40

Here's two photos from our friends in San Francisco. Above, Trisha Wolfe took a snap of Tiller, the Lady Washington's mascot, being extra friendly to her during her visit. In the lower photo, Lady Washington is sailing near Pier 40, with the Bay Bridge in the background. Note the San Francisco Ferry Building tower. If you have a photo to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Fred Cool Joins the Spar Shop Team

The Spar Shop at the Historical Seaport has added another member to its team. Fred Cool of Montesano has joined the shop as general manager. He'll oversee the Spar Shop's operations and pitch its services to new customers. Fred's background includes working as a tool-and-die maker at Kaiser Aluminum in Spokane, project management at the Port of Shelton, and sales at Lamb-Grays Harbor in Hoquiam. You can contact Fred about your custom wood needs, including masts and spars for tall ships, by calling 800-200-5239.

Fan Photo: Hawaiian Chieftain and Tower Bridge

Steve Prey took this photo of Hawaiian Chieftain passing under the Tower Bridge in Sacramento as she was arriving a couple of weeks ago. The boat is currently in Old Sacramento and open for tours from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 13. If you have a photo of Hawaiian Chieftain to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Similar views of Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain

Here's a great example of how two photographers "see" different, yet similar aspects of our ships.The photo at top was taken by Jim Scaccia of Lady Washington in Antioch. The one underneath was taken by Vance Koski of Hawaiian Chieftain in Sacramento. If you have an unusual photo of either or both boats to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

New Video Short with LW and HC Crew

Scallywags from Tower Films on Vimeo.
Tower Films of Seattle visited Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain last summer and produced this short, which includes lots of interview footage of the crew: J.B. Morrison, Rocky Bonner, Sara Gempler, and many others. You'll need a high-bandwidth connection for stutter-free playback. Can't see the video? Watch it on Vimeo.

GHHSA Founded 25 Years Ago This Month

The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority was founded 25 years ago this month. On October 13, 1986, the Aberdeen City Council and the mayor of Aberdeen approved the charter creating a public development authority to build a replica of a tall ship commanded by Capt. Robert Gray, who discovered Grays Harbor in 1792. On June 7, 1989, the brig Lady Washington was launched at Aberdeen Landing.

“We’ve grown steadily from a simple mission of building a tall ship to an organization that offers education programs to tens of thousands of young people and adults a year in three states and British Columbia,” says GHHSA Executive Director Les Bolton. “We’re very excited about our next 25 years, including the establishment of Seaport Landing as our new home port and tall ship maintenance facility.”

Seaport Landing is a mixed-use public waterfront facility planned for South Aberdeen just south of the Chehalis River Bridge.

Scott Rubey joins the Seaport staff

Master woodworker Scott Rubey of South Bend, Wash., joined the Seaport staff last month, and he's already built some custom cabinetry for the Lady Washington. We don't have a photo, but it's a cabinet for stowing gift merchandise in the boat's main hold. Rubey takes a lot of pride in his work, having added custom woodwork to several homes in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. In the top photo, he's standing in front of the Capt. Matt Peasley, one of the Seaport's longboats. In the lower photo, he's working on the longboat's hull.