Photo: Newly Galvanized Chains with Deadeyes

The restoration work on Lady Washington gets into the home stretch this week when we start installing her rigging, including the newly galvanized chains with deadeyes in the photo. We're having a rigging party this weekend at Aberdeen Landing. Come by if you can lend a hand. Special thanks to our blacksmiths Jim Rich and Barb Kraler and our project manager Capt. John (JB) Morrison.

Fan Photos: Hawaiian Chieftain in Bellingham

Sailing guest Rose Terisscha emailed these photos of Hawaiian Chieftain's crew (above) and "Shiney," her captain, working hard during their visit to Bellingham last weekend. Hawaiian Chieftain is now in Anacortes, with tours and public sails scheduled. For details and tickets, visit our website. If you have photos to share, send them to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Whiskey plank nailed into place on Lady Washington

Shipwrights and volunteers installed the "whiskey" plank today at Aberdeen Landing. A good-sized crowd was on hand to see the final hull plank nailed into place as we work toward completing restoration of Lady Washington's hull. Afterwards, the crew enjoyed home-made ice cream and tots of whiskey from Whiskah River Distillery of Aberdeen.

Top photo: Lady Washington's starboard side waits for the final plank of her restoration project. Middle photo: A team of volunteers and shipwrights puts the plank in place. Bottom photo: Volunteer Gilbert Myers and shipwright Scotty Kimmitt countersink a nail in the whiskey plank.

We're still in need of volunteers for priming, painting, and final touches on the project. If you have time in the next week or two, call us at 800-200-5239 or email volunteer@historicalseaport.org.

Lady Washington "whiskey plank" ceremony on Saturday

Here's one of the planks that's going on the starboard side of Lady Washington, and on Saturday, we're going to have a "whiskey plank" ceremony. The final closing plank is sometimes called the “whiskey plank,” because shipwrights and owners traditionally celebrate this milestone of ship construction with a tot of whiskey among friends. At 1 p.m. Saturday, July 21 at Aberdeen Landing, we'll have our own ceremony. Everyone is invited. Here's more info.

The ceremony doesn't mean we're finished. After the whiskey plank is installed, the restoration team will continue the restoration project, preparing Lady Washington for her return to service in early August, which will include caulking, painting, and the reinstallation of her sailing rig. During August and early September, she will sail with Hawaiian Chieftain to Puget Sound ports. (Hawaiian Chieftain is currently in Port Angeles.) On September 4, Lady Washington is scheduled to arrive in Port Townsend for her biennial haul-out, which will include further restoration work on her hull.

New Planks Going on Lady Washington's Hull

Lizzie Palmer, one of the Lady Washington crew members working on our hull restoration project, surveys the latest work on the ship's starboard side. The light-colored pieces of wood include the horizontal hull planks that are going in this week. If all goes well, we'll finish up with the traditional "whiskey plank" on Saturday. Many thanks for all the hard work from our volunteers. But we're not done yet! We need volunteers to help with painting and related work. If you're in the Grays Harbor area and available, call us at 800-200-5239 or email volunteer@historicalseaport.org.

Panorama of Planking Project

Photographer Bob Harbison has been taking dozens of photos of the current planking work on Lady Washington, and he's put together a composite of pics showing the ship's starboard side. The vertical objects are Lady Washington's frames with new installs of fresh wood. (Click the photo to see a larger version.) We'll soon start putting new planks over the frames. We'll publish more photos as they come in. We could still use a hand at the work site. Fill out our online volunteer form at http://www.historicalseaport.org.