Let tacks and sheets fly
by HML
We aren’t sure how the distance to Anacortes compares with Ushant and Scilly, but it was certainly close enough to spend last Saturday touring the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain.
The brig Lady Washington is a a full-scale reproduction of the first American vessel to visit the west coast of North America in approximately 1788. Now the Lady is Washington State’s tall ship ambassador and the state ship. She has been seen in several films, perhaps most notably as the HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. (And like so many celebrities, she is much smaller in real life than one expects from her grand presence on the big screen.)
The topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain is a replica of a typical European merchant trader of the turn of the nineteenth century. Her hull shape and rigging are similar to those of Spanish explorer’s ships used in the expeditions of the late 18th century along the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts.
First, we toured the Hawaiian Chieftain.
Thing Two and Monkey were intrigued by the large wheel, all the ropes, and the small cannons used for the Battle Sails, where the Lady and Chieftain engage in close quarters maneuvers and fire the cannons (blanks) at each other. The tiny herb garden in the ship’s galley also caught our small gardener’s attention. Thing Two carefully navigated the steep stairs belowdecks to inspect the living quarters and introduce Monkey to the crew.
Next we boarded the Lady Washington. While Your Humble Narrator/Photographer continued to take pictures of ropes, Thing Two immediately headed belowdecks to compare the Lady‘s quarters with the Chieftain‘s. Little kids often ask questions that adults either don’t think to ask or hesitate to ask, and Thing Two’s curiosity about a hatch earned him a look at the keel and the bilge.
Once on deck, Thing Two was invited to take the tiller and, with a crew member’s help, turn the ship’s rudder.
We had heard a few horns from other ships at the Port of Anacortes, so Thing Two asked if the Lady Washington had a horn. While she is equipped with a Coast Guard required electronic horn, the crew member produced a drilled conch shell, which he said the captain prefers to use when appropriate. He then blew the conch shell for Thing Two’s benefit, and it was much louder than Thing Two expected it to be!
Our offer of Thing Two as a powder monkey was politely rejected, but Thing One would be eligible for a two-week stint as a crew member once he is sixteen, if the opportunity to channel his inner Horatio Hornblower interests him.
After our tour we wanted to find a scenic spot for a picnic, perhaps with a beach to explore. We tried the ferry terminal first, but the San Juan Islands ferry was just arriving, so the traffic was heavy and parking nonexistent. We drove a little further to Washington Park, where we easily found a picnic spot, perhaps because it was a scorching 55° and foggy.
After shivering through our picnic, Thing Two played a little on the playground before giving up and asking to be let into the warm car.
Chilly summer weather aside, we loved the tall ships! Some day, when Thing Two is more tolerant of loud noises and long activities, we would love to go on their three-hour Battle Sail or Adventure Sail.
Further Reading:
- Our tour photos in the Gimlet Gallery
- Grays Harbor Historical Seaport: official web site for the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain
- Wikipedia entries for the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain
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Tags: local fun
