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To Sail a Tall Ship
To Sail a Tall Ship
Sail Training aboard the Brig Lady Washington
All text and photos copyright 2007 Thomas Hyde
The brig Lady Washington, shown here in its homeport of Aberdeen, Washington, is a reproduction of the original ship of the same name that sailed in the mid to late 18th century in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Today, this reproduction launched in 1989 sails the west coast of North America providing shipboard education to local schools and sailing opportunities for the public. Of the roughly 200 tall ships in the world, Lady Washington is one of the hardest working with operations running at least 360 days a year. She is operated by the non-profit Grays Harbor Historical Seaport and sails with a crew of paid professional sailors and volunteers.
"Rise Tacks and Sheets," bellows the bosun from the quarterdeck. "Rise tacks and sheets, aye," the crew shouts back as they scramble across the deck aboard the 18th century brig Lady Washington.
In October 2006 I had the incredible opportunity to sign aboard Lady Washington as a "two weeks before the mast" volunteer crew member for the boat's transit from Grays Harbor, Washington to San Francisco Bay; a journey of roughly 800 nautical miles that would take us more than 100 miles off the west coast of North America through all kinds of weather and sea conditions.
Two on the Tiller - Crewmembers struggle to keep Lady Washington on course in high winds and rough seas off the coast of California.
This reproduction of an actual 18th century tall ship was launched in 1989 as part of Washington State's Centennial. Built all of wood, mostly Douglas Fir, the 112-foot square-rigged brig Lady Washington is as close to the original as possible while still meeting modern Coast Guard safety regulations. Today she travels the west coast and occasionally beyond to provide shipboard education programs for local schools and sailing opportunities for the public. She was recently designated as the official ship of Washington State.
Lady Washington has also appeared in several films including the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie as the Interceptor and Star Trek Generations as, you guessed it, the Enterprise. Since her launch, Lady Washington has traveled more than 60,000 nautical miles, hosted more than 1 million people across her decks, and provided more than 180,000 children shipboard education programs.
Built in 1750 in Boston, the original Lady Washington fought as a privateer during the American Revolution. In 1788 she became the first American vessel to visit the West Coast of North America, Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Japan, pioneering trade between the newly independent United States of American and the Orient. The 99-ton all wooden boat can set 4,442 square feet of sail on two masts that rise as high as 87 feet. In order to set and take in sail, the crew must climb “aloft” in all weather conditions. In all, the Lady has more than six miles of rigging. She has a top speed of about 12 knots under sail and carries a complement of two three-pounders (cannon) and two rail-mounted swivel guns.
Lady Washington travels with another tall ship, Hawaiian Chieftain, a more recent acquisition of the Historical Seaport. Hawaiian Chieftain is a 103-foot square topsail ketch and was built in Hawaii in 1988 as a modern interpretation of an 18th century European trading vessel common in the Hawaiian Islands during the late 1700's and early 1800's.
Full Tilt Boogie - The brig Lady Washington with the San Francisco skyline in the background.
Sunset under Golden Gate - Senior Captain "Jake" Jacobsen, left, surveys the trim of the sails as Lady Washington sails into San Francisco Bay. Captain Jake is also a shipwright and worked on construction of the boat.
The experience of living and working onboard this tall ship was incredible. The crew was an eclectic mix of young and old - modern day gypsies, an aspiring stand-up comic, a retired corporate raider, a one-time Jeopardy contestant, and a shipwright - all with a sense of adventure.
Hope you enjoy these photos of ship and crew. The photographic opportunities were amazing, and often challenging. I shot more than 5,000 images, many in crazy low light conditions, with a range of lenses from fisheye to 400mm. Only lost one overboard ((cringe)) off the Oregon coast.
Cruising down the Chehalis River.
Lines - More than 100 lines of the running rigging on Lady Washington descend from aloft to control the sails and spars. Crewmembers are expected to memorize the rig and learn a new language of commands.
A jollyroger of sorts turned up in the reflection of Hawaiian Chieftain. Lady Washington is in the background.
Crewmember on the bowsprit of Hawaiian Chieftain.
Taking a break on the bowsprit of Lady Washington.
Sunrise graces the bow of Lady Washington and the figurehead of Martha Washington somewhere off the Oregon Coast.
Hands to the Braces! - Crewmembers on the lines of Lady Washington.
Aloft - Crew work to remove a sail that blew out in a near gale the night before.
In the Stirrup - Crewmember aloft on Lady Washington.
Aloft - Crew work to remove a sail that blew out in a near gale the night before.
Standing watch - Crewmembers take their turn standing watch in four-hour shifts 24 hours a day when on a long transit between ports. Duties can include a turn at the tiller, boat checks, scanning the horizon for other vessels, and setting and trimming sail.
On the Quarter Deck
All meals for crew are provided in the galley below decks.
Watching the sunset offshore.
Much of the crew lives in the focs'le toward the bow of the boat.
The focs'le
Laying aloft.
Laying aloft on San Francisco Bay with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Lady Washington sails under the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.
A black powder rail gun is touched off aboard Lady Washington.
A full moon and red deck lights illuminate sails aboard Lady Washington.
Sailing under the full moon - An experiment with a time exposure and specially constructed tripod mount clamped to the boat's rail.
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Wonderful report and photographs!
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Thank you for sharing.
I like the photo with the wind blowing the sailor's beard and also the black powder rail cannon shot. :ivar
I have fond memories of the Lady. Had a chance to sail with her back in January 2005. One of my images still graces the top of the 2005 year in review page at the Lady's website.
Thanks for posting and bringing back the memories!
I confess I have never been a great fan of fisheye lenses, but your use of them makes me see the need to re-evaluate my biases.:D Very nicely done, indeed.
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Great story, great pictures, thank you so much for sharing!
Yep, that book is on every tall ship I suspect, along with Moby Dick and O'Brien. Lady has a pretty good library in the focs'l. I wonder how many times "Adrift" has been read? Not me. I agree on the fisheye. I rented one for the voyage and found it addictive. It can easily be overused but came in handy in many situations onboard. Also a lot of fun with the crew taking funny extreme close-up portraits.
to go along with a great journey.
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My sailing has been aboard only modern vessels. I have had the opportunity
to attend Tall Ships in the past but never to sail aboard such a beautiful
ship.
Hawaiian Chieftan used to sail the SF Bay. A real sight to see. It must have
been spectacular up close.
I love the POV your shots have and more importantly what you've written
about your voyage.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
The Chieftain is pretty spectacular. Both Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain sail in the Bay area and other California locations from October to May each year. They do offer three-hour battle sails for the public, with cannon fire of course. Currently the boats are in Crescent City, CA and working their way back north to Washington State for the summer.
I can post the schedule of ports of call for the remainder of 2007 if folks are interested.
This shot of Hawaiian Chieftain was taken
from the deck of Lady Washington during a
"battle sail" on San Francisco Bay.
Shot with a Canon 100-400 at 160mm on 5d.
(shallow end of the pool) and it looks like a nice day with wind in that
last picture.
About the only calm day I've ever had on the bay, we anchored off of
the Potato Patch for lunch (just outside of the gate).
fudge. I just found the schedule and I see she was in RWC last month.
Not sure how I missed that.
Elaine
Comments and constructive critique always welcome!
Elaine Heasley Photography
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I was recently organizing my shots from the last 6 months and saw some snaps I took when I was showing some visiting family around Sausalito. This is one of the better of them, taken on April 7.
I have seen the Hawaiian Chieftan around the bay for years, but the Lady Washington is new to me. Thanks for so beautifully telling a bit of thier stories.
I am just posting to say some of those photos gave me goose-bumps.
Is that normal?
That trip looks like it was a lot of fun.
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If you're interested in sail training, send me a message and I'll be happy to forward the contact information for Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain. The boats also have 3-hour sails in ports they visit (no work required). They'll be in Puget Sound this summer before heading back to Oregon and California this fall and winter.
BTW, an article with photos on this voyage is coming out this week in a regional magazine in Washington State (South Sound magazine). Got my first cover, too
Hey! Congratulations! So well deserved! Can you tell us which is your cover photo??
Comments and constructive critique always welcome!
Elaine Heasley Photography
CONGRATS on your magazine cover, well deserved! (I mean, if you can't put shots like these on a cover, then what would you put in its place?
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Well the photo editor chose the shots for the story and many would not have been my first choice but it's a subjective thing, and a reproduction issue as well. Not all photos translate well through CMYK and into print. It's an 11-page story with photos that opens with a double truck (two-page spread of one photo) so that's nice. I've had magazine photographers tell me to be very selective when submitting even if editors ask for eveything, or nearly everything. As for the cover, I don't know, they won't tell me. I'll find out when I get it in the mailbox with everyone else this week. I'm not nervous, really, not nervous about it all, not me, no.
That's fantastic! I just revisited these shots again....this is probably my favorite journey thread. Seriously, these images are magnificent, I'm not surprised they would make it into a magazine. You know, you really have a good eye for people shots, too!
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