SAVE THE DATE: June 9, 2012 GHHSA's 25th Birthday Bash! Learn more...
Help us celebrate 25 years of positive change in the lives of young people with a $25 donation to Seaport Landing, our planned home port and visitor destination in Aberdeen.
Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain have returned return to Grays Harbor to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority. The ships are scheduled to arrive in Westport the evening of June 4, then sail for Aberdeen on June 5, arriving at Aberdeen Landing at approximately 3 p.m.
At 1 p.m. Saturday, June 9, the public is invited to the GHHSA’s 25th Birthday Bash at Historical Seaport headquarters, 712 Hagara St., Junction City. Tours, displays, food, and activities are planned. The event is free. At 6 p.m., Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will take guests on a Battle Sail, departing from Aberdeen Landing. Here’s the full event schedule:
6/7-8: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-on tours, Aberdeen Landing. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
6/9: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash, Junction City. Free to all.
6/9: 6 p .m. to 9 p.m. Lady Washington & Hawaiian Chieftain Battle Sail, Aberdeen Landing. $40-$60.
6/10: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk-on tours, Aberdeen Landing. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
6/10: 2 p .m. to 5 p.m. Lady Washington & Hawaiian Chieftain Battle Sail, Aberdeen Landing. $40-$60.
6/12-13: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-on tours, Aberdeen Landing. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
Purchase Battle Sail tickets online or call 800-200-5239. Special discounts for the June 10 Battle Sail are available to former ship volunteers and crew. For info, call 800-200-5239.
GHHSA was chartered by the City of Aberdeen in 1986 to construct Lady Washington, which is now the Official Ship of the State of Washington. Launched in 1989, the ship travels to more than 40 ports a year as the tall ship ambassador for Grays Harbor conducting education programs for K-12 students and the general public. She is accompanied by Hawaiian Chieftain, acquired by GHHSA in 2004. GHHSA also operates the Spar Shop, a custom wood products manufacturing facility specializing in ship masts, spars, and wood columns used in residential and commercial construction.
As part of the 2012 Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze festival, the tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain will host a special Fireworks Sail 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23 from the Westport Marina. The ship is again joining the annual event, which features make-believe pirates, family activities, and music in the marina district of the Grays Harbor city. Here’s the schedule for the ship:
6/22: 11:30 a.m. Grand arrival of Hawaiian Chieftain with Rusty Scupper VIPs at Westport Marina.
6/22: Noon to 2 p.m. Hawaiian Chieftain walk-on tours. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
The Hawaiian Chieftain Evening Sail is a two-hour tall ship experience offering a chance for guests to raise a sail, sing a sea shanty, and take the wheel of a real tall ship, conditions permitting. Tickets for the Evening Sail are $35 each. The Fireworks Sail includes a 35-minute to 45-minute display viewed from the deck of Hawaiian Chieftain while it sails in Grays Harbor. Tickets for the Fireworks Sail are $55 each. To purchase tickets for all public sails, call 800-200-5239 or use the online tickets sales application.
From June 14 through early August, including Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze, Lady Washington will be out of service in Aberdeen while shipwrights and volunteers replace hull planking. The project is part of a long-term maintenance program.
Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority has issued a call for volunteers to help with a major restoration of Lady Washington’s hull which will take place over the summer of 2012. On June 14, Lady Washington will go out of service in Aberdeen for approximately eight weeks, starting with the removal of most of her rig. A team of professional shipwrights will then remove portions of Lady Washington’s exterior hull planks above the waterline to expose rot-infected planks and frames. The deterioration is considered normal for a wooden ship of Lady Washington’s age. She was launched in 1989. Damaged frames will be repaired and new planking milled by the Spar Shop at the Seaport Learning Center will be installed.
To expedite the work, the Historical Seaport needs volunteers at all skill levels. Volunteers are needed on ship projects Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, volunteers will help prepare for the following week’s work and give the public guided tours of the project. If you have any time between June 14 and early August, and you plan to be in the Aberdeen area, please call 800-200-5239 or fill out the volunteer form.
The hull restoration project is scheduled to pause in early August when work above the waterline is completed. Lady Washington will then sail with Hawaiian Chieftain in Puget Sound through early September, when she’ll head to Port Townsend for her biennial haulout. At that time, shipwrights will replace the vessel’s hull planks below the waterline. The project is financed by a $167,000 capital improvements grant approved by the Legislature in 2011.
The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority is celebraing its 25th year of operations this year. The Historical Seaport is asking supporters to help launch another 25 years of life-changing programs and opportunities with a $25 donation.
Founded on October 20, 1986 by Grays Harbor citizens with a mission to educate young people about the maritime history of Grays Harbor and Washington state, the Historical Seaport built and launched the brig Lady Washington. Since 1989, more than 200,000 students and more than a million people in all have walked her decks. They learned how 18th century mariners explored Grays Harbor and the west coast in search of wealth for the new nation of the United States. The Historical Seaport, Lady Washington, and her companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain have changed the lives of hundreds of young men and women, many of whom have gone on to careers in the maritime trades.
Each donation of $25 or more helps support the design and development of Seaport Landing, a mixed-use public waterfront facility on the South Shore of the Chehalis River that will include maintenance facilities for Lady Washington, her companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain, and other vessels. Seaport Landing will also feature maritime themed educational exhibits, programs and activities that will serve local K-12 students and attract visitors from around the world.
The Historical Seaport is gratefully accepting tax-deductible donations to its GHHSA 25th Birthday campaign online. Click the red "Donate Now” button to donate. Supporters may also call 800-200-5239 or mail a check to GHHSA 25th Birthday, PO Box 2019, Aberdeen, WA, 98520. For more information, contact Les Bolton, executive director, 800-200-5239,
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The Historical Seaport is making plans for a community event to celebrate its 25th year. An announcement is expected in early 2012. The Seaport invites anyone with stories or photos to share related to the 1986 founding of the Seaport to call 800-200-5239 or send images to
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Lady Washington, the Official Ship of the State of Washington, and her companion ship Hawaiian Chieftain, have announced their sailing schedule for the 2012 summer season. The visits will include walk-on tours, three-hour public sailings, and educational programs for school groups, service groups, and others. The schedule includes a visit to British Columbia by Hawaiian Chieftain and a major upgrade to the Lady Washington’s hull planking. Here’s the list of ports confirmed and tentatively scheduled:
Aberdeen: June 6-13
Westport: June 22-23 (tentative, Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Victoria, BC: June 27 (tentative, Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Richmond, BC: June 29-July 1 (tentative, Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Aberdeen: July 4-9 (sailings on Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Port Angeles: July 13-18 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Anacortes: July 26-29 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
San Juan Islands: July 30-Aug. 3 (Expedition Voyages Family/Youth Camp, Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Blaine: August 4-5 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Coupeville: August 8-13 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Everett: August 15 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
Seattle: August 17-19
Brownsville: August 21-23
Bremerton: August 25-26
TBD: August 27-Sept. 3
Port Townsend: Sept. 5-Oct. 10 (Lady Washington only, no public availability)
Aberdeen, Sept. 10-24 (Hawaiian Chieftain only)
From June 14 to Aug. 9, Lady Washington will remain in Aberdeen while shipwrights replace worn exterior hull planking. From Sept. 5 to Oct. 10, Lady Washington will undergo her biennial haul-out in Port Townsend, which will include any remaining work on her hull planking. During these periods, the ship will not be available for tours or public sailings.
Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority has issued a call for volunteers to help with a major restoration of Lady Washington’s hull which will take place over the summer of 2012. On June 14, Lady Washington will go out of service in Aberdeen for approximately eight weeks, starting with the removal of most of her rig. A team of professional shipwrights will then remove portions of Lady Washington’s exterior hull planks above the waterline to expose rot-infected planks and frames. The deterioration is considered normal for a wooden ship of Lady Washington’s age. She was launched in 1989. Damaged frames will be repaired and new planking milled by the Spar Shop at the Seaport Learning Center will be installed.