PORT LUDLOW — The tall ship Lady Washington, the official ship of the state of Washington, and her companion ship, Hawaiian Chieftain, are in Port Ludlow.
The ships arrived Friday and will remain until July 18, offering public tours and excursions from the Port Ludlow Marina, 1 Gull Drive.
Planned today are tours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a three-hour battle sail from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tours are set for noon Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and at 10 a.m. Saturday and next Sunday, July 17.
During the tours of the docked ships, crew members will be on hand in period costume to answer questions and tell stories. A ticket is not required, but a $5 donation per person is appreciated.
Battle sails
Battle sails — in which the two ships engage in a mock fight at sea — cost $75 for adults; $67 for students with ID, seniors (62 and older) and active military; and $39 for children 12 and younger.
A specially priced battle sail is set Wednesday. The sail will be only two hours, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and will cost $65 for adults; $57 for students, seniors and active military; and $29 for children 12 and younger.
Two-hour evening sails are set from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are $35 Tuesday and $45 Friday.
Adventure sails — which offer demonstrations of tall-ship handling and sea chantey singing — are set from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday, July 17. Tickets are $47 for adults and $39 for children 12 and younger.
All battle sail and adventure sail tickets are subject to a 15 percent discount per ticket when groups of four or more purchase tickets online at www.historicalseaport.org.
The Port Ludlow visit is the only one planned to the North Olympic Peninsula this summer, although the Lady Washington will visit Port Townsend for the Wooden Boat Festival, set Sept. 9-11.
No floats in PA
“We really wanted to come to Port Angeles, but it was dependent on the new floats that the parks department was going to put in at the city docks,” said Joe Follansbee, communications director for the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, which owns and operates the tall ships.
Five City Pier floats were pulled out in 2012, rotted beyond repair. The tall ships have not docked in Port Angeles since.
A plethora of permits required under the state Joint Aquatic Resource Permit Application (JARPA) process have held up the $350,000 float replacement process.
Corey Delikat, Port Angeles Parks and Recreation director, has said he hopes the floats will be installed before Memorial Day 2017.
“Once those are installed, we want to come back to Port Angeles,” Follansbee said.
He added that historical seaport authority officials thought of docking in Sequim this season but the John Wayne Marina had a conflict with the ships’ schedule.
Launched in 1989, Lady Washington is a wooden replica of one of the first U.S.-flagged vessels to visit the west coast of North America.
Built in 1988 in Lahaina on the island of Maui, the all-steel Hawaiian Chieftain is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional design.
A full sailing schedule and a schedule for walk-on tours is available at www.historicalseaport.org.
Purchase tickets at the website or call 800-200-5239 Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.