"Brig Time" (Life inside the Yellow Rail)

Early Birds

2005-07-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

(Note: I'm back in the studio and trying to catch you all up on the news . Expect daily updates, until I do.)

All my concern about not arriving in Vancouver in time proved for not and we sailed in, ahead of the body of the fleet. The qualifying word in that last sentence is “sailed”. The crew of the brig sails when we can and only motors when we must. Sailing is cheaper, quieter, potentially faster and a whole lot more fun.

It all began with the Lady rumbling out of the Thea Foss Waterway. JB's watch pointed the brig’s bowsprit North and a bit West into Colvos Passage, shortly after 0100 hours on the 5th of July. When I was roused from my light sleep at 0400, the first watch had worked the Lady well North of Vashon Island and already begun to see the boost in speed from the ebbing tide. That was the magic key that we had all hoped for. The magic continued over the next two watches, as one tidal window after another was achieved. Using the “turbo boost” of tide-induced currents is an art. Captain Meyer’s crew are masters at crafting voyages that utilize the Moon and Sun’s mass to help them on their way. Still, that is only part of the equation - we don’t have reliable data on what happens far closer to home - in the atmosphere over our heads. Weather is the wild card in the game that we play. A good stiff wind on the bow and all bets are off. The Lady is always a sailboat first and a “stinkpot” second. She is designed to catch hold of the wind and harness the motive power that it offers. With this ability comes the sad truth that the wind can also slow us down - even going so far as to drive us backward. This time we lucked out and all winds to Vancouver were favorable.

During my second watch, two sailors climbed the shrouds and cast loose the gaskets that hold our Lady’s wings at rest. Thus began a process that soon changed everything in our voyage: The way things sounded, the speed we were traveling, the spirit of our crew - everything.

With a rattle and a bump, the Detroit “D-Sail” went to sleep and our Lady’s spirit fully woke. One sail and then another was sheeted home and soon the brig settled into her groove - chewing up the miles as only a square-rigger can. We soon caught sight of Bill of Rights, just getting the bone in her teeth, off to our East. Her crew was unsuccessfully trying to reign her in, but that big ol’ schooner would have none of it and gaining her own head, shot off into the gathering dark.

I finally got a few hours sleep while crossing the Straits of Juan de Fuca and when I next came on deck, we were so far ahead of schedule that by the end of my watch, Mindy ordered the ship about and we stood well off the channel, waiting out both night and fog. At 0400, I came on deck to a very intense moment. Lady Washington was running free up the channel towards Vancouver. The waterway was sprinkled liberally with tugs and their tows and spiced here and there with deep-draft vessels. The brig was slipping between the shipping lanes and shallows, making over 5 knots through the dark waters. Our watch leader, Jeremiah, ordered me to the helm and there I remained, dodging traffic, until a very welcome dawn.

At first light, while looking aft from the tiller, I noticed two leafless forests out for a stroll. With only four hours of real sleep in the last forty-eight, I was truly beat and at first this vision didn’t register as something odd. When it did finally occur to me that trees don’t actually pull up their roots and stride about, I peered through my binoculars in order to make sense of this strange sight. The two “forests” were the rigs of Pallada and Cuauhtemoc, their hulls still not visible over the curve of the Earth. The two vessels were motoring up fast behind us. Those on deck waved like crazy a few hours later as our friends from Russia and Mexico swung wide and steamed on past us. We soon made the final turn and caught sight of the city of Vancouver. Our head liaison, Mr. Blake Cowen, had been calling my phone regularly and did so again as he saw us sail in. From that moment forward Blake and his team seemed to never rest. Every time we needed them, there they were, steadily more and more tired, but always able to find a smile and a way to help.

I would be a lousy reporter if I told you that Vancouver went off without a hitch. They had hitches aplenty. My guess is that those in charge feared low public attendance and in order to compensate, built too diverse a monster to successfully manage. From my side, out on Tall Ship Island, it did work, but only just. Why? Well, partly because the Lady’s team was well in the festival groove by then, but mostly because there were a few hardy souls that simply refused to let it fail. Those people earned our respect the hard way: by going into damage-control mode and staying there for the duration. Fighting that kind of battle side-by-side is a tough but effective way of getting to know someone and Lady Washington now counts several new friends among those that made up the Vancouver Liaison Team.

Word has now come down through the media that the organizers in Vancouver went bankrupt as a result of mismanagement. I can’t really say more than that, because the money end of things isn’t what a regional Port Captain organizes. I simply am not well enough informed to make intelligent comment on that subject. However, I can speak of what I witnessed; of those that volunteered their time, out on Tall Ship Island to make the best out of a shaky situation. To those men and women I give a heartfelt Thank You. Thousands were able to see the Lady up close and personal - to hear our history - to wonder at the complex machine that is a square rigger. Well over a hundred were able to sail with us and witness two tall ships, slugging it out on the bay. We came to Vancouver to educate, entertain and keep folks safe. With your help, we succeeded in our mission.

Fair Winds and I hope to sail with all of you again soon.

-Mark

The Monster That Ate Tacoma

2005-07-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

When a new crewman comes aboard the Lady, we make sure that an introduction occurs at the very next crew muster. During that muster, we often we go around our large circle of sailors and ask name, port of origin, favorite line from a movie, favorite animal... something like that. It helps break the ice. Often these meetings dissolve into giggles and a good-natured wrestling match with the more rambunctious crew members.

I can't wait for the next crew muster, because I have a new favorite animal to mention to my boat family. I'll take a moment here to familiarize you with this recently-discovered and wonderful sub-species of "Homo Sapiens Uprightus" The Latin term slips my mind at the moment, but I can tell you that the common name is LIAISON (I think the Greek is "Festivalus Assitantus"). "Liaison" is a term new to the Lady Washington group vocabulary, but already it ranks up there with our favorite words.

Liaisons come in a variety of colors and sizes and are native to ports that host or stage the ASTA's Tall Ships Challenge. They are intelligent, respectable, reliable and very handy. We first encountered this sub-set of humanity in Port Angeles, Washington. Later we were very pleasantly surprised to find that they are not exclusive to that port and have indeed proliferated on Vancouver Island. There seemed to be an abundance of them clustered in Victoria, during our stay there.

Okay, I'll stop being so silly, but honestly, these people rock! Right now I'm sitting in Loren Lindell's office at his beautiful house on Fox Island. Why am I here? Because Loren is a sailor and a heck of a nice guy. He knows what a sailor truly desires on his day off: Laundry, a shower, food, rest, good company and high-speed wireless! Ann Meyer and I were just treated to a delicious steak dinner and a nice chat with a few members of Loren's family. Not a bad way to rest-up for our next port.

I met Loren over a month ago, while I was doing the ground-work as Regional Port Captain for the Lady. I met with both Loren and David Lester (at Dave's house, that time around) and the three of us have been in touch, almost daily, ever since. Dave and Loren sailed with our crew from Port Townsend to Vashon Island, as our local knowledge for the South Sound. Both of these gentlemen have been playing the role as Liaison Captain, for our team in Tacoma. The people on their team are just amazing. It seems that each and every one of them has a needed skill - and when taken as a group, there is nothing that they can't accomplish. I know this because we have ask a great deal of them. Tacoma is reeling with people at this very moment. The weather is unseasonably fair and the news services have been publishing TSC as headline material, every day.

When this all began, more than a few of us wondered if anyone would be interested in a fleet of tall ships. No one knew, but a few down in Tacoma hoped for a sizable crowd. Well, careful what you wish for! Folks have come down to the Thea Foss Waterway in droves. It looks as if the event organizers exceeded their estimated numbers in just the first three days of the festival. I was talking to a cop that spoke of 200,000 attending, just yesterday alone.

If there have been any problems, they have (for the most part) been transparent to the sailors aboard the Lady. Sure there has been a speed-bump or two, but given the sheer size of the event, that is a truly remarkable record. I think that once we see Tacoma slip over the horizon, that the Lady will not be away for long. This fair city has shown that it likes to play host to the world's tall ships and can make something of this magnitude work well. That much they have proved. Still, that is not the ultimate success to this particular sailor. To me Tacoma's greatest single strength is her people and the people she can draw to her - people like Loren, David and their Dream Team of Volunteer Liaisons - All 28 of them.

We did it! And we could have not done so, nearly as well, without your help.

Fair Winds my new friends. We will see you all soon,

- Mark

A Very Intense Blur

2005-07-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

At last, a few moments strung together where I can pen an update. Things are exactly as crazy/busy as I expected them to be, but the pace still takes my breath away.

The Lady is in Tacoma, moored deep in the Thea Foss Waterway, just East of the Museum of Glass. She has already sailed with Lynx today, battling on Commencement Bay. Bill of Rights headed out with us to watch the fun, as did a few smaller sailing vessels. But here I am getting ahead of myself - I should first talk about crossing over to Victoria and the festival there...

Thinking back, it is all a very intense blur. A wind singing the Lady's name was blowing as we made sail off the dock, out of Port Angeles. We had boarded several of the media at City Pier and with the favorable breeze, were able to secure the fossil-burning "d-sail" and instead act in the 100% traditional way: sailing off the dock and across to Vancouver Island.

We saw the larger vessels anchored out, while still many miles away and as we sailed in, they grew and grew until our necks became stiff from all that craning. The winds sent us in ahead of schedule and we used the time to tack and back and forth in the anchorage, gawking at all the lovely vessels. Lynx and Bill were soon swinging from their hooks and we joined them at last, hearing the rattle of the chain as Captain Meyer backed the Lady away, using her big squares. The anchor rode was snubbed tight as our "lunch hook" set well on the bottom. Then we took Customs and Security officials aboard and were officially cleared into B.C. The night "on the hook" was peaceful after a crazy evening get-together with the crews of the anchored fleet, ashore at Fort Rodd.

I had the early morning anchor watch and while Bob and I were well into our second cup of coffee, a very new, very flashy luxury yacht made a bee-line at us through the anchorage and came alongside the Lady. The very last person I expected to emerge from the wheel-house stepping out with a wired remote in hand and using it, casually maintained station with the bow-thrusters and twin screws. It was Captain Michael "Jake" Jacobson. Jake was just stopping by to wish us luck during this 2005 version of TSC. A strange juxtaposition evolved over the next few minutes, as one after another of the crew emerged on deck to lean on the rail and speak to the man who had mentored them so long ago and whose sweat and blood is built right into the Lady's very planks. We spent a half hour or so, swapping stories and getting up to date. Then Jake was on his way, after promising to check back in at the end of our voyage.

We weighed anchor shortly after breakfast, using sails and windlass alone and maneuvered into our parade line over the next few hours. Captain Meyer started the engine at the mouth of the harbor and I was startled by the roar that I had not heard in the last four days. To that roar we added the report of the ship's guns, saluting our host port and bringing cheers from the crowds lining the waterway. We motor-sailed into the inner harbor and drew a collective gasp from those on shore as the Lady spun in a circle, just a hair over her length and slipped into her berth. A team of carpenters then tossed together the mother of all boarding stairs, as the press descended in hoards. We got clear of both groups in time to watch Cuauhtemoc and Palada, yards manned, arriving in grand style. We new that Palada would be moored right across the float from our transom. What we didn't know and couldn't imagine, was that she would block out the setting sun.

The full-rigged ship Palada is big all right, but not as big as the hearts of those that sail aboard her. We made more than a few new friends aboard that beautiful boat.

Our liaison team showed up in short order for their on-board orientation and soon smiles, handshakes and even a few hugs were in abundance. That same team was back in the early morning hours and soon became a ubiquitous presence; always helpful and quick-witted. Together we pulled off one successful dockside tour after another. On shore, things didn't go quite as smoothly and we felt for those who waited in the long lines. I wasn't too worried, as I knew that Victoria could (and most likely would) adjust overnight. Sure enough, by Saturday morning, most of the problems had been smoothed over. We had our own damage control to accomplish on Saturday. Our Bosun spent most of the day in the rig, repairing a battle scar from Friday's evening sail. I won't even try to describe that... Suffice to say that the Captain nearly called off the sail due to wind direction and speed, but we braved the inner harbor and it was all worth the effort; the Straits were amazing and really, the topsail didn't take take Emmet ALL day to repair...

One important safety tip we learned our time in Victoria: It was from the Russians - Avoid the "Galley Tour" at all costs!
Like I said, it was a bit of a blur, and I have to get back to the boat, but I do want to mention the sail back to the States - because the unofficial word is that the Lady did quite well, maybe even taking first in that race leg (after our handicap is factored in). We will see...

I'll try to get another update out before we leave Tacoma on Tuesday.

-Mark

Victoria

2005-06-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

I can think of no equivalent for Victoria. It is a place whose only apparent job is to be classy. I've traveled there already, in my capacity as Port Captain and felt like the afternoon was spent in a Chip 'n Dale Cartoon:

"After you."
"No, After you, I insist."
"Please, I wouldn't want you to go to all that trouble, so I respectfully request that you proceed me."
"Why, I couldn't possibly be so rude as to go first... after you!"

I was taken to lunch, introduced to all those that are creating and managing this major event and no matter how busy each person was at that very moment, time was taken for an introduction and a welcoming word or two. I found the city to be beautiful; a living postcard. Victoria's people are helpful, intelligent and seem to have good manners built into them. They wear their smiles like clothing and would obviously feel naked without them.

This is the place we plan on sailing to, beginning this morning at 0900. We will anchor out near Royal Rodes late this afternoon, at the Fleet Assembly and have already been invited to a party this evening. Victoria then requests that we sleep in, before we parade into the Harbor tomorrow, in the early afternoon.

This is a pale description of the place that we will spend our weekend. You need to see for yourself the city and its people, but that is the whole idea of ASTA's Tall Ships Challenge - significant vessels from around the Earth gathering in one place, so that you may come and visit us.

So, hop on the Coho, the Express, or the Clipper and set sail to Victoria's Inner Harbor. There you will find Lady Washington, along with several hundred thousand tons of other vessels that are sure to take your breath away.

Okay, I've got to run, I have a boat to catch. Thank you to Port Captain Bill Larson for your assistance in both preparing for our visit and seeing that it went off without a hitch. Thank you again to Port Angeles, for your hospitality and the preview of what we can expect from our cousins across the Straits of Juan de Fuca. How you found a way to fit all of Victoria's fine traits into one of your local Chamber of Commerce professionals, we'll never know, but our crew can certainly appreciate. Oddly enough, her name is Victoria...

Blue Peter

2005-06-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

Imagine a time when Cannon blasts and flags took the place of our modern phones and e-mail. It wasn't so awfully long ago that the average sailor could gaze down from a hillside, to the bay below and see Blue Peter flapping in the breeze. This simple blue flag with a white square at its center sent an unmistakable message when it was hoisted to the highest point of the foreword mast. Since the departure of the vessel was so dependent on wind and weather, there was no firm time for getting underway. Once conditions were favorable to begin the voyage, up Blue Peter would go - most often at eight bells (8:00 a.m.), the morning of departure.

I received a phone call from Captain Meyer yesterday evening, as I was wrapping up loose ends in the studio. He was informing me of his intention to depart Port Angeles earlier than he had first planned. That call was impossible before Mr. Bell's invention and would have been communicated by Blue Peter. That signal flag's call was clear: "Come home my sailors, for soon I will be flying at half staff and you will need to be quick to return to me, or be in danger of missing the boat." Cannon fire would signal the imminent departure of the ship and then it would be time to cast lines, or weigh anchor.

We will soon be as ready as we ever will be for our first Host Port and then we will all say the mantra that Captain Ron said best: "Whatever is going to happen, is going to happen OUT THERE!"

For Lady Washington, Blue Peter flies today and guns sound tomorrow morning at 0900 hours.

May we have fair winds.

Wrapping up Port Angeles

2005-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

It seems as if we are everywhere at once right now - We are spread out over so many tasks. The crew doesn't seem to be satisfied with a Lovely Lady but instead are shooting for the knock-out, drop-dead, gorgeous "Queen of the Seaway" look. I wouldn't be surprised if someone broke out the Turtle-Wax and begged the bosun to be able to apply just a light coat...

Tomorrow Victoria Media descends on the Lady and we will be busy with them all afternoon. Then we will scramble a few of our remaining crew, say "Fair Winds" to some of those that brought us to this moment and by tomorrow evening you will see a fine spit-polished fleet ready to get underway for Victoria - our first host port.

We had better hurry. Looks like our friends aboard the Tucker are just screaming across the Pacific and are now less than 600 miles off the coast.

Not too much to say today... just too darn busy.

So, just who are these Guys?

2005-06-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

Our time in the staging port of Port Angeles is going very well, thanks to public support, local business support and a few pirates. Typically, we find pirates to be folks who have dressed up for fun, reserving a few spots on a battle sail and then cutting loose with an "Arrrrr" or two, while we are underway.

That does not adequately describe WAHLA's Pirates of Port Angeles. For the last two days we have seen (and heard) them on the shore-side of the Public Pier, singing, carousing and doing all those essential "pirate" things that the kids love. I view them a little differently, because I am one of the people that interacts with their planing and security personnel and I can inform you that these guys aren't just here to play; they are professionals as well. Case in point: Yesterday, we received the word early on that the ultimate organizational nightmare had occurred for them, as the highest person on WAHLA's planning totem-pole suffered a death in her immediate family and been suddenly called away. Word went through Lady Washington like wildfire and "Plan B" was pulled out of the books and implemented over the next 15 minutes. I was in the perfect position to see WAHLA shift their entire upper-tier down a rung and re-organize on the fly. Just one speed-bump later and we were all back on the same page. The day then went smoothly.

I sail a square rigger and am not easily impressed by much else, but what I witnessed yesterday couldn't help but redefine my notion of pirates, just a bit.

Well done people. I look forward to working alongside your organization again today.

- Mark Olson, NW Port Captain - brig Lady Washington

And so it Begins...

2005-06-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

People and Boats. Typically that means Crew and Vessels to me. Those that live aboard and the vessel that they operate. ASTA's Tall Ships Challenge changes that definition, by broadening it. Recently my world has included: Ground Support personnel, Oversight Committees, Planning Committees, Press, Foundations, Office Staff, etc. etc...

Yesterday, my ship sailed in. (My brig, to be more precise.) Lady Washington held station, out at the end of Ediz Hook, while Lynx came barreling up behind, with Bill of Rights sailing hot on her heels. Our local Port Captain, Bill Larson, was waiting for our "fleet of three" on the dock, as was Victoria McDonald - the representative of the local Chamber of Commerce. Ship's Steward, Robert Kennedy and I stepped into the fray and jumped back into our double role of crew/ground support. Soon the Lady was secured to the dock and Lynx and Bill snugged down at anchor. An hour's time rushed by in an instant and Captain Meyer ordered the Lady open for dockside tours, free to all takers, for that first day in port. It is the least we could do, for a city that has welcomed us with open arms. By 1:00, we had already been briefed by the security official from the Pirates of Port Angeles and things were humming. What the public sees is tall ships come to play, what the ground support team sees is logistics, logistics, logistics. Bob and I tore ourselves away from the controlled chaos and drove off to yet another meeting, taking the time on the road to coordinate with the office by cell phone and working out a fresh stack of concerns.

Well, that kind of day makes for only half a sailor and this morning I am a tired and feeling incomplete. I know how to fix that. It is something that I have learned through the school of hard knocks over my last 9 years with the Lady's program. The fix is this - I need to go sailing. I need to feel that pull, deep inside my stomach. I need to experience the magic of our big human and wood machine as it comes alive and begins to dance. I need to see the public's faces fill with wonder and awe and to hear their questions, ponder their thoughts and see their children's delight. It is then that the logistics will fade to its appropriate place in my brain.

SO, it is time again to join my family. To work shoulder to shoulder with them. To hear the sound of their breathing at night. To feel their watchful eyes keeping me safe. To marvel at their proficiency and spirit. IT IS TIME TO GO SAILING!

It will be then that my Lady touches my soul and everything will be worth the price.

Welcome to the 2005 Tall Ships Challenge. The piper has been paid. Let's Dance...

Hurrah for Wind!

2005-06-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

News Flash - That darn weather system has turned into the fleet's best friend. It stalled, produced a great Southerly, and now we have one for the record books. Lady, Lynx and Bill have had a rocket-ride up into the Straits and are dashing to Port Angeles. Revised ETA is 10 hours sooner. Thank you Mother Nature! What we needed and when we needed it...

See you in Port Angeles...

Underway for Port Angeles

2005-06-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon the phone rang off the hook. The question that was ask, over and over again, was: "Have They Left?"

Okay already! Lynx cast her lines at approximately 1600, the Lady at 1730 and the Bill was due to get underway by 2100. Now our three fine ladies are all out in the Pacific, happily bashing their way North. But what is this? A Gale? Where did that low come from? Well, I've got news for you Johnny Q. - I've never met a gale that didn't bring wind, and wind... well, that's sailboat fuel.

Looks like the weather will catch up to the fleet about noon today and I'll bet that they are already feeling its effects. The nice part of this, is that the seas have "laid down" and the vessels won't waste the energy of this freshening breeze, just bashing into a heavy swell. Things will get a little more interesting tonight, as that system’s center comes ashore and weakens, but I'm hoping that will just give those aboard a few stories to tell and not slow their forward progress too much. It is looking like an ETA into Port Angeles of late evening on Friday - Unless, of course, Captain Meyer gets a sudden notion to go water-skiing - then all bets are off!

I myself have a dinner date with the Lady's Victoria Liaison Team. More on that tomorrow...

That Pesky Tsunami Warning

2005-06-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

If it isn't one thing...

Yesterday evening, instead of steaming North for the Straits of Juan de Fuca as we had hoped, our three heroines remained at their respective docks in Westport; engines running and crews ready to make a dash for deep water on a moments notice.

Why the concern? At 1950 hours something under the Pacific had snapped, releasing a substantial earthquake. This 7.0 temblor was of a sufficient magnitude to cause a major tsunami, one that could have been a serious threat to the West Coast. The warning system worked well and people began evacuation from nearby low-lying coastal areas. It was soon determined that what had snapped had actually slipped sideways - and not up or down. It is that vertical shift that displaces sea-water and causes the surge that manifests itself as a series of waves, as it comes ashore. Thank goodness that didn't happen this time around and instead we just had a good scare and a fine excuse to drill.

Still, we missed the window of opportunity and so instead the fleet is going to "Plan B". We are sailing for the cameras in Grays Harbor, until the next window opens and our three vessels are free to sail North. That chance should be today, at 4:00 p.m. - (hopefully sooner). Still, that puts us into Port Angeles later than hoped and as a consequence we have canceled all of our activities for Friday, the 17th of June. Saturday should be our first full day of operation.

I will keep you updated...

That Darn Northerly

2005-06-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Bob called this morning and confirmed just what I had suspected: That dang Northerly is stalled out on the Pacific and there is no purpose in pointing the 3 bowsprits out to sea until Mother Nature decides to send her breath some other way. This may put us into Port Angeles a bit later than first thought. Bob has promised to call once the Lady is underway and after he does, I'll be able to pull out the chart and dividers and make best guess as to when the Lady, Lynx and Bill will arrive at City Pier.

Stay Tuned!

Blackbeard

2005-06-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Robert Kennedy called me last night, after Rusty Scuppers wrapped up. Bob sounded tired, but pleased that the event hadn't turned into into a madhouse. Yes, Westport keeps it small enough to still be fun, but without a break in our schedule, the crew rarely had enough energy to partake in all the hospitality that was offered. Help has been streaming in and by tonight our number of crew, aboard the brig Lady Washington, will be up to 18.

Now it is time to sail for the cameras again. The next 4 days will consist of using Bill of Rights as a camera platform to film the Lady and the Lynx slugging it out on Grays Harbor. By mid-week they should be putting film in the can off of the coast of Northwest Washington. It looks to be a large enough project that we will all need to wait until 2006, to see the results.

Bob says that the filming and productions crews from the Hallmark Channel are great. This is nice to hear, because it doesn't always work out that way. One of the reasons that it is working so well, this time around, is Captain Michael Kellick. Michael has a dual life and both halves are truly the stuff of fairy-tales. Can you imagine Captain Kellick at a cocktail party? Mr. and Mrs. Jones have just finished telling him about how little Timmy is doing so well in his taxidermy class. Mr. Jones makes sure to mention that Mrs. Jones is now selling her embroidered soccer-ball faces at the county fair and that his portable drill manufacturing plant is doing quite well, thank-you-very-much and then asks Michael just what he does for a living?

Do you think that the Jones' family will believe Michael when he cracks off with something like, "I'm a Hollywood actor of both stage and screen, who spends some of each year as second-in-command of various tall ships. Right now, I'm the First Mate aboard Bill of Rights and acting as liaison to a film production crew aboard our fleet, because I speak their language." Could you blame people for not believing Michael - or any of our crew - for that matter?

What people dress-up and play-at for just one night on Halloween; we do for a living. A Halloween costume is designed to be worn once a year. Our "funny cloths" are accurate replicas of the cloths worn by those in the upper tier of the sailing societies of 200+ years ago and we wear them every day. We often fall asleep in those baggy, smelly, cloths and are rocked into that dreamland by the motion of a square-rigger. Each morning the dream doesn't end. We roll out of our racks and live another day as a sailor of Tall Ships.

We have an expression aboard Lady Washington: "Been There - Done That - Bought the T-Shirt - Wore it - Wore it Out - Used it to Clean Up the Mess."

On Wednesday UPS will deliver the final 2 pieces of my crew costume, just in time for our fleet's arrival in Port Angeles. I won't be wearing this costume for just one night - Indeed, this shipment is to replace a costume that was worn out and is now used to clean up the mess. Just as the costume before it was...

Tracking the Tall Ships

2005-06-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Vessels in general and Tall Ships in particular are subject to weather, tide and a bit of luck, as they voyage from place to place. Our mini fleet of three is playing it fairly safe, but they don't have far to come. That is not so with several of the ships that are coming to visit the Northwest this month. Lately it has become far easier to track these vessels between ports. This is due to the relatively common use of e-mail at sea and a new technology that updates a central database, using a vessel's GPS linked to a radio.

Case in point: The R. Tucker Thompson is a gaff-rigged square topsail schooner out of New Zealand. The Lady met her crew back in 2002, when we last attended ASTA's Tall Ships Challenge. We drooled over her sailor's stories of blue water crossings, from one continent to another. We look forward to sailing with them towards the end of this month.

Yes, Tucker is pointed our way again. Her last port of call was Hawaii, as was her port before that... huh? Yes, you heard right, the schooner had to put into the Hawaiian Islands twice. Sometimes that is the way it works. This time around it was due to salt water finding its way into "plan B" (Tucker's engine). Word is that they had to return to the Islands for parts and a steadier place to make repairs. How do I know this? By keeping my eyes on the e-mail and the watching the world tracking map. Tonight I checked in to see that the Tucker is making her way North and is currently approximately 800 miles off of the Hawaii chain. She looks to be making good time, but that is to be expected, they are a hard-sailing bunch, with a trim little craft.

You can keep your eyes on the some of the world-wide tall ship fleet by visiting Sailwx.info at - http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/tallships.phtml

Check it out!

Preparations in the Northwest

2005-06-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Lady Washington and Lynx have met up with Bill of Rights and are doing the Rusty Scuppers Pirate Daze thing, down in Westport. The crew is going full-tilt, with two sold-out battle sails, today alone.

Up here in the Northwest, I'm trying to put the server in a "hold down the fort" mode and then taking the rest of this show on the road. Joe Michaels is a great help. Joe is our computer guru and has some strange mind-meld thing with these machines that I can't seem to muster.

Let's talk about the fleet of tall ships - Final protocol is in the works for fleet movement, once we are inside the 125 degrees West longitude (12 miles off the mouth of the Straits of Juan de Fuca) and I'll say a bit about that here - This is an international fleet and the USCG has dubbed TSC '05 as a M.E.N.S. event, so those on the water, who are out viewing the vessels, need to be aware of a mobile "safety buffer" traveling with the fleet. The United States Coast Guard will be enforcing a security zone around the fleet, both underway and while the ships are moored. It is looking like that space buffer will be a 100 yard "No Go" zone and a 500 yard "Go Slow" zone while the fleet is moving and 25 yards while they are tied up, or at anchor. The point is, if you see a Coast Guard Vessel warning you away from the fleet, they are enforcing the law and they always mean business.

How do I feel about this? Two things come to mind: I hate to put the men and women with the USCG to this kind of extra trouble. They work hard enough as it is. At the same time, it will sure be nice not to have to warn away small boats from our bow. We seem to have to do that a whole lot. You would think it common sense to stay out of the path of a charging tall ship, but some mariners just can't seem to grasp that we can't just step on a brake, or swerve to avoid them. I've had some hairy moments and it will be nice to have a brief respite.

So pass the word and keep your ear to the VHF radio while you are out greeting the fleet. We can give these visiting vessels the distance they need to safely operate and still greet them properly. Let's have fun and be careful out there!

I'll be joining the fleet on Thursday and hope to meet each and every one of you.

Fair Winds,

-Mark

ASTA's 2005 Tall Ships Challenge

2005-06-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's crunch time. The largest maritime event of the Northwest is nearly upon us. This is the big one and it promises to overshadow everything that has come before.

First off, just what is happening? A good question and not one that has a short-winded answer, so I'll try to break it down succinctly: It all starts with the American Sail Training Association (ASTA). They are the people that created the Tall Ships Challenge Race Series, several years ago. This event is not a first for us in the Northwest; it is a second. The folks at ASTA coordinated another Challenge, back in 2002. That was enough of a success with the public that they are doing it again and this time it is twice as big, with double the ports visited. It was ASTA that contacted the vessels and the ports and put them together. They set the race rules, adapted some security practices, submitted the permits; things like that. Their website is a good launching point for more information. It can be found at: http://tallships.sailtraining.org/

What happened next, was that the different Host Ports set things up, each to its own schedule and need, with each of the invited vessels. The host ports for 2005 are: Victoria B.C. - Tacoma, Washington - Vancouver B.C. and Port Alberni B.C.

The Host Port Websites can be found here:
Victoria - http://www.tallshipsvictoria.ca/
Tacoma - http://www.tallshipstacoma.com/
Vancouver - http://www.seavancouver.ca/festival/tsChallenge.html
Port Alberni - http://www.portalbernitallships.ca/

There are three staging ports as well: Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Vashon-Maury Island.

We start our adventure in one of these staging areas - Port Angeles, Washington. Port Angeles will be the point of assembly for some of the fleet and if you ask me just when the fleet will arrive, I'll tear out what little hair remains on my head. We don't know! Remember that these boats are sailing in from all over the planet. What is the weather like over each and every one of them, right now? You tell me! This is part of what makes this event so wonderful and rare - Working vessels from around the globe are coming to visit and they bring with them an accurate view of the world of sailing ships. It is a bit like chasing a hot-air-balloon. That is half the fun and excitement, right there. I can tell you that the largest sailing ship in Russia, Pallada, got underway about two weeks ago and is crossing the Pacific as I write this article. Are they bucking a headwind, or are they running free? I don't know. What I can tell you, is that the hard-sailing bunch aboard the R. Tucker Thompson are about to, or just have, departed Hawaii. This is after a false start, due to salt water finding its way into the engine. Wish them luck and prepare for the stories that you know they will bring. My point is that there is no way to guess at luck or weather.

What I can say for sure, is that many great vessels are coming. Sailing in first, so that she may welcome in the fleet, is Washington State's Tall Ship Ambassador, the brig Lady Washington. The Lady is currently moored in Ilwaco. She will spend two days there and then voyage North, crossing the bar into Grays Harbor on Tuesday, the 7th of June. Her partner in crime (and education), the privateer Lynx, will be right there alongside her. Both vessels will soon have their crews assembled and up-to-speed.

Right now, up in Aberdeen, the schooner Bill of Rights is getting the makeover of the decade. Her crew is slowly assembling and a handful of rockstars have been making her shine. Bill is scheduled to bend on new sail on June 5th and then she will sail out and meet the Lady and the Lynx on June 7th, as the pair come within sight of Washington's coast. Having the Bill all spruced up for the Challenge is very significant for the maritime community - the ASTA charter was signed in her main salon, back in the seventies.

In Westport, we put the frosting on the cake, (so to speak) and complete the assembly of this "mother of all crews", in order to make the next six weeks happen. Our final planning meetings happen mid-week in Westport and then comes Rusty Scuppers Pirate Daze. Shops open in Westport at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and events are happening throughout the weekend.

Here is our sailing schedule -

6/10 - Battle Sail from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
6/11 - Battle Sail from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Battle Sail from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
6/12 - Battle Sail from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

After Westport, our three erstwhile heroes will head out to sea and do a little filming for . . . wait, I can't talk about that yet . . . uh, for a movie. Oh what the heck! I'll spill the beans: In transit we are acting as "set vessels" in an upcoming made-for-TV-movie on Blackbeard, the Pirate. Word on the street is that the Hallmark Channel is putting it all together. Filming will begin in Grays Harbor, before we transit North and again on the voyage, while we are off of Washington's coast.

We will sail into Port Angeles on June 16th, with the cast of Blackbeard still aboard our three vessels. Note: There is (so far) no place where we can safely load all three boats simultaneously at the City Pier. We may have to present each vessel individually, but we are doing everything in our power to get as many of you aboard as possible. Floating docks just aren't available for multiple vessels of our size. We should be re-stowed from sea by the 17th of June - and that sailing schedule is as follows:

6/17 - Battle Sail from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
6/18 - Battle Sail from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and Battle Sail from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
6/19 - Battle Sail from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

NOTICE TO MARINERS AND PUBLIC:
Lady Washington and Lynx have working ship's guns and will be firing blanks with them during simulated battles on the bay. Our arrival on the 16th of June may be announced by cannon fire and you can expect to hear the reports of large guns while we are engaged in mock battles on the bay.

In Port Angeles we are being welcomed by the city in a big way, thanks to the efforts of our local Port Captain, Bill Larson and many local businesses. Captain Larson has been coordinating local resources and media for many months already. Our fleet will ramp-up for the Tall Ships Challenge (Victoria leg), while working alongside another pirate festival, hosted by the people over at Washington Association of Historical Living Arts (WAHLA). The Pirates of Port Angeles website can be found here: http://www.portangelesfaire.org/03_sitefolder/02_pirate_site_2005/index.html

When we depart Port Angeles, we will be joining an International Fleet. The United States and Canada will play host to the visiting vessels of the world and we want those vessels to be as secure as possible, while they are voyaging in our waters. To facilitate this, the United States Coast Guard has designated the 2005 Tall Ships Challenge as a "Marine Event of National Significance". There will be protocol for everyone on the water and on the shore to be aware of. Final regulations are being drafted at this time, but you can be sure they will spell out restrictions on private vessels approaching the fleet. With that in mind and with the public's renewed interest in pirates, I will post the brig Lady Washington's official policy regarding weapons:

Weapons Protocol:
Due to the recent heightened security awareness and the national standards surrounding ASTA's Tall Ships Challenge, the master of Lady Washington has instructed his crew to begin enforcing new protocol pertaining to weapons aboard the brig.
Weapons are defined as anything that is designed as a weapon, or is meant to replicate a weapon. The only exception is a replica weapon that is obviously made of plastic and is in the hands of a child. There shall be no weapons brought aboard the vessel, either real or replica, by our passengers. All passengers shall be visually inspected by the crew before boarding. If a passenger is seen to have a weapon on their person, they will be asked to not bring it aboard. This protocol is effective immediately and is non-negotiable.

Note to passengers: The tools of the sailing trade (knives and spikes), that you may notice in the possession of our crew, are even more strictly regulated.

Tall Ships Challenge - Victoria B.C. - We sail for Victoria on the 21st of June. It is a twenty mile crossing and we should be clearing customs that same day. Details on our visit to Victoria can be found here: http://www.tallshipsvictoria.ca/

On June 27th, after our visit to Victoria, the Fleet Races (Lady, Lynx and Bill included) back across the Straits of Juan de Fuca, to Port Angeles.

BRING YOUR CAMERA!

This is the moment when the largest number of vessels will be clearing customs into the United States and it will be quite a show. Get to town by, say, noon. Then set up your tripod and capture the ships as they come into view. You are sure to see the largest square-rigger ever to sail into Port Angeles at that time. Don't expect to be able to get too close, or to board any of the vessels. This is a passenger disembark/embark stop and a place to clear customs. We are not scheduled to open for dockside tours. Why? Well, the vessels will be working late into the night, to prepare for the next leg of their voyage, that following morning.

On June 28th, we plan on getting underway at 9:30 a.m. in order to take three boatloads of passengers to Port Townsend. Here is another great photo opportunity. Bring your picnic lunch along with you camera and settle in at Fort Warden's beach at Point Wilson by 2:00 p.m. Point Wilson is a natural bottleneck and unless the big boats have made a break for the South Sound in the middle of the night (this could happen), you will be in the perfect spot to see the fleet pass. Our three boats are due to disembark passengers by 6:00 p.m. on Port Townsend waterfront's docks. This will be a rare event - having that much tall ship tonnage at Washington's Victorian Seaport, all at once. Dare I speculate? Could this lovely port lure in a few more vessels from the passing fleet, to anchor there overnight? We will see...

Port Townsend is a provision and staging port, and we will be busy that evening, loading goods and preparing for the crowds that we expect to see in the South Sound. Still, it might pay to wander into a few of the local shops that evening. You never know just who you might bump into, or what language that they will speak.

On June 29th it will be the weather that calls the shots on our departure time, but expect it to be before breakfast. We will load a few of our boat family and support personnel and then Lady, Lynx and Bill will hustle out past Marrowstone Point (um... camera?) and head for Elliott Bay. The plan is to strafe Seattle's waterfront and make ourselves seen and heard, before heading down to Quartermaster Harbor to rendezvous with the fleet. Vashon Island's Port Captain, John Burke, is our point man for this final staging port.

Once moored in Quartermaster, we become guests of Tacoma and the red carpet is officially rolled out for the largest gathering of Tall Ships in the modern history of Puget Sound. Tacoma has spared nothing. This will be one for the history books.

Unfurl Your Imagination Here: http://www.tallshipstacoma.com/

On July 5th we will be underway for Vancouver, well before dawn. This will be a full-steam-ahead leg, as the fleet scrambles North, in order to have time to clear customs into Canada and still be on schedule for the Sea Vancouver Festival. Note to Photographers: Keep an eye on the weather. If it decides to blow hard out of the South, then you want to find a way to "get the shot". We are all dealing with a tight schedule and high fuel costs. If the fleet gets a chance, this is where you will see Tall Ships in a hurry and there is no good way to describe that in words...

Here is what Vancouver has planned for us: http://www.seavancouver.ca/festival/tsChallenge.html

We will wrap things up in Vancouver on July 10th and head for Port Alberni. That leg promises to be another rocket-ride, as we make the best possible speed over the 200 miles to the West side of Vancouver Island and on up the river. Keep a close watch on Port Alberni's "Festival of Sails" website: http://www.portalbernitallships.ca/ Things are still evolving up there.

So that is it for now. I'll be writing a bit more on the details of the Challenge and what we plan on doing next, up in Tofino, but for now that is a whole lot to digest.

Fair Winds,
Mark Olson, Port Captain, Northwest Region