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The
Lady returns to Blaine
By
Christine Callan
Lady
Washington is sailing into town again, but this year she
will be welcomed to Blaine in a new way. On August 6, community
boat owners will go out to Birch Point where they will greet
the Lady Washington with noise and excitement. A “hornblast,”
where boaters will honk their horns together, will greet
the Lady as she enters the harbor. Boaters are encouraged
to be out at Birch Point by 9 a.m. for the welcome and the
Lady will be docked by 11 a.m.
“It’s all part of our celebration of our harbor
and our heritage,” Ken Ely, coordinator said. “I
would like to have it come every year and be better able
to coordinate the ship’s arrival with summer harbor
events.”
This event, in its second year, is sponsored by Drayton
Harbor Maritime, Blaine Chamber of Commerce and the Port
of Blaine.
Daily dockside tours of the historic ship will be available
August 6-12. Visitors will also have the opportunity to
see her in action and go on one of several three -hour sailing
trips. They will learn what it takes to keep the 68-foot
(minus the spars) vessel going as she brings history to
life.
“Everyone is encouraged to come out,” Tanya Johnson,
from Sunset Sailing Charters who is active in planning the
welcome, said. “She (Lady Washington) is a wonderful
sight to see when she has all of her sails up. People can
sail around her because she doesn’t move very fast.”
The original Lady Washington was built in Boston in the
1750s. She set sail from Boston in 1787 serving as a privateer
during America’s War of Independence. The replica still
carries a pair of three-pound cannons and four deck guns
that shoot blanks when sailing, a high-point of the trip
for children on board.
The Lady Washington came back to life in the 1980s when
a group from Aberdeen, Washington got together the materials
to build a replica of the vessel, which was launched in
1989.
The Lady Washington will be dockside at Blaine Harbor beginning
August 6. She will be open for tours Wednesday from 5 p.m.
to 8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to
9 p.m.
For tour times, information or reservations call Grace at
800/200/LADY..
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