Avast, maties! Is that a Jolly Roger flag a'flyin'?
The first Tall Ship Festival sailed into Commencement Bay at Tacoma, Washington on June 30, 2005. There were tirty vessels from as far away as New Zealand, Mexico, San Francisco, Maryland, and Russia. Others came from near-by Seattle, Aberdeen, and LaConner, Washington.
We were aboard the Argosy, a charter vessel home-ported in Seattle. Its three decks gave us ample space to view a parade of 21 tall ships. After a mouth-watering buffet of salmon, crab, a variety of salads and fresh fruit, and an assortment of pastries, we clamored above deck to admire sails billowing out from masts all around us.
The Parade of Ships started at 1 p.m. Sailors manned the crows' nests, unfurled the canvas, and tacked smartly into the wind. A flotilla of 3,000 small boats escorted the sleek schooners from Quartermaster Bay at Vashon-Maury Island to Foss Waterway in Tacoma. The small boats were saluted by explosions from false gunports. Then the privateers hove into close firing range. Mock battles raged, sending clouds of smoke across the white caps.
The gathering of tall ships is an annual event in Tacoma from June 30th to July 4th. For five days, one million people board the vessels, admire brass and mahogony decks, and marvel at the instruments. Luckier ones hoist sail for a day or two and take a spin around Puget Sound.
Aye, there's treasure in the tall ships, me hearties. Yo ho!
Following is a description of five of the tall ships:
Cuauhtemoc. A barque built in Bilbao, Spain in 1982. Homeport: Acapulco, Mexico. Sparred length: 270'. Draft: 17'. Hull: Steel. Sail: 25,5000 square feet. Used to train officers in the Mexican Navy. It has sailed 378,725 miles and appeared in regattas world-wide.
Pallada. Named for the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. A full-rigged ship built in Gdansk, Poland in 1989. It resembes the Russian Barque Kruzenshterm with false gunports. Homeport: Vladivostok, Russia. Sparred length: 356'4'. Draft: 22'4'. Hull: Steel. Sail: 26 sails and masts 162 feet tall. Owned by Dalryba fishing companies and offers sail training to marine-college cadets.
Lynx. Replica of a privateer built by Thomas Kemp in Fell's Point, Maryland, 1812. A topsail schooner. Sparred length: 122'. Draft: 8'6'. Hull: Wood. Sail: 4,669 square feet. The Lynx served as an American blockade runner in the War of 1812. Operates as a sail training vessel for school groups and families.
Lady Washington. Replica of American Revolution privateer Lady Washington. A brig. Homeport: Aberdeen, Washington. Sparred length: 112'. Draft: 11'. Hull: Wood. Sail: 4,400 square feet. First American vessel to visit the West Coast. Traded between the colonies and Northwest tribes. Provides shipboard education for schools.
North Star. A full-rigged ship built in San Francisco in 1935. Sparred length: 78'. Draft: 6'6'. Sail: 3,000 square feet. Last of the sailing Arctic cargo ships. Built for two Inuit fox trappers to transport their furs to market. Used by school group tours.--Shirley Ruble