The booming cannons of the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will sound in Port Angeles Harbor on Memorial Day weekend.
The two historic ships based in Aberdeen, will sail into the harbor Thursday to dock at City Pier and offer walk-on tours and excursions through Monday, May 30.
Walk-on tours of the historic ships, with crew members dressed in 18th century costumes welcoming visitors, are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday through Monday, May 30. A $3 donation per visitor is requested.
Battle sails between the two ships will fill the harbor with the sight and sound of a 18th century naval skirmish beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Memorial Day.
Tickets for the three-hour sails are $60 for adults, $50 for students, seniors and active military and $40 for children 12 and under. Groups of eight or more receive a 15 percent discount per ticket.
For a calmer sail — and a cheaper one — visitors can go aboard the Lady Washington for an Adventure Sail at 10 a.m. next Sunday, May 29.
Tickets are $35 for this sail, and visitors will see demonstrations of tall ship handling, and hear sea shanties and maritime storytelling.
Early reservations are strongly recommended for this sail, said Joe Follansbee, spokesperson for the nonprofit Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, which owns and operates the tall ships.
After their Port Angeles stop, the ships are scheduled to first visit British Columbia waters — including Victoria, Sidney, Richmond, and Vancouver, B.C. — before returning to the Washington state coast to dock in Port Ludlow the middle of June.
Port Ludlow
The Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain are scheduled to sail into Port Ludlow Bay the evening of Thursday, June 16 and remain docked at the Port Ludlow Marina for four nights.
The ships will be open to the public for viewing from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday through Sunday, June 17-19.
Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain also will host guests on two Battle Sails, as well as an Adventure Sail and a Sunset Sail.
Battle Sails, priced in Port Ludlow as they are in Port Angeles, are scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19.
A three-hour Sunset Sail is scheduled at 6 p.m. Friday, June 17.
The Sunset Sail around Port Ludlow Bay will feature demonstrations of tall ship handling, sea shanty singing, and maritime storytelling.
Sunset Sail tickets are $55 for adults; $45 for seniors 62 and older, students with identification and active military; and $35 for children 12 and under.
Tickets are $35 for the three-hour Adventure Sail, which will leave the marina at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 19.
The sail will feature a demonstration of tall ship handling and a chance for guests to assist sailing such a vessel.
The Lady Washington is the official ship of the state of Washington.
Launched in 1989, the ship is a full-size wooden replica of a brig that accompanied Capt. Robert Gray’s expedition to the Pacific Northwest in 1788.
The modern Lady Washington has appeared in several movies, including the 2003 “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
Educational programs for students kindergarten through high school students are conducted aboard ship.
The Hawaiian Chieftain, which accompanies Lady Washington on her voyages, is a replica of a typical 19th- century merchant trader, a steel-hulled vessel built for trade in the Hawaiian Islands. It was launched in 1988.
To purchase tickets, visit www.historicalseaport.org or phone 800-200-5239.
Scholarships for qualified schools for programs aboard the Lady Washington are available. For information, contact Roxie Underwood, 800-200-5239, education@historicalseaport.org.