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Update: Famed Tall Ships Dock at Oregon Coast Towns; Tours, Rides

Updated 05/05/2015

(Oregon Coast) – You may have seen them on TV, like Star Trek or Pirates of the Caribbean. Or maybe you've seen the towering masts hovering over Oregon coast bays in Newport, Astoria or Coos Bay. (This article contains video).

The tall ships are back on the Oregon coast, slowly making their rounds from Coos Bay, to Newport and then to Astoria. The brig Lady Washington, the official tall ship of the state of Washington, and her companion vessel, Hawaiian Chieftain, are currently in Coos Bay. They'll be in Newport from May 14 through May 26, and then Astoria from June 3 to June 15. They will be offering a series of tours and even sailing trips.

In Newport, they dock at the Port of Newport, 600 SE Bay Boulevard, Newport, and offer tours, excursions, and education programs for elementary school students. The ships will be open for visits on Memorial Day, May 25.

The Lady Washington was built in 1989 by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority – a full-scale replica of the original Lady Washington that made history 200 years earlier. In 1787, after the Revolutionary war, she was given a major refit to prepare her for a unprecedented trading voyage around Cape Horn. In 1788, she became the first American vessel to make landfall on the west coast of North America.

Over the years, Lady Washington has appeared in several motion pictures and television shows, including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Star Trek: Generations, Once Upon A Time, and Revolution.

The Hawaiian Chieftain was also built in the late 80's and was originally designed for cargo shipping between the various Hawaiian Islands. Builder Raymond H. Richards was highly influenced by colonial times and what was called coastal packets that traded among Atlantic coastal cities and towns.

The early packet ships were regular traders and were selected because they sailed remarkably well and could enter small ports with their shallow draft. Out of the gradual development of the Atlantic packet ship hull form came the ship design practices that helped produce some of the best of the clipper ships of the later 1850s.

Both vessels are certified by the U.S. Coast Guard as passenger-carrying vessels and crewed by professional sailors and trained volunteers. Walk-on tours are self-guided visits of the ships hosted by crew in period costume. A $3 donation per person is appreciated.

See the full schedule at the bottom of this article, but the list of tours and sailing trips in Newport is as follows:

Battle Sails are three-hour excursions recreating the look and feel of an 18th century naval skirmish with real gunpowder, real cannon, but no cannon balls. Tickets are $75 adults, $67 students/seniors/active military, $39 children 12 and under. Passengers in the two-hour, family-oriented Adventure Sail are invited to help the crew raise a sail, sing a sea shanty, and take the helm of a real tall ship, conditions permitting. Tickets are $47 adults, $39 children 12 and under. The value-priced Evening Sails offer programming similar to Adventure Sails. Evening Sail prices at $35 on May 20 and $45 on May 16 and May 23. To purchase tickets, call 8002005239 or visit www.historicalseaport.org . Early reservations are strongly recommended.

Slots are still available for education programs designed for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. For more information, visit www.historicalseaport.org, or call 800-200-5239.

More about the ships and Newport below, and at the Newport, Oregon Virtual Tour, Map.

The Lady Washington

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