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International Tall Ships Challenge 2005
When the tall ship, the Lady Washington, was being built, my husband Jim and I often drove into Aberdeen WA to watch. We became members and contributed some money, and bought a brick in the Compass Rose. Later still we sailed with the Lady on a local river a couple of times. Because of all this, we have felt a proprietary interest in the Lady since the beginning.
So when we read in the local newspaper that it was possible to sail as passengers on the Lady from Victoria to Port Angeles, on the first leg of the International Tall Ships Challenge 2005, we did not hesitate.
The day before the race we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Victoria Express Ferry. There were 25-28 tall ships in Victoria's inner harbor.
The Tall Ships Festival was already in progress with all kinds of concessions in tents around the harbor. It was possible to stand in line to get aboard the large Mexican Tall Ship, the Cuauhtemoc, which we eventually learned to pronounce, and the Palada--an even bigger Russian entry. It amused us to see that the Russian sailors were wearing white jackets and black pants, obviously feeling that the weather was warm, while the Mexican sailors, coming from a warmer climate, were clad in black overcoats. It was interesting to hear all the different languages as we walked around the harbor.
We went on board the Mexican Ship and the Bill of Rights and the Talofa, (where we were told some very tall tales) but could not get a boarding pass for the Lady Washington--her passes sold out early. But we did take photos of her and as many other ships as we could.
The next day we arrived at the dock very early to ensure that we could sail on the Lady Washington. We were first on board! And what a journey it was. It had taken an hour to cross the strait on the Victoria Express Ferry. It took seven to return on the Lady Washington.
(By the way, we learned that each ship had a handicap, so it was difficult to tell who won the first leg until all the handicaps were worked out.)
There was hardly any wind at all when we started out. But the crew worked the sails to get every bit of air they could and eventually a good stiff breeze came up. The entire crew was fabulous. Captain Ryan (Evil) Meyer was calm and confident. First Mate Mindy in her red cloak and second mate John, (J.B),issued orders that were incomprehensible to us, but completely understood and acted upon by the crew.
The crew is composed almost equally of young men and women. Strong, beautiful, agile young people, all dressed in authentic clothing. You have not lived until you see Shiny race full throttle up the rigging to the very top of the mast. All of the crew hauled on lines, which sounds much easier than it looks, and were completely surefooted on the rigging, behaving as though they were hopping around on a short stepladder.
As each order was given, the response of all was immediate. We were totally impressed with the discipline and intelligence of the entire crew, not to mention their amazing strength.
One of the best parts was when we engaged in some friendly rivalry with the crew of the tall ship R. Tucker Thompson from New Zealand, which we were told had taken 60 days to reach Victoria. The rivalry involved some incredible maneuvers I will not attempt to describe. Hilarious insults were exchanged. Shiny even got to fire our cannons, which he did with great skill and aplomb.
Everyone on board was very busy all the time. The 12 or so passengers mostly stood around, took photos, checked on the positions of other ships and tried not to get in the way. At all times, the crew managed to work around us and were extremely polite if they had to move us out of the way. We had a chance to talk to almost all of them. We were even served a good box lunch. It was altogether an enjoyable and entertaining experience--one we will never forget.
P.S.For more information, be sure to visit the Lady Washington's website at http://ladywashington.org.