Lady Washington sailing season on hold

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Repairs are ready, but funding isn’t quite there yet to finish repairs to the Lady Washington, forcing the sailing season to be placed on hold..

A funding shortfall has delayed repairs on Lady Washington, pushing the start of the 2026 sailing season from July to September.

“It does mean a delay in her sailing season. Instead of July, we are looking forward to beginning our sailing season in September,” said director Brandi Bednarik.

Lady is currently in Port Townsend for restoration after significant decay was found in several wooden spars, along with electrical issues.

Lady has lost her place inside the shipyard and now a winter cover will go on, and volunteer-led work will continue on deck, spars, rigging, the galley, and engine prep split between Port Townsend and Aberdeen.

“We will do the deck, the crew mess and galley, spars, rigging and engine room prep. We will have projects going on in both Port Townsend and Aberdeen,” Bednarik said.

Additional fundraisers, including an online auction, are underway as the work continues.

‎ Go to bit.ly/3BApGdx to support Lady’s restoration.