Keep her sailing: nonprofit fundraises for Lady Washington, eyes future

Laid up alongside the pier in South Aberdeen with her masts and spars struck for the winter, the Lady Washington isn’t much to look at as she overwinters.

But the seasons will shift soon, says her captain, Katherine Pogue, and the vessel will shed her winter plumage and take to the waters of the Pacific once more.

The vessel, operated by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, has spent more than 30 years in commission now, and the nonprofit has been fundraising to replace equipment aboard.

Spars sit pierside near the Lady Washington as she lies tied to the pier for the winter. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)

“We didn’t hit our goal, but we usually don’t on Giving Tuesday. We’re fairly new to Giving Tuesday,” said executive director of the Historical Seaport Brandi Bednarik. “We raised over $6,000 and we still have donations trickling in.”

Aiming for $15,000, the nonprofit seeks to replace gear aboard the vessel from the harnesses used by the crew to radios and other equipment necessary to the safe operation of the 112-foot, 200-ton vessel, Bednarik said.

“We have one working VHF radio right now. It’s nice to have two,” Pogue said, also mentioning the purchase of new harnesses for crew climbing the masts. “Those are for climbing aloft. They’re a little bigger and bulkier than rock climbing harnesses, but they’re more comfortable to sit in for extended periods of time.”

Captain Katherine Pogue of the Lady Washington gestures at the vessel’s VHF equipment, in line for replacement, on Dec. 6. (Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World)

A ship always has needs, Bednarik said; maintenance is a continuous issue.

“We have more fundraising coming up this month,” Bednarik said. “We’ll work our way through the rest of the list.”

The ship is also due for a large-scale refit in 2024, Pogue said. Wood has been used by mariners to cross the vast oceans, from the Polynesians navigating the endless Pacific by stars and currents to the European fleets, taking their wars across the planet, but it has its downsides as a long-term construction material, especially when constantly subjected to the elements.

“Below the waterline is looking pretty,” Pogue said. “Where the standing rigging is bolted, that’s getting pretty rotted.”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Lady Washington lies alongside the pier at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, laid up for winter. The nonprofit is seeking funds to update equipment aboard the vessel, now more than three decades old.

Pogue recently accepted the position of full-time captain of the vessel, beginning this winter. Before, she served as a mate aboard the vessel, and has sailed since first serving as a deckhand when she was 16 growing up in San Diego.

Pogue said she enjoys captaining the Lady Washington, taking into account the vessel’s design, a faithful reproduction of a brig built early in the country’s history, and the first American vessel to sail to Honolulu, Japan and Hong Kong, according to the nonprofit. The modern iteration primarily sails the West Coast, spending much of her time in the Puget Sound.

“In a seaway, she does roll around a lot. She’s from a period of history where they hadn’t quite figured out hull shapes,” Pogue said. “You have to get a feel for how she wants to move. She turns one direction better than the other.”

Michael S. Lockett / The Daily World Captain Katherine Pogue of the Lady Washington looks on to the vessel’s maintenance space where the vessel’s necessaries are being prepared for another season at sea.

Pierside

The nonprofit has a number of goals it’s working towards in the meantime, including cleaning up the environment around its port from the former industrial installations that previously existed there, building a floating pier for the Lady Washington, and funding the long term restoration of the vessel herself, Bednarik said.

“It’s really hard to dock the boat on a fixed pier,” Pogue said.

In the long term, the nonprofit is looking to continue to develop the waterfront, creating more public opportunity and accessibility for residents and visitors, Bednarik said, as the nonprofit continues to develop more sources of revenue, including small-boat sailing and renting the organization’s event space for inexpensive community events.

All of this goes into supporting the Washington’s official ship, home to a dwindling species of sailor.

“In the world there’s more tall ships than people who know how to sail them,” Bednarik said.

To donate, go to historicalseaport.org/donate

Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.