JAUNTS : Lady Washington Has Set Sail to Ventura Harbor : The replica of the historic tall ship will be open for tours and cruises during its nine-day stay.

With its 12 sails unfurled, the tall ship Lady Washington journeys into the Ventura Harbor next week for nine days dockside during which the public can tour the floating museum.

It’s not the real Lady Washington, the first United States vessel to sail into the waters of the Pacific Northwest 200 years ago. It’s a replica, launched in 1989 by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Aberdeen, Wash.

But it will seem like the real thing when it arrives at 4 p.m. Dec. 9. The ship will fire off canon salutes as it nears the Ventura Pier on its way to the harbor.

While docked at the harbor, the Lady Washington is open to the public for tours weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m., or on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for senior citizens and students, and $1 for children 12 and younger. Or, sailing enthusiasts can pay $35 for a three-hour evening cruise.

The ship is a full-scale replica, painstakingly re-created in Aberdeen using centuries-old shipbuilding methods. Built mostly from Douglas fir trees, it is the biggest active square-rigged sailing vessel on the west coast. It cost $2.5 million.

The Lady Washington’s length, 112 feet, may not mean much, but this might: Its sails take up more than 4,400 square feet of canvas, and the rigging runs six miles.

With a crew of 12, Capt. Robert Gray set sail in the original ship from Boston Harbor in 1787, sailing around Cape Horn and into the waters of the Pacific Northwest a year later.

Then, Capt. John Kendrick took the helm to trade furs with China. In 1791, the ship became the first American vessel to land in Honolulu Harbor, and later in Japan.

During the tours, the ship’s crew will portray the 18th-Century explorers and talk about the exploration of the Pacific Northwest.

What impresses people the most when they tour the ship now isn’t how large it is, but how small, considering the vast distances it traveled, according to Randy Beerbower, coordinator of the project.

“They’re surprised it’s a very small boat,” he said. While docked in Ventura, the ship will be available for school tours.

The ship is on a six-month West Coast tour. It leaves Morro Bay Dec. 6 for Ventura, and then heads south for Los Angeles.

Jane Hulse, who spends as much time as possible out of doors, is a regular contributor to Ventura County Life. If you have any outdoor recreational news, send it to her at Ventura County Life, 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura, 93003, or send faxes to 658-5576.

Details

* WHAT: Tall ship Lady Washington sails into Ventura Harbor.

* WHEN: Arrives Dec. 9 and leaves Dec. 19. Public tours are 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

* WHERE: Ship will be docked at Ventura Harbor Village (Take Spinnaker Drive off Harbor Boulevard) in front of Milano’s Italian Restaurant and Hornblower’s Restaurant and Comedy Club.

* COST: Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and students, and $1 for children 12 and younger. Family passes are available.

* FYI: Three-hour evening sails cost $35 per person. The ship is also available for charters, cruises and dockside events. For information, call Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, 206-532-8611, or Ventura Harbor Village, 644- 0169.