Seeworthy Vessel : The Lady Washington Replica Harkens to Navigation’s Days of Yore

Cutting through four-foot swells with the Channel Islands and a blue sky as a backdrop, the tall ship Lady Washington roared her greeting to Ventura with cannon fire.

Locals crowded the pier and the Ventura Harbor breakwaters to welcome the ship, a 112-foot replica of the first American vessel to sail around Cape Horn and explore the Pacific Coast.

The original Lady Washington set sail from Boston Harbor in 1788, rounded the South American cape and continued on to explore the Pacific Northwest before it became the first American ship to reach Hawaii.

The replica Lady Washington set out three months ago from Grays Harbor in Washington state, venturing down the coast before it heads out for Hawaii. Since leaving the last stop in Morro Bay on Tuesday, Capt. Michael Jacobson said the sailing has been the best he has ever seen.

“It’s been just beautiful,” Jacobson beamed. “We dropped anchor at Smugglers Cove at Santa Cruz Island and had a chance to explore a painted cave as well. This has been the nicest ocean run we’ve ever had.”

With a small contingent of local sailboats trailing, the Lady Washington made its first pass along Ventura’s coastline at about 3 p.m. Thursday.

For the entertainment of onlookers, a few members of the crew scampered up the complex web of rope rigging stretched up its 89-foot masts. The ship had all its 12 sails unfurled, billowing with a light ocean breeze.

The sun shone through a huge, 13-star American flag, and the crew in their white uniforms working across the deck and atop the crows nests of each mast looked like seasoned sailors of 200 years before.

“No, actually I’m a beginner,” said Jennette Morgan, 26, of Seattle. Morgan said she persuaded the captain to take her on during the ship’s stay in San Francisco.

The captain said Morgan’s enthusiasm persuaded him to keep her on. Morgan’s skill at climbing the ropes and whipping out a knife to cut some tether used to bundle papers left no doubt that she has already learned much about the ways of the 18th-Century sailor.

“I love to sail,” Morgan said, her smile framed by sunburned cheeks.

Some crew members are volunteers, working for their keep, and a few are paid a meager salary. But all work to teach the public about sailing, the ocean and the rich history of the original Lady Washington.

The new Lady Washington was built in 1989 with Douglas fir from coastal Washington by the Grays Harbor Historical Society to serve as a living museum. At each port of call, crew members take aboard paying customers to explore the ship’s self-supporting nonprofit museum.

The public also has the opportunity to get on board for three-hour sunset cruises for $35. The cruises will continue daily until Dec. 19.

“I’d pay $35 for that,” said Anne Wade of Oxnard, who left her work early to catch a glimpse of the tall ship as it passed by the Ventura Pier. With her daughter and grandson in tow, Wade greeted the ship when it docked at Ventura Harbor.

“I had to come and see it,” she said.

Her 7-year-old grandson, Jonathan Griffin, was tickled by the ship’s booming cannon fire when the ship passed the pier. “It was fun,” Jonathan said, shyly hiding behind his grandmother.

Local residents can board the ship, the largest square-rigged sailing vessel on the West Coast, during its 10-day stay in Ventura.

The ship will be docked at Ventura Harbor and open to the public during the week from 3 to 5 p.m. and on the weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boarding charges are $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and students, and $1 for children under 12. For more information, call 644-0169.

From Ventura, the Lady Washington will set sail Dec. 19 for Los Angeles and on to Dana Point. In February, she will make the trip to Hawaii.