Tall Ships Move to Sausalito

"As we were headed to South Beach Harbor on Saturday morning, we saw two antique-looking tall ships leaving the City and heading toward Sausalito," writes Jan Wigle of the Brickyard Cove-based Ericson 38 Wiggle Room. "Do you know anything about them?"

Yes, Jan, the tall ships you saw were the 112-ft brig Lady Washington, Washington’s official ship, and the 103-ft tops’l ketch Hawaiian Chieftain, which was formerly based out of San Francsico Bay but is now based out of Grays Harbor, Washington. The pair are owned by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority and spend most of the year touring the West Coast on educational and sail training expeditions.

The tall ships were slated to moor at Pier 40 through March 19 before moving to Sausalito’s Bay Model but a damaged ramp meant the dock would be closed to public access. "Without access, sailing guests and visitors cannot reach the ships," said a press release from the Historical Seaport. So the Army Corps of Engineers stepped up and invited the crews to move over to their Sausalito digs early. The ships will be open to the public until April 2, when they’ll move on to Bodega Bay, Eureka and Crescent City. All previously purchased tickets for San Francisco sailings will be honored on the same dates and times. See their website for details on their Adventure Sails, Battle Sails and public tours.