Historic Lady Washington tall ship sails into Oakland’s Jack London Square
on October 22, 2014
The 1700s sailed into port at Oakland’s Jack London Square aboard the brig Lady Washington for a nine-day stay this month. With a crew of 13 at her helm, the 112-foot wooden ship, a replica of its namesake from the American Revolutionary War, has been a tour and education site while docked in Oakland.
Capt. Ken Lazarus considers the ship, a 1989 replica of the original Lady Washington Boston trading vessel from the 1780s, the quintessential teaching tool. The captain says children, as well as adults on adventure sail programs and ship tours, learn that “the life of a sailor is really tough.”
Lazarus says students are taught to haul lines, set the sails, and keep the ship in tip-top shape. They also learn a fair share of math and English, along with the history of the ship and trading industry in the late 18th century. The original Lady Washington made several voyages to China and back, and was one of the first American trading ships to round Cape Horn and make her way to the Pacific Northwest.
Now the crew spends 11 months of the year traveling up and down the West Coast to teach fourth- and fifth-graders, visitors and others the history of the ship and sailing. The crew also takes adults and families on two-week sailing courses. Before arriving in Oakland, the brig made the weeklong voyage from its home port in Grays, Washington. Lady Washington will next set sail for San Francisco’s Pier 40. She will be open for tours and sails until November 5. Lazarus says the Bay Area “is one of our favorite places to be. I’ve never had a bad day on the Bay.”
Lady Washington has also made it to Hollywood. She was dressed up as another ship for 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and has appeared in television shows, including “Once Upon a Time” and “Revolution.”
-
- The Lady Washington is docked at Oakland’s Jack London Square for nine days this month.
-
- The crew works together to keep life aboard the Lady Washington running smoothly.
-
- Lady Washington Capt. Ken Lazarus has been leading his crew for the past two years.
-
- An above look into the lines, mast and sail of the brig Lady Washington.
-
- Members of the Lady Washington prepare for the evening while docked at Jack London Square.
-
- Boatswain Ryan Karakai works on the Lady Washington after public tours have wrapped up.
-
- The crew maintains order on the ship as they help sail the Lady Washington from port to port.
-
- A crew of 13 lives below deck on the Lady Washington as she sails along the West Coast.
-
- The American flag flies above the lines and mast of the Lady Washington.
-
- The Lady Washington’s home port, Grays Harbor, Washington, is printed on the end of the ship.
-
- Public tours are offered each afternoon while the tall ship Lady Washington is at port.
Oakland North welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Oakland North assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Oakland North
Oakland North is an online news service produced by students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and covering Oakland, California. Our goals are to improve local coverage, innovate with digital media, and listen to you–about the issues that concern you and the reporting you’d like to see in your community. Please send news tips to: oaklandnorthstaff@gmail.com.
