The Lady Washington and Hawiian Chieftan are working full rigged ships from Gray's Harbor, Washington. The Lady Washington is a full scale replica of Robert Gray's ship he used to explore the Norther West coast in the late 18th Century. In late April both ships called on the Columbia River. All the other museum ships I've seen are ususally a bit sad. Stripped of canvas and running rigging they look less than alive. These ships are underway most of the time travelling from Southern California in the winter to Vancouver Island in the summer and points in between.

We took a 2 hour evening cruise. I kept my expectations low as there was little wind and thought we would probably put up some sails, motor around a while then come back. The captain was a Sailor. We only about 5 kts breeze upriver with a strong current. He used the current to warp us away from the dock and the light light breeze to keep us centered in the narrow channel between St. Helens Oregon and Sand Island. We sail-drifted stern-first down to the main channel. Some breeze finally filled in to where we were making 5 kts through the water - about 2-3 kts over ground. He read the wind and currents and set a goal to sail to the dock without the engine. When the wind died 200 yards short of the dock he had to swallow the bitter pill and start the "damned" engine. The crew are (mostly) young volunteers looking for adventure. The captain was a salty old guy of about 30 and the chief bosun was a woman of about the same age. A most excellent experience!