Senior Capt. John Morrison gripped the classic spoked wooden wheel of the tall ship the Hawaiian Chieftain for a photograph, with a foggy Noyo Bridge in the background.
The vessel had just completed an uneventful voyage from San Francisco, powered by big diesel engines. And then a hair-raising entrance through the tiny opening of Noyo Harbor, to dock at Silver”s at the Wharf. The towering ship”s keel extends only 5 feet deep, but it”s extra wide, almost too wide to enter the harbor.
“I believe it”s the narrowest entrance of any navigable harbor on the West Coast,” he said.
Because of the narrowness of the harbor, plus the weather, Adventure Sails with the public planned for Saturday and Sunday were canceled. Instead the ship will be available through Sunday for guided tours by trained mariner docents, dressed in period costumes.
Replica
The grand wooden ship looks to be centuries old from the distance. It was actually built in the 1980s, partly as a thrilling, working salute to the grand days of sailing ships and partly to explore a more local and sustainable future.
The Chieftain”s original purpose was to carry cargo between the Hawaiian Islands, challenging a trend for bigger and bigger cargo ships in favor of a talent to enter almost any harbor, no matter how shallow. And yet the design of the hull is authentic late 1700s Baltic trader, said Morrison.
“It was designed as a real jack of all trades,” said Morrison.
The past-future dichotomy is evident everywhere one looks and has inspired owner after owner of the unique steel-hulled wooden-masted historical interpretation.
It could have come from San Francisco by sail. The rigging is an authentic reproduction of an 18th century vessel. Other aspects reflect the 19th century. The vessel can do some impressive things for the 21st century, thanks to its triple keels, such as sit proudly on a sandbar and wait for the tide, rather than running aground. The Chieftain is 103 feet long with a main mast 75 feet tall.
Naval architect Raymond H. Richards” design for Hawaiian Chieftain was influenced by the early colonial passenger and coastal packets that traded among Atlantic coastal cities and towns. The coastal packet service was part of the coasting trade based on mercantile activity of the developing seaboard towns.
Dusty Dillion, a member of the Noyo Harbor Commission was responsible for bringing the Chieftain to Noyo Harbor, as part of his vision to revive the economic possibilities of the harbor. The early packet ships were regular traders and were selected because they sailed remarkably well and could enter small ports with their shallow draft.
This was a tip of the hat by the free-thinking original designers to the economic potential of places being overlooked by global free trade.
Hawaiian Chieftain was commissioned by Laurence H. “Baron” Dorcy Jr., and constructed by Drake Thomas, owner of Lahaina Welding Co., Ltd. on the island of Maui for trade and display among the Hawaiian Islands beginning in 1988. A few years later, it was purchased by Capt. Ian MacIntyre of Central Coast Charters in Sausalito.
In 1996, Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority formed a partnership with Central Coast Charters. In fall 2004, Hawaiian Chieftain was sold to Wolverine Motorworks of Fall River, Mass., and she was renamed Spirit of Larinda. GHHSA purchased the vessel back in October 2005.
Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority uses the ship for educational purposes and also to help people envision what is possible, based on what happened in the past. There are mock battles and adventure sails on the Pacific Coast.
Public tours
Hawaiian Chieftain has scheduled a number of one-hour and three-hour K-12 education programs on April 10 and 11 for schools in Fort Bragg, Ukiah, Point Arena and Rohnert Park.
The Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District”s Interactive Underwater Program will perform its inaugural public dive near Hawaiian Chieftain on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. Divers will stream live video and audio feeds to monitors on dry land for guests to view.
The ship specializes in hands-on living history education programs for the public and K-12 students. She is also chartered for special events, film productions and an occasional wedding. During most of the year, she travels with the brig Lady Washington, the official ship of the state of Washington.
The Chieftain will join its sister ship on April 15 in Eureka, where there will be voyages offered.
