PORT TOWNSEND — The tall ship Lady Washington is expected to head to Port Orchard on schedule today despite running aground in Sequim and having to be hauled out of the water in Port Townsend.
The ship ran aground in Sequim at about 8:15 a.m. Monday, according to Caitlin Stanton, operations director for Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, the educational nonprofit that runs both the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain.
A Coast Guard crew from the Port Angeles station was called just before 8:30 a.m. and a Coast Guard vessel stood by as the crew waited for the tide to come in.
The Lady Washington was able to float again just after 3 p.m. and motored to Port Townsend under its own power Monday night with a Coast Guard escort.
The ship arrived in Port Townsend at about 6 p.m. Monday and was hauled out of the water at 8 a.m. Tuesday to allow the hull to be inspected for damage.
“Fortunately, Sequim has a sandy bottom, so we don’t expect any damage,” Stanton said Tuesday morning, “but we have to pull her out of the water to confirm.”
Stanton and Lady Washington crew members inspected the boat and didn’t see any obvious damage to the hull.
“While we have her out, we’re looking at doing some touch-ups to the bottom paint,” Stanton said.
The Coast Guard completed its inspection Tuesday afternoon and found no damage. It cleared the Lady Washington to continue sailing on schedule.
No one was injured when the boat ran aground, and Stanton said she expects the ship to be back in the water and on its way to Port Orchard today.
The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport is doing an internal investigation of the incident.
“We do a lot of interviews and reviews, and we don’t want to jump to conclusions,” Stanton said.
The investigation is ongoing, and Stanton said she expects it to carry on for a few days at least.
“We have no firm date to confirm a cause,” Stanton said. “Once we do, we will send out that information.”
Stanton said the Lady Washington is expected to continue its summer sailing schedule. The ship will be in Port Orchard until Friday and then continue to Gig Harbor, Blaine, Brownsville and Seattle.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
Pat and Jim Hay of Port Townsend stand in front of the Lady Washington, which was hauled out of the water in Port Townsend to inspect the hull for damage after the ship ran aground in Sequim Bay on Monday. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)
