Meet the Lady Washington & the Providence, two actual "tall ships" that made appearances in "The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Dead Man's Chest".

Note: This column first appeared in Jim Hill Media on July 13th, 2006.

Well, if you spent two and a half hours this past weekend in a nearby theater watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, perhaps you're somewhat seduced by the siren call of sea. You know… the sights and sounds of adventure from the deck of a tall ship under full sail bound for mysterious waters.

 

And that would not be an uncommon interest. Once, it was the call of the sea that sent many a young lad off to a life before the mast in search of fame and fortune. Tales of adventure from authors such as Melvile, Kipling, Stevenson, Forrester and O'Brian have been favorites of readers across the generations. And movies featuring similar tales have usually been audience favorites as well.

Perhaps you are so much drawn to this genre that you would like to take this interest to the next level? Loyal readers of this space may recall how several summers ago, I offered a series of tales of how you could enjoy various adventures. Everything from a taste of life on the back of working horse to putting yourself inside a NASCAR race car at speed to steaming a slow but steady cruise aboard a World War II cargo ship. So with that in mind, I decided to check out some of the experiences you can enjoy aboard a fine ship under sail.

Over the years, I have seen various tall ships around the country. I'm sure you have as well. One of the more memorable events was the Operation Sail Tall Ship parade in 1976 for the Bicentennial of our nation. 16 of the then 20 vessels in the world sailed to New York for the event. One of the more awe-inspiring views I recall from the television coverage of that day, to be sure. But why stop there? What if you had the chance to experience this for yourself, first hand?

There are a number of places where you can go aboard a ship and see what it was like. Docked in still waters or landlocked is an easy task, no challenge there. Even Disneyland has such an opportunity as you can go aboard the mighty Columbia and tour below decks.

But it just isn't quite the same as seeing something in action, doing what it was designed and built to do. That's the kind of feeling I get after visiting museums such as the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. Sure, it's great to see these machines (such as the Wright Flyer) preserved to be seen by future generations. But seeing a P-51 Mustang in flight at 400 miles per hour plus flying through the skies with its Rolls Royce Merlin engine making that unmistakable sound or watching the Union Pacific's Challenger steam locomotive roll by at speed with the matching passenger train in gleaming armour yellow and whistling off into the distance is an experience that you don't soon forget.

So, perhaps that is why the thought of taking a cruise under sail has the same appeal. Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities available – around the country and around the globe. A quick Internet search provides plenty of links worth exploring. But for today, I wanted to share tales of two such ships had roles in both of the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Starting our voyage, we need look no further than the Lady Washington, home ported in Grays Harbor, Washington. She is a recreation of the original merchant brig; believed to have been built in the Boston area in 1750. The most notable voyage of her career was in 1787 when she sailed along with the Columbia Rediviva on a trading voyage from Boston. In 1788, she became the first American vessel to visit the West Coast of North America, Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Japan, pioneering the trade between the United States of America and the Orient.

Today's Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, Washington for the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority and was launched on March 7, 1989. Since that time she has sailed honorably visiting ports up and down the West Coast. But you may have seen her on screen in her movie roles. In 1994's "Star Trek Generations" she appeared as the holodeck version of the H.M.S. Enterprise. Later, she was sketched by Disney artists for reference material for the 2002 animated film "Treasure Planet".

But you might remember her best from her more involved role as the H.M.S. Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. One of the features on the DVD was a diary of her movie role. But just in case you might have forgotten, this was the ship that Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner stole from Port Royal and sailed to Tortuga in search of a crew.

Today, the Lady Washington offers a variety of sailing opportunities from her home port in Grays Harbor. From a three-hour Adventure Sail to voyages as long as three weeks, they offer something for sailors of all ages. Check the links on their web site for more information.

Now the other ship of note today is the Continental Sloop Providence, based on the East Coast, in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. This 110 foot sloop is a recreation of a very historic Revolutionary War naval vessel. Originally known as the Katy and launched in the 1760's, she sailed the Eastern seaboard and the Caribbean as an armed merchant ship. It is believed that she may even have had experience as a whaler and perhaps even a privateer before the war began.

In June of 1775, she became the flagship of the navy of Rhode Island. When she became a part of the American Navy later that year, she was renamed the Providence and became the first command of John Paul Jones. In her career, she won over 40 naval battles – the most successful of all American ships in the war. Yet she met her end in 1779 when she was scuttled and burned by her crew to avoid capture by the British in the Penobscot River near Bucksport, Maine.

The Providence was one of several ships that sailed to the Caribbean for appearances in Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man's Chest. One of her crew, Richard "Rusty" Rice has a great diary online offering some views of her during the filming as well as a log her voyage there and back. From the ships web pages:

"The Providence appears in a number of scenes in "Dead Man's Chest". She is in the background as a British vessel in the harbor of Port Royal and as a pirate ship at the dock in Tortuga. Her best scene is as a merchant vessel from which Captain Jack Sparrow's hat is retrieved. The merchant ship then suffers the fate of being destroyed by a sea monster, the Kraken!"

The Providence as a British sloop of war during the filming of Pirates 2, at St. Vincent, W.I. - Photo by Rusty Price

The Providence as well is safe and sound, back at her homeport after her adventures on the silver screen. She too offers a variety of sailing opportunities during the year.

Both ships and their crews have an ongoing commitment to education. Students are welcomed to experience life at sea first hand. I can think of no finer way to learn than to see for one's self what life was like for the men and women who found the calling of the sea as their careers. Here's hoping that you can enjoy a visit to the Lady Washington or the Providence for your own sailing adventure!