Tall Ships Visit Tacoma

Gavin and I spent several hours yesterday waiting for the Tall Ships to go pass on Ruston Way in Tacoma yesterday. Gavin desperately wanted to see the Pirate ship, the one that appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean, and I didn’t want to disappoint him despite the fact that I’ve hated any kind of parade ever since Vietnam and I hate crowds almost more than I hate parades, though the two seem nearly inseparable.

Anyway, I decided that rather than fighting the awful traffic that we’d park at the top of the bluff and walk down about a mile or a mile and a half to the beach. We reached the beach in remarkably good humor about fifteen minutes before the boats were supposed to start.

An hour and a half later, bored out of his mind, Gavin begged to leave without having seen a single boat. Despite his extended moaning and cajoling I refused to leave without seeing at least one tall ship, and it was a sight to behold:

We got to see more than one, but still ended up leaving long before the parade finished. It was a rather unpleasant hike back up the cliff, with Gavin complaining much of the way. Personally, I’m still amazed at how people romanticize these ships. Though I’ll admit that they are much prettier than modern ships, life aboard these ships was generally abysmal, as anyone who’s studied Northwest history should know. After all, they didn’t have to shanghai sailors because life aboard these ships was such a delight.

2 thoughts on “Tall Ships Visit Tacoma”

  1. Gorgeous photos, Loren. I envy you for being there to see the parade. As for romanticizing those old ships–have you ever sailed? The difference between wooden hulled sailboats and ocean liners is like the difference between skis and snowmobiles. Being propelled by the wind is a glorious sensation. Unmatched.
    Hoping you are the same–Mary

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