Hundreds gathered on the docks of the Thea Foss Waterway to bid farewell to the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle, the 266-foot three-masted barque that became the centerpiece attraction of Tall Ships Tacoma 2008.

As the ship pulled away, festival attendees clapped and waved good-bye. Several coasties aboard waved back.

“It was so amazing to see that ship,” Puyallup’s Lana Daniels said. “I’ll miss it. Let’s just hope it’s back next time around.”

The crew of the HMCA Oriole has a different mission during Tall Ships Tacoma 2008.

“We’re part of the Canadian Navy,” Master Seaman Don Read explained, “so we’re here for public relations. We don’t do the sailings because we’re funded by the government. So we can spend as much time as possible with people who want to board.”

The 102-foot marconi-rigged ketch played host to thousands of visitors and a host of events, Read said. About 1,850 people boarded the ship on Sunday, and about 1,500 toured it Saturday.

And the response from the community has been overwhelming, Read said.

“We were told from Day 1 that the city wants to make this the best shop on the Tall Ships circuit,” he said, “and we’ve had so much support here from volunteers taking our laundry in the morning and returning it in the evening. Anything we needed we had in an hour. Transportation was provided; they went everywhere and anywhere we wanted to go.”

I’m asking an array of people if they thought this year’s festival was a success.

First up was Tom Cashman, the executive director of the Foss Waterway Seaport. The organization’s museum was free during the event, and it saw record attendance: more than 15,000 people on Friday, about 10,000 each on Saturday and Sunday and likely a little less today.

“Clearly, the scale of this is tremendous,” Cashman said. “We’re extremely, extremely happy.”

The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project put out a press release opposing the expansion of the Northwest Detention Center, which I wrote about last week.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) today expressed its opposition to the decision of the Department of Homeland Security to expand the capacity of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. According to local news reports, the private contractor which runs the facility, the GEO Corporation, will be expanding the capacity of the detention center by 50% so that it can hold up to 1,500 individual at a time.

“The widespread detention of individuals because of civil violations of immigration law is one of the clearest examples of how our current immigration system is failing,” said Jorge L. Barón, NWIRP’s Executive Director. “Although many people in our community do not realize this, a significant proportion of the individuals detained at the Tacoma detention center have resided in the United States for many years and have either no criminal record or a record composed of only traffic offenses. Detaining these individuals while their cases are processed before the immigration court results in the needless separation of family members and makes it harder for people to obtain legal representation.”

Around 90 percent of the individuals who are detained at the Tacoma detention center are unable to obtain an attorney to represent them in their deportation (or “removal”) cases.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project provides presentations to individuals detained at the Northwest Detention Center through its Legal Orientation Program (LOP). During these presentations, detainees have the opportunity to learn about immigration court procedures and avenues to pursue legal immigration status. Detainees also have the opportunity to meet with a legal advocate who can access the person’s options in their individual immigration case. NWIRP staff attorneys are also able to take on a limited number of cases for direct representation before the immigration court.

From Rod Koon, the directior of communications at the Port of Tacoma and a Tall Ships volunteer:

An ode to Tall Ships® Volunteers
Sung to the tune: Pay Me My Money Down

We need lots of folks to lend a hand
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
To make a Fest that will be grand
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round

They last came here in 2005
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
And they made our city really come alive
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round

CHORUS
Tall Ships, Tall Ships, Tall Ships are coming 'round
They're gonna shine a bright light on T-Town
Tall Ships are coming 'round

Young folks, old folks, babies too
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
Will come down to the Foss to get a closer view
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
We'll have great music and real fine food
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
It might just put you in a Pirate Mood
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round

CHORUS

It's a huge event, that fact is clear
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
So we hope you'll take the time to volunteer
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round

It will make you smile, it will make you grin
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round
The day our ships come sailin' in
Tall Ships are Coming 'Round

CHORUS

(Photos courtesy Chip Van Gilder/Tall Ships Tacoma)

An insurgent sniper shot Ryan Job through the eye. The blast from an anti-tank mine shattered Chad Jukes’ leg. And a roadside bomb robbed Joey Martinez of his vision.

The Iraq war has been especially difficult on these three men, and few would criticize them if they now avoided physically demanding tasks.

But this? Reaching the summit of Mount Rainier is something few people try and even fewer accomplish.

“I grew up backpacking and hiking all around Washington,” said Job, a native of Issaquah. “And now I get a chance to do the things I loved before I got hurt.”

The climb is organized through Camp Patriot, a nonprofit group that helps disabled veterans with outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, snowmobiling and mountaineering.

The climb is free for the veterans. Guides from Rainier Mountaineering Inc. and International Mountain Guides will help the team up the mountain.

They expect to begin the ascent today and plan to reach the summit Wednesday. F-15s from the Oregon National Guard will perform a flyover when the climbers reach the top.

=> Read more!

Back at Tall Ships. I'm helping with our wrapup story for tomorrow's paper.

Hedy Woods is no stranger to the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle.

She played on its decks as a child in New London, Conn. She traveled to Mobile, Ala., to see the ship during the city’s tricentennial celebration in 2002. And the promise of seeing the three-masted barque again drew her from her home in Nashville to Tall Ships Tacoma 2008.

“I follow the Eagle,” the 66-year-old said. “I knew there would be a festival of ships, and I wanted to see the Eagle again.”

It’s a family affair, she explained.

Woods’ father, Frederick Swanson, was on the original American crew to sail the ship from Germany to the United States.

“He had to translate between the different sets of sailors to keep the ship running straight,” she said. “It must have been fascinating.”

Swanson was still a young child when his mother died, so his father sent him to live with grandparents in Germany. He returned to the United States after completing high school and joined the Coast Guard.

Germany handed over the Eagle after its defeat in World War II, and the Coast Guard asked Swanson to sail with it because he was bilingual.

During the trip to Alabama, the officer of the day showed her photos kept in the captain’s safe. On one of the photos, she said, was a man she was certain was her father.

“She was going through things pretty quick, and I didn’t want to interrupt her,” Woods said. “But I was stunned. Just absolutely stunned.”

Swanson couldn’t make it; he spends most of his days in an assisted-living facility outside Coral Gables, Fla.

“He has Alzheimer’s,” Woods said, “but when someone mentions the Coast Guard or the Eagle, he perks right up. He won’t forget that.”

Apparently the folks on the HMS Bounty liked our poster of the ship sailing in front of Stadium High School.

It's taped to a cabinet below deck:

Name: Kathy Lepp

Age: 44

Place of residence: Tacoma

Job duties: “I’m volunteering in the media center. I answer questions, escort media members on the ships and write press releases. I wanted something completely opposite of crunching numbers” at her day job at Russell Investments.

Favorite experience: “It’s the people, hands down. The people have been wonderful.”

As a ship liaison, Mickie Hucke has one job title but many responsibilities.

During her shift Saturday morning, the Edgewood resident tracked attendance on the HMS Bounty with an electric counter. She encouraged Tacoma Tall Ships 2008 visitors to get excited about boarding the full-rigged ship. And she was on call if the crew needs anything.

“That can be anything from taking garbage off, finding places to do laundry, arranging transportation in town, finding marine supply shops – basically anything they need,” said Hucke. “The idea is to make it flow smooth. We want to make this fun for the crew and the visitors.”

About 500 volunteers are working the festival as liaisons, organizers said, and each ship has several people assigned to it each shift. (The number of liaisons varies by the size of the ship.) The volunteers begin arriving at 6 a.m. – four hours before the festival opens – and helps take care of whatever the crew needs done for the day. On Saturday, that meant helping arrange transportation for a day trip to Mount Rainier.

=> Read more!

I'm being told the credit card system in the ticket windows is back online. Also the wait for the big ships is down to about an hour.

Name: Philip Close

Age: 15

Place of residence: University Place

Job duties: “I’m in line management. I make sure people don’t get too rowdy while waiting in line for the Class A ships.”

Favorite experience: “The food. There’s a crepes stand that is just awesome.”

Name: Bob Arenburg

Age: 63

Place of residence: Tacoma

Job duties: “I’m loading and unloading buses and answering any questions people have.’

Favorite experience: “I actually haven’t had a chance to see much of the festival yet. Hopefully that changes this afternoon.”

Name: Vicki Borovich

Age: 65

Place of residence: Puyallup

Job duties: “I work at the information center. I give out maps, brochures and other things people need and sell golden Tall Ships Tacoma pins.”

Favorite experience: “I was a greeter yesterday, and I got to wander around, talk to people and hand out maps. Just chatting with people is the best experience.”

● The line to see the Class A ships is stretching longer than two hours. To compensate, Tall Ships organizers are handing out free bottles of water to those waiting in line. They’re also distributing free passports, which is a $10 value.

● The credit card system in the ticket booths is down. The problem, organizers say, is with the credit card companies, not the organization. But Tall Ships has negotiated the ATM fee from $4 to $2 for those who only brought plastic.

We're going to be profiling some of the volunteers who make Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 possible.

Name: Karen Knipher

Age: “50-something”

Job duties: “I make sure everyone in the VIP area is taken care of. Also, I make sure people who are going to be drinking alcohol are wearing the proper wristband.”

Favorite experience: “I have two. My favorite experience as a volunteer is just to be able to say thank you to all those who allow Tall Ships Tacoma to happen through their sponsorships. Personally, I went on a cruise on the Lady Washington last night during the fireworks. It was just a fabulous, fabulous time.”

The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in Thea’s Park. (The U.S. Coast Guard Eagle as a backdrop? Now that’s a setting.)

The orchestra will perform “a program of light classics, popular and patriotic favorites,” according to a press release. Among them ate Tchaikovsky’s Russian Sailor’s Dance and John Phillip Sousa’s Anchor and Star March.

For those of you who only know classical music through movies, the orchestra will play The Blue Danube (the Strauss classic from “2001: A Space Odyssey”) and the theme music from Indiana Jones.

Camp Patriot, a non-profit which provides outdoor activities wounded veterans, is hosting a kick-off party for their “Quest for the Summit” program aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Eagle today.

Three vets will climb Mount Rainier beginning Monday, and two groups – Rainier Mountaineering Inc. and International Mountain Guides – will help with their ascent.

The meet-and-greet aboard the Eagle begins at 6 p.m.

We’re back at Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 today. We’ve got reporters covering ship liaisons, the volunteer effort, the crew of the HMS Oriole and the impact on local businesses. Photographers are going to be on sea and on the ground.

As of about 3:30 this afternoon, we’re told, the Foss Waterway Seaport’s Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has already received more visitors – about 12,000 – than it received during all of Tall Ships Tacoma 2005.

It’s constantly packed inside. Families are posing for photos in front of the vintage canoes and boats. Some are taking a break and watching videos in a darkened corner of the mammoth building. Others are admiring the antique phones or old engines on display.

"It's all part of an educational experience," Seattle's Sue Wing said. "Seeing the tall ships outside and reading about everything in here really puts it all in perspective."

Tall Ships spokesman Matt Erlich passes along these few notes:

● About 1,200 volunteers helped the festival run smoothly today.
● AMVETS hosted a barbecue for the crews of all the ships.
● There were no significant operational problems.
● The lines are moving but long, so it’s best to arrive early.

There's nothing quite like the smell of cedar.

At opposite ends of Treasure Cove, crews are chipping away at giant logs-turned-canoes. Little hills of wood chips have gathered near the feet of the crews. The pleasant smell can be sensed from 10 feet away.

Philip Red Eagle said about 100 people have been working on a Salish-style hunting canoe on Saturdays for the past 2½ years. When completed, it will measure 28 feet, 9 inches.

“It’ll hold about six pullers and one skipper when it’s done,” said Red Eagle, a participant in the Canoe Movement, an effort to help American Indian youths experience their heritage through canoe travel.

Little flakes of wood are tangled with Takirirangi Smith’s hair. He’s a Maori from New Zealand and is building a traditional fishing canoe. It’ll be just under 20 feet when it’s completed.

“I looked at the log,” he said, “and I saw a canoe.”

I'm always a bit amazed by the allure of free entertainment.

Some of the booths with the most people are companies offering games -- but usually only after you fill out a survey or hand over your e-mail, which will soon be flooded with cheap prescription drug offers and Nigerians needing a place to harbor their lottery winnings.

Here are some of the highlights I've seen:

● The Emerald Queen Casino is offering a blackjack game. You get a T-shirt for 21. Even if you lose, you still get a coupon book. And if you win the shirt, you'll eventually gamble it away.

● State Farm has one of those arcade-style basketball hoops. But after you win, they deny your claim.

● The City of Tacoma offers a beanbag toss. After that, they beg you to join the Human Rights Commission.

● The longshoreman union was handing out free Rainiers tickets. I'd write something snarky here, except I'm worried I'll be walking to my car one day and have a hook jabbed into my right temple.

So you’re stuck with the ankle-biter for a day (and, really, a lifetime – but we won’t get into that). The munchkin doesn’t care so much to see the Eagle or the Kaisei or any of the other tall ships. And he’s about 19 years too young to hit the beer garden.

Luckily, there’s a place where he can play games while you pour that rum from a flask into the Island Oasis drink.

It’s called Captain Kidd’s Cove (clever, eh?), and it’s got all sorts of games that, if your kid wasn’t playing, would make you consider taking a nap on some gravel.

But the kids sure seemed to be having a good time.

Dozens of adults dressed in pirate garb entertained kids with raise-the-flag contests and some sort of hockey played with Wiffle bats and rubber rodents. They also offered a “load the cannon” game, in which kids tossed Wiffle balls into the mouth of a replica cannon.

“This is a cool downshift for the kids,” Parkland’s Maureen Clarke said. “They were getting bored waiting in line. And when we got on some of the ships, my daughter wasn’t exactly interested. So this is something for them.”

The Nina is docked in Treasure Cove Village. And where there’s a replica of a Spanish ship, there must be conquistadors.

About 10 of the Spanish soldiers – faithfully played by participants in local reenactment troupe Goode’s Company – are performing for the crowds at Northwest Passage.

They’re donned in the garb of the era, down to metal helmets and breastplates. They regularly march in formation and swordfight for the crowds. And they’re ready for battle with pikes and muskets.

“We’re a ‘company of foote,’ or infantry, fighting in the low countries – today’s Netherlands,” said Gordon Frye of the Renaissance Military Society. “Because the English and the Spanish saw each other so often on the battlefield, their look and manner really began to resemble each other.

“That’s why, even though we primarily focus on Elizabethan reenactments, we can play the part of the Spanish.”

The group, which consists of men from around the Puget Sound area, is portraying the Spanish as an homage to the country’s history of North American exploration.

Reenactments of times past from the 1580s to the late Victorian era will be an ongoing staple of Tall Ships Tacoma, said John Salicco, the living history coordinator with the festival.

“People can often get more interested in history if they see it before their own eyes,” he said. “And we aim to entertain at the same time.”

Northwest Passage has a music stage offering live bands all day. Here's a performance from Shamrocks in the Wind:

An F-16 from the Freedom Fair airshow is flying past the Thea Foss Waterway

One of the more popular stops in Northwest Passage is Arrow Leather, which sells all things a good pirate wannabe needs, like hats, feathers, wooden swords, telescopes and leather clothing.

“Everybody wants to be a pirate ever since they were young,” co-owner Jim Wood said. “We’re letting them fulfill that.”

Jim and his wife, Kil, work out of their Chehalis home and make all the leather products. This is the 18th year they’ve been selling the stuff on the fair and festival circuit.

“This is so cool,” said 33-year-old Will Bungert of Lacey. “It lets me be a kid again.”

The Port of Tacoma is apparently on a charm offensive. It has streetlight banners hanging up and down Dock Street:

The longest line I’ve seen today has been at the entrance to the gangplank to view the Class A ships in Treasure Cove Village.

Each time I’ve walked by, the line is longer and longer.

Some advice: Just treat it like the line at an amusement park. It’ll be a wait, but something cool lies at the end.

I’m back from Northwest Passage. Most of the non Class-A ships are docked here, but the companies and organizations that have set up shop offer a rich mix of products and services.

Seriously, almost everything you need to survive is here. Real estate? Check. Windows to go with that new house? Want to join a union, or join an environmental interest group or enlist in the Marines? You can do all of that.

Stands also offer food – mostly usual fair fare like corn dogs and elephant ears – and souvenirs like T-shirts and paintings.

The Thea Foss Waterway isn’t totally jammed with people right now, but the crowds are growing. A steady stream of cars was heading toward the parking areas, and on the bus from the media lot, I heard the traffic dispatcher telling drivers it was OK to let people stand in the aisles.

I'll be back live blogging from Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 again.

The show over Ruston Way hasn’t ended yet.

Two F-16s are flying over Commencement Bay – likely a tune-up flight for tomorrow’s Freedom Fair demonstration.

They’re loud, but they’re cool to look at.

The USCG Eagle is making its way down Ruston Way, and there’s a sense of disappointment.

This has been the ship everyone was excited to see. It has an entourage of probably 50 other ships and a helicopter following it. But most of the spectators kept asking one question: “Why aren’t its sails up?”

“I think it would have been a lot more beautiful with the sails up,” Lakewood’s Charlene Baez said.

It was a common sentiment. Motoring in is likely much more efficient, but thousands didn’t pack Ruston Way to witness efficiency. They wanted looks.

“They should have had the sails up, even if they were still motoring,” Kent’s Mel Davis said. “Maybe get some fans out on board and blow wind into them.”

But, Davis and others said, seeing America’s Tall Ship cutting through the waters of Commencement Bay is still an amazing sight.

“It seems like an anticlimax,” he said, “but, really, how cool is it to see the Eagle here?”

Brian Everstine was walking east on Ruston Way. I was heading west. It wasn’t quite driving the golden spike, but we’re both happy to report we’ve canvassed the entire street.

(But don’t worry – we’re still going to bring more coverage.)

We’ve found the last open table at Katie Downs. This place is absolutely packed. Said the woman behind the bar: “It’s been an absolute madhouse in here today.”

I took pity on her (and the six people behind me in line) and didn’t interrogate her further.

A group of about 40 ducks just swam up to the area between The Ram and C.I. Shenanigan’s. Half stayed in the water and half played in the mud.

For a few minutes, these things were a bigger attraction than the Tall Ships. The ducks would honk, and the kids sitting in the area giggled. They waddled around, and the kids clapped.

Ten minutes later, the children grew bored. And soon, the ducks quietly swam away.

Apparently fame doesn’t even last 15 minutes anymore.

There are pros and cons of simulated cannon blasts echoing across Ruston Way.

Pros: It sounds really cool. Gives the whole atmosphere an old-timey feel. Faithful readers of The News Tribune know the secret behind the white smoke.

Cons: If you’re standing where I just was – a little west of the Silver Cloud Inn on Ruston Way – the blasts makes one kid cry. And then another. And another. And soon, about 25 kids are all screaming and crying.

The crowd outside the Silver Cloud Inn is now measuring two people deep -- and this is the quieter side of Ruston Way.

As some of the larger ships begin sailing in, plenty of folks are clamoring for a good spot. Lots of people have binoculars, and others brought cameras with huge zoom lenses.

Plenty of families are out, like Jeremy Redding and his 9-year-old son, Nate. They drove from Auburn for today’s Parade of Sail and plan to attend the festival every day this week.

“We left at 6 a.m.,” he said. “In retrospect, maybe we didn’t need to come this early.”

Others epitomized time management. Gig Harbor’s Kiel Marvik dropped two crab traps in the water as he awaited the ships’ arrival. He had only caught a starfish during his first 20 minutes of trying.

“It’s something fun to do now,” said Marvik, a 14-year-old who volunteers at the Foss Waterway Seaport.

A yell from 10 feet away cut Marvik off.

“They’re coming right now!” screamed a woman, pointing toward a few of the larger vessels sailing into town.

The happiest days in a boat owners’ life, the old adage goes, are the day you purchase it and the day you sell it.

Today must be a close third place.

Hundreds of boats are already out on the water of Commencement Bay to catch a view of the Parade of Sail. More seem to appear every minute.

The marina near the Tacoma Yacht Club (above in photo) was still about half full, but dozens of people were preparing to launch. And if you think you can still snag a parking spot near a boat launch, think again.

It was a great view, but he won’t be able to tell his family about it.

One of my fellow passengers on the Vashon-Point Defiance ferry stood on the deck and admired the dozens of boats that are floating in Commencement Bay.

There’s one problem. He was supposed to be on the ferry a few hours ago. He overslept. And he doesn’t want to tell his wife.

“Oh well,” he laughed, “I guess I’ll just keep this to myself.”

A little bit of drizzle wasn’t going to keep David Derrer from bringing his two children, 10-year-old Simon and 8-year-old Grace, to catch one last glimpse of the Tall Ships.

“The Lady Washington is my favorite,” Grace said. “I really wanted to see it again.”

The family was in Dockton Park on Maury Island last night to view the ships, most of which anchored in Quartermaster Harbor. The Derrers about to leave town for a camping trip and won’t be able to attend Tall Ships Tacoma, so the three joined about 50 others in viewing the ships shortly before they began their sail southward.

About another 50 lined Vashon Highway south of Burton to snap photos or watch the ships through binoculars.

The weather wasn’t ideal for a proper sendoff. Light rain pelted the spectators, most of whom wore raincoats or carried umbrellas. The ships were especially tough to follow at times when they unfurled white sails that blended in with the fog.

That didn’t stop a few hardcore amateur photographers. About a dozen people stood on the shoulder of Vashon Highway to snap some shots as the ships left Quartermaster Harbor. Many had cameras with zoom lenses mounted atop tripods.

“It’s a hobby of mine,” Vashon’s Rob Chawkins said. “I’ll be able to get closer, get better shots here on the island than battling the crowds on Ruston Way.”

The desire to beat the Tacoma crowds – which are expected to number in the hundreds of thousands – drew SeaTac’s Lisa Freeney. She brought her 4-year-old daughter, Marie, with her to see the ships.

She was able to let Marie run around a bit near the playground on Dockton Park – something she said she wouldn’t be able to do on Ruston Way.

“Since I have a child with me,” she said, “this is the best place for me.”

I'll be back on Vashon Island this morning for -- what else? -- Tall Ships Tacoma. And later this afternoon, I'll be on Ruston Way for the Parade of Sail.

Bryan Cargill spent only three nights aboard a Tall Ship, but the 16-year-old from University Place was already talking like a seasoned sea veteran.

“They put me in charge of the portside jib sheet,” Cargill, a student at Curtis High School, said Wednesday. “We raised it, lowered it, luffed it.”

Luffing, Cargill explained, is when the crew pulls the sail and allows it to flutter in the wind.

“I hadn’t known that before this trip,” he said. “And I probably wouldn’t have known it if I hadn’t signed up.”

He thanks Youth on Board for that.

Cargill served aboard the Zodiac and was among 47 teenagers in the program, a project of Metro Parks Tacoma, Tall Ships Tacoma, Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound and the Sea Scouts. The participants, all 14 to 17 years old, served aboard one of three Tall Ships to learn the basics of sailing. Few had spent any considerable time aboard a ship before.

The crew left Tacoma on Sunday to meet their ships in Victoria, B.C., where a Tall Ships festival was ending. They spent three nights on board, working like a full-time crew member. For some, that meant waking in the middle of the night to perform a watch. For others, it meant learning hand signals to communicate with other ships.

=> Read more!

Brent Mills’ two children had one goal when as they walked into the Quartermaster Harbor marina.

“They want to see some pirate ships,” he said. “They’re really excited.”

Mills, who lives in Seattle during the week and on Vashon Island on weekends, admits he’s a bit of a “boat guy.” He and his two children, 9-year-old Jackson and 7-year-old Zoe, spent four hours paddling from their weekend home to the marina yesterday in hopes of catching a glimpse of a few of the Tall Ships.

They didn’t see any. And the three drove to Dockton Park today.

“I’m still feeling it,” he said.

Zoe cut him off.

“Dad just let us ride most of the way here yesterday,” she said.

Almost a hundred people at mid-afternoon walked across the marina to try to find the best view of the ships. Dozens of other cars circled the street looking for a parking spot, and some resorted to leaving their cars on the shoulder of the road.

The view from the elevated parking lot was just fine for John and Julie Beeler. The Des Moines couple leaned against the side of their white GMC Yukon Denali and watched the Tall Ships sail into Quartermaster Harbor. John, 66, looked through binoculars as boat carried Youth on Board participants off the Zodiac and onto Argosy Cruises’ Spirit of Seattle.

Julie, 62, seemed just as content to soak up some rays as she watched from afar.

“It’s a beautiful day to be out here,” Julie said.

If you’re watching a reenactment of a cannon battle during Tall Ships Tacoma this week, just remember one thing: Those charges could’ve made some buttery, fluffy biscuits.

Tim Jovanovich and Avio Brooklyn spent much of Wednesday sitting aboard the Bounty of Krister in Quartermaster Harbor and building cannon charges for the reenactments. They wrapped aluminum foil around a wooden cylinder to create the shape, removed the wood and filled the foil with about 30 cubic centimeters of black gunpowder.

That creates the boom. Bisquick creates the show.

“Bisquick’s a pretty good filler,” said Brooklyn, 15-year-old student at Vashon Island High School. “It makes more white smoke the charges explode.”

So where is the influx of visitors to Vashon Island coming from?

Apparently not from the South Sound. Or at least not in the totally nonscientific poll I just took.

My sample set consisted of the eight people sitting at three outdoor tables at Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant in Vashon.

I managed to ask where they were from while they chowed down on enchiladas and other good stuff. Three are from Bellevue, three from Seattle, one from Kirkland and one from White Center.

So, South Sounders, where are you?

(Of course, if one is taking the ferry from Point Defiance, it might not be the wisest idea to drive past Quartermaster Harbor and into town just to drive south again to see the ships.)

The four-way intersection of Vashon Highway and Bank Road is the closest thing Vashon Island has to a commercial district. Still, it’s not quite busy enough to necessitate a traffic light; stop signs will do.

But dozens of cars – most heading southbound on Vashon Highway toward Quartermaster Harbor – jammed the intersection early this afternoon. It wasn’t quite Interstate 405 during rush hour, but the island’s residents noticed the swell in cars.

“It’s almost like a traffic jam,” Vashon resident James Robertson said. “It isn’t easy to figure out why, either.”

Jenny Davis had already beaten the crowds for a prime spot. That was the easy part.

The moon’s gravitational pull flustered her a bit more.

“If I sit here, I’ll have a great spot,” she told me. “But if the tides come up, then I’ll have to move. But is this low tide? High tide? I just don’t want to screw this up.”

The 52-year-old from West Seattle was trying to determine the perfect spot near Dockton Park upon which to plant a blue canvas camping chair. She has been waiting for this day – when the participating boats in the Tall Ships Tacoma festival pull into Quartermaster Harbor – for more than three years. She had planned to be on Vashon Island during the 2004 festival but caught a stomach bug and missed the entire event.

“I was so disappointed,” she said, clutching my right arm for emphasis. “So, so disappointed.”

That led to her early arrival this year. She was one of only a handful of people at the park which sits on the northwestern coast of Maury Island. The low tide had sucked away much of the water, leaving an expanse of gushy mud underfoot. The legs of Davis’ camping chair sunk in the muck, and her shoes were caked with the stuff.

She didn’t mind all that. She just didn’t want the water to rise again and rob her of what she believes will be the prime ship-viewing spot.

“I don’t live on the water,” she said, “so I’m not sure how to figure this out. But I’m going to make it happen.”

After hearing from other readers about the Ahoy graffiti, I was inspired to dig up this gem of marketing:

Few can deliver like Bruce Campbell can.

Let's call it a second try.

I'll be on Vashon Island this afternoon to talk to the Youth on Board kids. Maybe some other fun Tall Ships stuff too.

Chasing down a moving Tall Ship is apparently a tough thing to do.

Photographer Joe Barrentine and I learned that the hard way today.

Our assignment seemed relatively simple: Go to Port Angeles, catch the crews shortly after they cleared customs, talk to some of the kids about the Youth on Board program and put together something for tomorrow’s paper. My job was to write the words; Joe was shooting stills and a video.

The problems started about as soon as we left Tacoma. The contacts I had on the three ships we were chasing didn’t pick up. No problem, I figured. We’d get to Port Angeles and meet up then.

Joe and I make a Starbucks our home base in Port Angeles. I got in contact with the captain of one of the boats. If we can meet them in an hour, he said, we could hop aboard and talk to the Youth on Board kids. The ship’s docked in Union Wharf, he said.

That’s in Port Townsend.

Joe and I pack up in a hurry and head back east. We were rushing against a tight deadline, and it seemed all of Jefferson County decided driving 10 mph under the speed limit on a highway was a good idea.

As we pull into Port Townsend, I receive a voicemail. (Not a call, mind you, but just a voicemail.) The captain of one of the boats said that the three ships have just left Port Townsend and were heading toward Dockton.

That’s on Maury Island.

The fastest way to Dockton? Back to Tacoma to catch the ferry to Vashon Island at Point Defiance Park. My bosses will love seeing a 240-mile commute to the park on my expense report.

But we made the trip, caught the ferry to Vashon Island and headed toward Dockton. We got out at the park, and there was nary a Tall Ship to be seen. I called another one of the captains. He said the wind hasn’t been great, and they want to make it as far as Port Madison tonight.

That’s on Bainbridge Island.

And even if we had met up with them, the ships were going to anchor down at sea. The best we could do is stand at the dock and wave.

So Joe and I are sitting in my car awaiting the ferry off Vashon Island. By the time I drop him off, I’ll log almost 300 miles. Joe shot one photo. I’ve written nothing of substance.

Not a bad day at the office.

Joe and I arrived in Port Angeles to find out the Tall Ships had cleared customs early and sailed to Port Townsend.

As we were driving into Port Townsend, we got a call that the ships we were seeking had decided to head toward Vashon Island.

So we're heading back to Point Defiance to catch the Vashon ferry.

I've received several calls about this. Seriously, are even the petty criminals getting in the Tall Ships mood?

(Pic taken outside Commencement Bay Coffee Company)

We're hitting the road today. Photog Joe Barrentine and I are heading to Port Townsend and/or Port Angeles; basically, we're going wherever we can find some decent Tall Ships stories.

I'll be posting throughout the day.