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.

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