Ryan Koch, 11, plays with a viewing scope at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria in front of a window reflecting a moored USCGS Eagle Friday, June 13, 2008. The Eagle will headline Tall Ships Tacoma next month.
JOE BARRENTINE/The News Tribune

The Sea Scout Ship Odyssey is celebrating its 70th birthday with daylong festivities in downtown Tacoma on Saturday.

The Odyssey, an 88½-foot yawl that will participate in next month’s Tall Ships Tacoma festival, will be docked in the Thea Foss Waterway in front of the Museum of Glass. The celebration is held in conjunction with an exhibit on maritime history at the Washington State History Museum.

Events include:

• 11 a.m.-1:45 p.m.: A chance for the public to view and tour the boat for free.

• 2-4 p.m.: A sailing open to the public. Tickets are $25.

• 4-5 p.m.: Boat tours and a performance by the Shifty Sailors, a sea shanty and maritime music group.

• 5-7 p.m.: A charter sail with the Shifty Sailors

Cadets John W. Beal, left, Kyle E. Stubbs, center, and Trent A. Meyers pose on the deck of the USCGS Eagle Thursday, June 12, 2008. Stubbs, a native of Newcastle, Wash., will end his tour on the Eagle before Tall Ships Tacoma, but will be there in spirit, he says.
Photo by JOE BARRENTINE
Story by KATHLEEN MERRYMAN

Astoria, Ore. - There were no lines to tour U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle Thursday evening in Astoria, just a steady stream of people delighted to have the chance to visit America’s Tall Ship.

Cadets Kyle Stubbs, 19, of Newcastle, and Trent Meyers of Indianapolis, Ind., manned the dock. They welcomed families, seniors, Coast guard veterans and tourists delighted to be in town at the same time as the famous ship. They assured all that they were welcome, and that there was no charge to tour the ship.

While Stubbs and Meyers greeted, other cadets in uniform shared pizza parlor flyers. The dialed their cell phones and tried to negotiate to have pies delivered to the city dock. It was surprisingly frustrating. They were assigned to the ship for the evening. They could not just wander off in search of a Hawaiian with extra Canadian bacon.
When they dock in Tacoma, they said, it would be a fine thing to have great pizza readily available, a great thing to allow pizza delivery people access to the ship.

“Pizza is a big thing cadets are fans of,” Stubbs said. “We don’t get it on ship.”

Cadets with shore leave waved goodbye as they set out to explore Astoria. It’s not a city that specializes in night life. At 10 p.m., groups of them were still walking about, looking at shop windows, enjoying the chance to walk more than 300 feet in one direction without having to turn around.

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Here's an Oregonian staff blog post on The Eagle's visit to Astoria.