Securely moored, Eagle took on her first visitors in Tacoma.

Connie McCloud, representing the Puyallup Tribe, presented the ship with a blanket, a hand-woven basket and a hand-carved paddle.

Capt. Christopher Sinnett returned the honor with an engraving of Eagle.

Then Peggy McCloud introduced the students of Grandview Early Learning Center, Annalicia McCloud, 3, and shy, Cynthia LaPlante, 6, Jazmine Bluehorse, 8, Sidfredo Valdez, 9, Dairon Earl-Lovejoy, 11, Daylon Nelson, 12, and Damion Laplant, 7.

The children sang a welcome song to the crew, and followed it with The Eagle Song, dancing with their arms outstretched as they sang.

“I want to declare you all honorary Eagle crew members for the week,” Capt. Sinnett told them, and gave each of them a memorial Eagle coin.

The first shots came from the direction of Ruston Way. Cannon fire from the park.

Eagle obliged with a double barrage from its guns, 12-gauge blanks louder than anything else on that end of the water.

The cadets had climbed the ratlines an hour earlier and had been standing at attention in the air.

Smoke puffs appeared on the shore, prefaces to the booms. Eagle let no shot go unanswered.

Eagle marked the end of the parade. As she passed, the no-go zone for near-shore boating dissolved. The Coast Guard had laid it down to protect everyone on the water, and to make sure photographers on shore got good shots.

“We heard there was too much photo shopping going on in 2005,” said Ens. Derek Miller.

Let’s hear a “Hip hip hurrah for Miller from every shooter who did not have to erase a Bayliner from a good shot of Bounty.

Near the grain silos, the huge American flag blowing behind Eagle became fouled in lines.

Cadet Matt Poore, 21, of Chesapeake, Va., would have none of it.

He climbed the rigging, then inched his way down the mizzen boom, clipped his safety belt onto the shrouds, and freed the flag.
Then he inched back 20 feet above the moving deck, climbed down and walked away as if he had done nothing special.

The feeling among the passengers was not shared. It was, they said, a remarkable thing to see such daring and commitment in one event. They wanted to know if he’d done it on his own, or had been ordered up.

“I saw they were having some problems flying the national ensign,” Poore said. “It wasn’t flying straight. I figured that, especially so close to the Fourth of July, we should honor the country and the national ensign. So I asked permission and went up.”

“Woohoo! Git ‘er done, baby!” Ensign Paul Junghaus, 18, said, walking by and clapping Poore on the back.

Then Junghaus, who is from Chesapeake, Va., looked out at the spectator boats around Eagle.

“That’s the most boats I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” he said. “This is amazing.”

The Lynx of Portsmouth, N.H., turns toward the Foss Waterway in front of Old Town Tacoma during the Parade of Sails today.

Sailors from the California-based Kaisei wave from the bow of the ship to shore Thursday as they passed in the Parade of Sail.

I just spotted our intrepid columnist on board the Eagle, which is now docked in the Foss Waterway.

The guy standing next to me, Bill Fleet, got some photos of her waving at me.

Fleet and his wife, Joan, spent the morning on the Cutty Sark. They got up at 4 a.m. and went to the Tacoma Dome to catch a bus to the ship.

In 2005, they went out on the Zodiac.

"You know, it's really wonderful it's here," Joan Fleet said. "I think it's really reflective of what's been happening in Tacoma. It's a real volunteer effort."

Fans of the Tall ships turned out in droves to see them arrive this morning along Ruston Way.

A Tacoma police officer passes in front of the Lady Washington as the Parade of Sails began this morning. Thousands of people turned out to watch the starting event for this year's Tall Ships Tacoma.

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?”

UPDATE: Here's the answer from an earlier blog post from Kathleen Merryman, who's been on the Eagle since Monday.

Eagle motored into Seattle, just as she will into Commencement Bay. Her sails are massive, to give her speed and power. But because she is square-rigged, and so big, she does not have the maneuverability under sail to enter a confined passage with other vessels in the area.

The Eagle passed by a few minutes ago, and just like that everyone is leaving. Now everyone has to deal with the parking lot that is Ruston Way.

Overall, people seemed most impressed by the Bounty.

"It was the most realistic," said Michele Bazdyrev of Tacoma.

The Eagle was the last, but some were bothered that it didn't have it's sails down.

"I thought this was supposed to be a Parade of Sails," a woman complained while rushing through a crowd to leave.

The Jack Sparrow look-alike has lots of company. A pirate with toy rats strapped to his boots just finished regaling an audience at the Dock Street Landing with a story that seemed to promote sleeping underneath a bar.

And then there was the incongruous sight of a pirate couple standing in front of some machines that resemble ATMs taking a touch-screen survey.

Something not right about that.

I guess I missed Sparrow's visit to the balcony outside the media center. He posed for pictures, according to one of the Tall Ships volunteers.

Someone asked him which ship was his.

He replied, "I haven't decided yet."

Hank Cramer is on stage at Thea's Park, belting out sea shanties to the folks gathered nearby to eat alligators on sticks, jambalaya and other fare.

But he's competing with the roar of a Coast Guard chopper over head, and the clanging of rail cars slamming together on the BNSF Railway lines across the street.

Cramer lives in Winthrop now, a good bit away from the sea. But he says he is a former shantyman and helmsman on the Lady Washington.

Eagle has joined the parade.

We bided our time, gathering a random fleet of about 300 small boats around us, and watched Tall Ships coming out of Quartermaster Harbor. They sailed past The Fir, the Coast Guard buoy tender on site to help manage the start.

The Coast Guard helicopter you see circling over the parade is an HH65 Dolphin out of Port Angeles.

Ens. Derek Miller is pleased with the number of boats waiting for Eagle.

“They’re scattered,” he said. “It’s not like we’re sailing into a wall of boats.”

Two 41-foot Coast Guard utility boats from Station Seattle are cruising next to us, gently but firmly keeping smaller boats at a safe distance.

Coming in to Commencement Bay, we’re hearing cannon fire. I’m guessing Hawaiian Chieftain is getting frisky.

Capt. J. Christopher Sinnett just announced that we will be falling in behind Hawaiian Chieftain and a restored 83-foot Coast Guard Cutter..

Once we moor, representatives of the Puyallup Tribe will board Eagle to exchange welcoming courtesies and sing “The Eagle Song.”

Capt. Sinnett pronounced “Puyallup” properly. Not bad from a Coastie from the opposite coast.

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.

Ron Simchen stands at attention when each ship passes.

When one comes near the shore, Simchen raises the flag of the Puyallup Tribe to both welcome the ship and its crew and let them know whose waters they are in.

"It's one of those exciting jobs," Simchen said. "How often do you get to see tall ships?"

Simchen is the Puyallup's tribal veterans representative, a Vietnam-era Army veteran. He did get to see tall ships once before, at the bicentennial celebration in the 1970s in Baltimore.

"You should have seen all those ships," he said.

This year he was asked by the tribe to serve guard. Ask him, and he'll say it is just another job.

But as each ship comes in, they raise a flag as a cue to Simchen. The tall ships are asking for permission to enter Simchen's, and the tribe's, waters.

Russ Carmack/The News Tribune
The HMS Bounty makes its way down Ruston Way waterfront as hundreds watch the Parade of Sails.

TNT photographers have been busy capturing all the majesty of Tall Ships Week. Here is a list of photo slideshows we've compiled so far with more to come today and throughout the weekend.

• Gallery: Tall Ships Tacoma Parade of Sail

• Gallery: Tall ships muster in Quartermaster Harbor

• Slideshow: It's a pirate's life

• Gallery: Aboard the USCG Eagle

• Gallery: Tall ships in Victoria, BC.

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.

Russ CarmackThe News Tribune
Members of the Puyallup Indian Canoe Family exchange gifts with the crew of the Lady Washington in Quartermaster Harbor Thursday morning before the parade of sail.

A ribbon cutting and welcoming songs from the Puyallup Tribe officially opened Tall Ships this morning.

To make it official, politicians even cut a ribbon.

"Sailing is a big part of our history and (Tall Ships) is a great way for young people to get involved with our history," Congressman Norm Dicks said after welcoming a crowd to the event on Ruston Way.

Ships passed and cannons erupted as politicians spoke, distracting the crowds from the welcomes and sending a collective shake through the crowd with each blast.

"This festival is a great way to celebrate our nations's birthday," said Mike Gregoire, who came on behalf of his wife, Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The crowd is buzzing with excitement at the sight of the Lady Washington rounding the bend and pulling into the waterway followed closely by the HMCS Oriole.

In case anyone missed the sails, a couple of cannon blasts signaled her arrival.

"Excitement, excitement!" Alice Galford of Mesa, Ariz. exclaimed from her perch at Thea's Park.

Galford grew up in Lakewood but hasn't lived her for 30 years. Her brother, Rick Howell of Tacoma, persuaded her to come visit specifically to see the Tall Ships.

"I love the Tall Ships," said Howell, who sails Commencement Bay with his brother.

Howell took the day off work today in hopes of avoiding the huge crowds that he expects tomorrow and over the weekend. The strategy appears to be working. There is a decent crowd now, but still plenty of room to find a good viewing spot.

Howell plans to be on the water tomorrow where he can take in the Freedom Fair fireworks show.

"That's the only way to watch it," he said. "It's in your face."

Eagle’s off Maury Island, under way but not idling. She’s been standing by, waiting for her turn in The Parade of Sail, said Ens. Derek Miller.

Miller has been working for at least six months to make sure this event goes smoothly for all ships, boaters and spectators. He’s deceptively cool, constantly in communication.

Look for Eagle at her starting point off of Quartermaster Harbor at 12:48 p.m. If all other ships are on time, that’s when she’ll bring up the rear of the Parade of Sail. Think of her as The Grand Finale.

As it stands, it’s likely cadets will salute you from the ratlines, or rigging.

The yardarms are a different matter.

Cadets climb the ratlines to yards that are as high as 140 feet off the deck. They scoot to stations at the ends of the yards, then clip on with their safety harnesses.

Given the drizzle and mist, the yards may be damp and slippery. Safety will dictate if the cadets salute you, standing at attention at the ends.

(How helpful are Eagle’s cadets? I asked cadet Bobby Carsey, 19, of Linden, Mich, the proper term for the end of the yardarm. He pulled out his copy of “Eagle Seamanship.”

We looked for, but did not find, the answer. He went off, and a minute later, came back with the word that cadets clip on to the sheet chain.

Think Cadet Carsey as your tax dollars at work in a productive way.)

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.

With an event like this, it’s a miracle when anything goes smoothly.

Any detail that doesn’t get dropped is a bonus.

And by detail, here, I am talking about 40 cubic yards of garbage, 8,000 gallons of sewage and the hook-up to bring fresh water to 200 people.

Victoria would not let Eagle offload her gray water. They did take her sewage.

Of course, Victoria does not have a sewage treatment plant as we think of such things. Mr. Floatie, the mascot for the people’s movement to build one had to sneak onto environmentally sound Adventuress to talk about the problem.

Oh, and the magic jumbo Dumpster Victoria kept promising never materialized.

That meant that Eagle left Victoria with her trash room nearly full. Chief Michael Barnthouse had to enlist cadets to jump onto the bags. Elite service academy cadets, serving as human trash compactors.

=> Read more!

There are plenty of speeches planned at the VIP spot on Ruston Way, including First Gentlemen Mike Gregoire and Congressman Norm Dicks. While waiting for everything to start, a member of the Lost Boys Pirate group serenaded Gregoire with a pirate shanty. He seemed to enjoy it. "He's a history buff," a member of his staff told me in passing.

Also, I was just told that the CG-83527 will not be in the parade today. No one is sure why right now, spokesman Matthew Erlich said.

The Capt. Jack Sparrow look-alike just went strolling by the esplanade outside the Dock building. I have to say, he looked pretty convincing.

He had the meandering swagger-stagger-walk down pretty good. The costume was spot-on. And he even sounded the part when he remarked to a small crowd seated at tables with sun umbrellas advertising Bud Light that it's, "Not too early to be drinkin'."

In case you didn't notice the time stamp, it's just past 11 a.m.

Not much of a crowd yet on the Foss, but some folks are milling around in rain coats, video cameras and binoculars at the ready.

I was surprised to see some construction activity still going on the dock just outside the media center here in the Dock building. It looks like workers are scrambling to finish building some temporary stairs that will apparently be used to board a ship.

There's a fair amount of traffic on the Foss Waterway, too. Sailboats, yachts and small rubber craft are heading out into the bay.

Oh, and there's plenty of coffee here at the media center, Brian. Beth Sylves, who I know from her days at the Tacoma Dome, was gracious enough to bring me cup. That's probably not in her job description as a Tall Ships volunteer. But it was much appreciated.

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.

Eagle pulled away from anchor near Qwest and Safeco Fields, and a Seattle fireboat led her, with a watery salute, to Alki Point.

Guest, including State Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen and Tacoma City Councilman Jake Fey, gathered under the shelter over the ship’s waist and ventured out into the drizzle.

They’re learning quickly that if you want to know anything about the ship or life aboard, you should ask a cadet or one of the crew.

As much as they love this ship, cadets and crew love to get off of it and see the world.

These are kids who scurry up ratlines and onto yardarms and fighting tops. Guess what they want to do here.

Right. Climb things.

They’ve heard we have something people enjoy climbing.

Cadet Alaina Kiskaddon just handed me a list of 30 cadets and crew who would like to hike Mount Rainier. Good days for them would be July 4 and 5. Ten interested cadets have liberty on July 5, and 20 have July 5 off.

Blog back to me, the sooner the better, if any group has something organized for these young people.

I’ve heard from quite a few cadets and crew that they’d like to go to a Rainiers game. I’m not sure if they’re in town, or if there’s a plan to get Eagle people to Cheney Stadium.

Again, blog back to me if you know anything.

Keep in mind that, if you get in trouble on the water someday, one of these Coasties might well be driving the helo that comes to save you.

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.”

GOT PHOTOS? Post them on our Tall Ships reader photo gallery.

It took me a couple drives up and down Ruston to find any place to park, but there is plenty of prime real estate open on the waterfront.

With the rain ending,more are showing up and setting up on the water. Cameras and binoculars are ready for when the ships appear.

I don't know how it is down on Foss Waterway, but this is a great spot to watch the ships come in. But there aren't near as many food options.

I just need to find some coffee first.

“Reveille! Reveille! Reveille!” piped through Eagle at 6 a.m.

Cadets and crew had a busy evening Wednesday, with receptions and leave in Seattle.

Seamen Travis Baker and Jesse Murphy, both 20, had been surprised by the warmth of their welcome.

Everywhere America’s Tall Ship goes, cities and the Coast Guard treat her well.

Murphy was grateful for the floating platform the Sector Seattle Coast Guard had brought to the ship. Baker was grateful for the Mariners.

“Someone at the reception last night handed me four tickets to the Mariners game last night,” he said. “They just walked up, handed them to me and said, ‘Here, just go.’”

Murphy was helping guests aboard.
The first of about 130 guests embarked at at 6:15 a.m. and would continue to do so until 8 a.m.

Baker, standing by the galley, shook hands with Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma as he and Carol Baarsma walked past the galley toward the foredeck

It’s drizzling in Seattle. Janet and I assured the officers over breakfast that, in the Northwest, there’s little difference between drizzle and sun.

Warrant Officer 4, Karyn Terry, Eagle’s naval engineer, has the 1,000 horsepower diesel Caterpillar D399 growling. Eagle will motor in.

Look for her to bring up the rear of the parade.

At 8:31 a whistle sounded from the bridge. The anchor is off the bottom. The last line is clear of the floating dock.

We're under way.