The Lynx, a 122-foot square topsail schooner and replica of a fast-running War of 1812 American privateer, is plying the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The period ship spent the weekend at the Port Angeles City Pier, providing tours from the public dock at Port Angeles and offshore sails Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The Lynx was joined Sunday by a replica of the Bounty of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame used to film the 1962 version of the epic South Pacific story. Both ships are in the Pacific Northwest to take part in the Victoria Tall Ships Society festival that is running this week through Sunday.
The festival in Victoria is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators and features a wealth of activities based around a fleet of tall ships.
Following the Victoria stop, the Lynx sails back to Port Angeles in a tall ships race on Monday, June 30, then sails to Port Townsend on Tuesday, July 1, and from Port Townsend to Tacoma via Quartermaster Harbor in Seattle on Wednesday, July 2. A tall ships event also is planned for Tacoma.
Berths are available on all three passages for $150 per sailor per run.
The historic replica of a War of 1812 ship is partly used to educate youths from across the world in seamanship and personal development. The ship’s home port is Newport Beach, Calif.
The Lynx was launched on July 28, 2001, in Rockport, Maine, and built by Rockport Marine.
Privateers were relied upon by the U.S. government in battling the British Navy during the War of 1812. The privately-owned vessels would harass British Navy ships and capture cargoes from British merchant ships; owners of privateers would receive a sizable cut from the sale of the cargo.
For information on joining the crew, call 866-446-5969 or go to www.privateerlynx.org.
Information on the tall ships festivals in Victoria and Tacoma can be found at www.tallshipsvictoria.org, www.tallshipstacoma.com.