The Lady Washington returns to ‘Murderer’s Habour’ (Tillmook Bay, Oregon) after 217 years.

The Garibaldi Museum - Maritime History in Garibaldi, Oregon is displaying a replica of the sloop in its’ 2005 season.

The original Lady Washington, a 90 ton, 64’ length, 20’ breadth, 8’ depth, captained by Robert Gray, partnered with the Columbia Rediviva on the historic sail from Boston, Massachusetts. The voyage to the Pacific Northwest in 1787 initiated America’s entry into the sea otter trade with China.

Bill Drinon, owner of Twin Rivers Shipyard, of Salisbury, Massachusetts is the builder of the Lady Washington model. The sloop’s scale is a quarter inch to one foot. The lower hull was constructed in a lift or bread and butter methods. This method traces the waterline stations on the lifts.

Once the tracings are cut out on the band saw, they are placed one on top of the other to form the desired depth of the hull. The lifts are then planed, shaved and sanded to the desired shape. The section contours are used as a gauge to form the exact profile of the lower hull.

The upper hull and bulwarks were built on frame to give the model a plank on frame look. The frame pattern was taken from an extension off the lower hull. This was done to form a seamless overlay off the lower hull. The sloop is ninety per cent hand built; only the cannon barrels, anchors, deadeye and belaying pins are store bought.