Hawaiian Chieftain Towed into Tillamook

The Coast Guard reports the Hawaiian Chieftain was towed into Tillamook Bay on the Oregon coast yesterday after becoming disabled in rough conditions. The 12 crew on the 103-ft tallship, a fixture on San Francisco Bay for many years before moving to her new homeport of Grays Harbor, Washington, had struck sail when the winds increased to 35 knots but then found their 490-hp engine seized.

We don’t know where she was going or which way the wind was coming from but presume it was on the nose as 35 knots seems to be just enough wind to get the 80-tonner moving. Of course the 14-ft seas probably didn’t help matters either. No injuries were reported and the Chieftain was able to continue on to Garibaldi under her own power once inside Tillamook Bay.

For more information on what the Hawaiian Chieftain is up to now, go to the Grays Harbor Historical Society’s website at www.historicalseaport.org.