Grays Harbor Historical Seaport announces new partnership with Tongue Point Job Corps

Corps students would have the opportunity to intern on tall ships including Lady Washington

May 2, 2017 10:00 pm
GRAYS HARBOR HISTORICAL SEAPORT PHOTOs Kianta Lee of Chesapeake, Va., works the rigging on one of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport’s two tall ships as an intern on a 45-day voyage from Oakland, Calif. to Newport, Ore. The 21-year old hopes to use the skills she learns on the voyage to become a Tankerman on a west coast vessel.
GRAYS HARBOR HISTORICAL SEAPORT PHOTOs Kianta Lee of Chesapeake, Va., works the rigging on one of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport’s two tall ships as an intern on a 45-day voyage from Oakland, Calif. to Newport, Ore. The 21-year old hopes to use the skills she learns on the voyage to become a Tankerman on a west coast vessel.

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport and the Tongue Point Job Corps in Astoria, Ore., announced a new partnership Friday to provide Tongue Point students an opportunity to intern with the crew of tall ships Hawaiian Chieftain and Lady Washington.

The first four students joined the vessels in Oakland, Calif., embarked April 26 and are currently halfway through their 45-day internships, sailing north from the Bay Area and disembarking in Newport, Ore. They’ll be learning maritime job skills aboard both ships.

“Our focus is adult sail training and Age of Sail history for schoolchildren,” said Historical Seaport Executive Director Brandi Bednarik. “We employ professional crews of seven for each vessel, but our deckhands are volunteers. Bringing on Tongue Point cadets as deckhand interns is truly a win-win. This new partnership helps us fulfill our mission of getting young people to sea, and breaking down the economic barriers to sailing and maritime job training.”

The education the students receive in watch standing, line handling, safety and cleaning duties makes them a welcome addition to the tall ship crew.

“They have been a real asset to the day to day functioning of the ship are very quick learners on the sail handling and at sea operation” says Hawaiian Chieftain Captain Garry Heinrich. “They interact very well with the schoolchildren that come aboard for our educational sails and are doing a great job of passing their knowledge on.”

The historical aspect is an added bonus for John LaPier, a 19-year old from Battleground.

“I was absolutely fascinated; the fact that I could come on to a ship and learn where we started,” he said. “Yeah, it’s nice to work on a fancy new tugboat with all this new equipment, but what happens if all that fails? Eventually we’re going to have to come back to this.”

Intern Rudy Perez, a 19-year old from Wilmington, Calif., talked about how sailing can help prepare the students for their exams.

“Everything is done manually. You’ve got to haul everything. Seeing it on paper, that’s only theory,” he said. “But then actually getting your hand on it, you’re pulling, you’re tying everything. Being more hands on with everything will help me.”

Tongue Point Job Corps is a national training and employment program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. It primarily enrolls economically disadvantaged youth aged 16 to 24 and provides an education in the trades at no cost to the student. The Seamanship program is one of 16 career and technical programs offered at Tongue Point; graduates can be qualified for the U.S. Coast Guard endorsements of Able Seafarer, Qualified Member of the Engine Department, Steward, and Basic Safety Training, plus earn a high school diploma or GED.