Wanted: Captain and crew members for 18th century brig. Puffy shirts not required; ability to wield a cutlass a plus.

Okay, so that’s facetious, but if you’re a ship captain looking for work, look sharply.

A maritime workforce crunch is prompting the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority to step up recruitment for a captain and other skilled workers for the Lady Washington, the state’s official ship.

Captains of motor vessels are being encouraged to apply if they are willing to learn to sail an 18th century vessel, the Seaport Authority says.

“We have a tremendous history of training our own captains,” said Caitlin Stanton, operations director of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport. “We create a lot of new mariners for the industry. Right now, many of our younger captains have gone to cruise ships, ferries and tugs, and we are seeking folks willing to take on the challenge of sailing an 18th century vessel.”

The nonprofit organization is getting creative in its approach to recruitment.

“For the first time, we are taking out paid ads in maritime publications, and have even posted on Craigslist,” said Executive Director Brandi Bednarik. “Word of mouth and training have worked well for us in the past, but hiring has become more competitive and we’re having to do more marketing to reach people.”

Stanton, who holds a captain’s license herself, will be reporting to the tall ship Hawaiian Chieftain for training in February. “I figured I’d better step up to the plate, if I’m asking others to,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to learn, and teaching maritime job skills is something our organization excels at.”

Currently at Lady Washington’s helm is Capt. John Morrison. He is training one new captain who has spent the past eight years on tugboats but worked on traditional sailing vessels prior to that.

Any interested mariner holding a captain’s license for 100-ton vessels may visit www.historicalseaport.org or email jobs@historicalseaport.org for more information.