The Lady Washington will soon be sporting new spars.

Donors this month generously exceeded the $30,000 needed to replace three damaged spars on the vessel. The current total raised stands at just over $33,000, but donations are still being counted.

“The spar fundraiser is a very big deal and its success cannot simply be measured monetarily,” said Captain Michael Kellick. “This is amazing stuff.”

The generosity of the hundreds of people who donated over the summer insured the project would remain on schedule. The crew will install the new spars during Lady Washington’s haul out maintenance period, Sept. 13-26. The new spars are projected to serve the needs of the vessel and her 60,000-plus annual visitors for the next 15-20 years.

During her maintenance, the Lady Washington will be lifted out of the water at Boat Haven Marina in Port Townsend. Doing so allows the entire hull of the vessel to be repainted and serviced. Both the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain undergo a biennial haul out, as a normal course of operations. Any extra money raised during the campaign will go to maintenance.

The grateful crew of the Lady Washington has a message for each person who donated to purchase new spars for the vessel, and that is a huge “thank you!”

The work to craft the new spars has already begun at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-Ops.

The Lady Washington and her sister ship Hawaiian Chieftain are owned and operated by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, a non-profit based in Aberdeen. People wishing to donate toward maintenance for the coming year or are interested in volunteering, can call the Seaport at 1-800-200-LADY or email development@historicalseaport.org.