Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

Master rigger and licensed captain Jamie White will give a presentation on “Sailing ELISSA – a Square Rig Primer.” He will speak about the dynamics of setting sail aboard and maneuvering the official tall ship of Texas, ELISSA, and how ships of the Age of Sail would have been similarly handled underway.  The 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA is a three-masted riveted iron-hulled barque based in Galveston, Texas, and is one of only three such vessels in the world that still actively sails. As a barque, her rig features square-rigged sails on the fore and main masts, while the mizzen mast is fore-and-aft rigged.
Having worked in the traditional rigging and square-rig sail training industries since the early 1980s, Jamie has built an extensive knowledge and understanding of traditional sailing ships and their operational and restoration/maintenance and sail training requirements. Jamie sailed over 30,000 miles as bosun, mate, or master on many square-rigged & traditional vessels. Before he sailed aboard traditional boats and tall ships, he taught sailing aboard modern sailboats at one of the largest charter companies in Southern California.
If you have ever wondered how much more different and difficult tacking a square-rigger is than a modern sloop – this presentation should be of interest to you.

A detailed presentation on trimming your headsail and mainsail for a variety of conditions seen while cruising. Sailing terminology, the dynamics of light and heavy air sailing, primary and secondary trim tools, sail care, and the nuances of getting the most out of your sails will be covered.

How I ended up working for the film production business making traditional rigging, and how that rigging compares with the real thing! Anecdotes of some of the crazy sets and people involved!

Alison will demonstrate surveying cruising sails, what to look for, how to determine their working condition, and then give an overview of reinforcing said sails for offshore cruising. Sailing terminology, parts of the sail, sail making tools, and techniques will be covered.