Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

From the daring voyages of the Golden Hinde to the graceful 19th-century sailing vessels ELISSA and STAR OF INDIA to the powerful brute strength of the 1904 four-masted barque MOSHULU, the square-rigged ship evolved into one of the most influential technologies in maritime history.
Beginning with the compact, heavily-built galleons of the Age of Exploration, we follow the transformation through towering clouds of canvas of the Clippers, and ultimately the iron and steel windjammers that represented the pinnacle of square-rig efficiency. Along the way, we examine how advances in naval architecture, metallurgy, and seamanship allowed square-rigged vessels to grow larger, faster, and more specialized—culminating in the powerful deep-water sailing ships like MOSHULU that closed the age of commercial sail.
This presentation traces that development across three centuries, exploring how changing trade routes, naval warfare, materials, and shipyard innovation shaped hull design, rigging complexity, and sail plans.