Grays Harbor Historical Seaport

We envision a world where all people have access to the incredible Pacific ocean. Through knowing and understanding this environment, we can all be better stewards of our shared history and our planet. We seek to equip people with the skills they need to be on the water for their job, for recreation, and for learning. Our five year plan includes a trans-Pacific voyage, following in the path of the original Lady Washington. In 2018 we are launching Sea School, a program that will offer scholarships to up to 58 young adults per year to follow their dream of a career at sea.

We build strong partnerships with other nonprofits, community groups, and the commercial industry to make this vision a reality. Our network of supporters is large, diverse, and committed to preserving tall ships. Our tenets of sustainable operation are: 1) An engaged core of Seaport members, 2) Outreach and inclusion, bringing people in regardless of ability to pay, 3) Building strong community partnerships that allow us to grow, and 5) Innovating. We seek to find ways to accomplish our aims without the exchange of money where possible, as in our partnership with Tongue Point Job Corps. TPJC sends students aged 17 to 24, who are at-risk youth, to sail aboard our vessels as deckhands for 45 days, further building their maritime skills. This partnership is a win/win without a dime of financial exchange.

Our organization brings a team of 23 full time employees, our two breathtaking tall ships, and our development at Seaport Landing. We utilize these resources carefully to further our mission of education and empowerment on the water. We solve a tremendous amount of problems through our network- many supporters are skilled tradespeople who help maintain our vessels so they can continue to serve as many people as possible.

In 2017 we have successfully completed phase 1 of Hawaiian Chieftain's "Project Overhaul" restoration, increased safety training and equipment onboard, announced the launch of Sea School in 2018 (including securing funding for 3 consecutive years and hiring a Director), served over 60,000 people, and trained 40 new mariners. Our goals for 2018 include increased community outreach and marketing, including 3-4 public panels on maritime job opportunities, participation in industry expos and festivals, and launching new free community events at Seaport Landing. We will provide a full scholarship to up to 48 participants to learn job skills on our vessels, participants chosen based on low-income status and merit. In 2018, we will empower more people than ever to discover new opportunities on the ocean.