''Hawaiian Chieftain'' is a sailing vessel briefly known as the ''Spirit of Larinda''. Built in 1988 in

Lahaina Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali, Hawaii, Kaanapali and Kapalua, Hawaii, Kapalua beac ...

on the island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, the ''Hawaiian Chieftain'' is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional design. She is unique with the

rig Rig or RIG may refer to: Objects and structures * Rig (fishing), an arrangement of items used for fishing * Drilling rig, a structure housing equipment used to drill or extract oil from underground * Rig (stage lighting) * rig, a horse-drawn c ...

of a 19th-century trading vessel and a modern triple

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

, shallow

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

. Drawing only , she is highly maneuverable in shallow waters. The Hawaiian Chieftain was commissioned by Laurence H. Dorcy, Jr., designed by nautical architect Ray Richards, and built by Lahaina Welding Co. Ltd. on the island of Maui; Drake Thomas was the ship's builder. Lofting, initial hull framing and partial hull plating was performed by Morgan Davies (until his departure from the project in December 1986). Completion of hull welding (including bow and topside plating) was performed by ship welders Ken Bear, Bill Purvis, Lionel Clemons and Oliver Pagttie. Additional expert tradesmen were hired for the rigging (George Herbert/Ivan Hope), ship's carpentry, machinery (Alan Fleming, Carl Geringer) and electrical installation (Neil Willmann). Master Mariner Des Kearns played a key role as a Project Director from early 1987 until launch in June 1988. Under its paint, her bowsprit bears the inscription "Lahaina Welding Co." Her maiden voyage was to French Polynesia on April 1, 1990 and arriving in Papeete on April 20, 1990. She was based in Sausalito, CA for many years, sailing up and down the coast with the ''

Lady Washington ''Lady Washington'' is a ship name shared by at least four vessels. The original sailed during the American Revolutionary War and harassed British shipping. Another vessel was used as a merchant trading vessel in the Pacific. A somewhat update ...

'' on ''Voyages of ReDiscovery'', providing hands-on history programs teaching 4th and

5th grade Fifth grade (also 5th Grade or Grade 5) is the fifth or sixth year of formal or compulsory education. In the United States, this is mostly the last grade of primary school, but for some states, it could be the first year of middle school. Primary ...

rs about the exploration and trade along the West Coast in the 1790s. In the winter of 2004, she was sold to a

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

sailing program and renamed the ''Spirit of Larinda''; however, due to the unexpected death of her owner, she remained inactive. In October 2005, the

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, also known as Grays Harbor Historical Seaport is a government authority created in 1986 by the city of Aberdeen, Washington, as a 501(c)(3) corporation. It was created to commemorate Washington's centenni ...

, owner of ''Lady Washington'', purchased her to add to its fleet. Returning to her original identity as the ''Hawaiian Chieftain'', she joined up with the ''Lady Washington'' on February 25, 2006 to provide joint education and sail training up and down the west coast of the United States. In February, 2020, GHHSA announced they would be retiring Hawaiian Chieftain to focus on operation of ''Lady Washington''. In July 2021, she was purchased by Aubrey and Matt Wilson who intend to restore her. When restoration is complete, the Wilsons plan to take ''Chieftain'' back to Hawai'i where she will take on passengers for day sails, be available for tours and events, and offer educational programs and sail training opportunities.

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Individual sailing vessels Sail training ships Tall ships of the United States Two-masted ships 1988 ships

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