Seattle Sailing FAQ
You have questions, we have answers.
In our Seattle sailing FAQ, you will find answers to our most commonly asked questions. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for here, please get in touch and we’d be happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
We sail from Bell Harbor Marina. The best landmark to find us is Anthony’s Restaurant. We set up our ticket sales location on the sidewalk right next to (just South of) Anthony’s Restaurant.
Parking on the Waterfront can be challenging! If you are driving, make sure to allow extra time to park and get checked in.
We recommend parking across the street at the World Trade Center parking garage, located at: 2200 Alaskan Wy, Seattle, WA 98121
Get discounted parking here:
There is also paid street parking. Alaskan Way is limited to 2 hour parking, but the side streets…
Public Sails
We know plans can change, and we want to make things easy.
For cancellation, please email info@seattlesailngship.com
All public sail tickets are final unless you’ve added Trip Cancellation Protection.
With Trip Cancellation Protection (8%), you can cancel or reschedule up to 3 hours before your sail by emailing info@seattlesailingship.com.
Your options with trip cancellation protection include:
Converting your tickets into a gift card for future use,
Rescheduling to another sail, or
Receiving a refund (minus the 8% protection fee and any processing fees).
Private Charters
We understand that plans can change, and we will always do our best to work with you whenever possible. Because private charters often involve reserving the vessel, coordinating vendors, and planning custom experiences, our cancellation policy distinguishes between the vessel reservation and additional services.
Vessel Reservation
A private charter may be reserved with a 50% deposit.Deposits may include applicable non-refundable Planning & Coordination Fees.
Seattle’s Tall Ship will not begin event planning, coordination, or secure third-party services until all required deposits and applicable fees have been received. The initial deposit is applied toward the final charter balance.
Cancel 14 days or more before your scheduled charter and receive a full refund of all amounts paid toward the vessel reservation. Within fourteen (14) days of the scheduled charter, all payments are non-refundable.
Planning & Additional Services
Any planning, coordination, or event management fees become non-refundable upon payment.
Third-party services including, but not limited to: catering, beverages, entertainment, musicians, photographers, florals, transportation, décor, or other vendor-provided services, are subject to the individual vendor’s cancellation and refund policies. Seattle’s Tall Ship cannot refund amounts that are non-refundable to us by those vendors.
Seattle’s Tall Ship will not reserve or purchase third-party services until the required funds have been collected from the charter client. If a third-party vendor issues a refund to Seattle’s Tall Ship, that refund will be passed through to the charter client.
Cancellations by Seattle’s Tall Ship
Your safety and experience are our top priorities. On rare occasions, we may need to cancel a sail due to weather, safety concerns, mechanical issues, Coast Guard requirements, or other unforeseen circumstances.
If Seattle’s Tall Ship cancels your charter, you may choose to reschedule, receive credit toward a future charter, or receive a full refund of the vessel reservation charges.
Refunds for third-party services will remain subject to the applicable vendor’s cancellation and refund policies
We strive to make sure that our sailing cruises are always fun! We will sail in light rain but we will often cancel if heavier weather is forecast. If the weather is looking bad, feel free to call to see how the Captain plans to manage a particular day’s weather.
If Seattle’s Tall Ship cancels your boat ride due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances you will have the opportunity to reschedule, receive company credit, or receive a full refund.
It is important to dress for the weather! Always bring an extra layer. Even when it is hot onshore, it is always cooler out on the water. Especially for sunset sails, it is important to bring a warm layer after the sun has gone down.
Other important things to remember: sunglasses and sunscreen on sunny days, windbreakers on cooler days, and a camera on all days!
Yes! We are proud to be a family-friendly sailboat! Our spacious decks, high perimeter railing, and comfortable seating make us a perfect boat ride for families including young children and grandparents.
Yes! We encourage you to bring along snacks or even meals to enjoy on the boat. You are also welcome to bring drinks, just no outside alcohol, please!
We also have bags of chips and cookies for sale on the boat for $1 each.
Seattle’s Tall Ship is a licensed bar and therefore we do prohibit outside alcohol.
The one exception to this is if you would like to bring a special bottle of wine to enjoy aboard.
If you are bringing a bottle of wine there is no corking fee and plastic wine glasses will be provided to you.
We are proud to serve a selection of local alcoholic drinks – check out our rotating menu!
We are proud to serve a selection of local alcoholic drinks – check out our rotating menu!
We also serve soft drinks and bottled water for $2 ea.
We only have very light snacks, such as bags of chips and cookies. You are welcome to bring your own snacks!
Yes, we accept credit cards, cash, and digital payments.
Our public sails are 2 hours long.
Private charters can be arranged from 2 – 6 hours.
Where ever the wind takes us! We do our best to run our sails on mostly wind power. This means our route changes depending on the conditions. With a good breeze, we can sail most of the way to Bainbridge Island before turning back towards Seattle. When the breeze is very light we may supplement the wind power with some diesel power to make sure we keep the boat moving.
Maybe! We do occasionally get the opportunity to do some whale watching, however, it is very rare. The Puget Sound resident whales generally spend their time about 50 miles North of Seattle which is a long way out by sailboat. Sometimes the whales do come to visit though, and we are always crossing our fingers!
Although whale watching is a very rare occurrence on Elliott Bay, we do regularly see seals and porpoises, and sea birds. To spot seals and porpoises, keep a very close eye on the waters, they don’t stay on the surface for too long!
We say, “If you can handle a bus tour, you can handle our boat tour”. Elliott Bay is very protected so the biggest waves we see are the wakes caused by other boats! The water is generally calm and seasickness is not normally an issue.
Bay Lady is a gaff-rigged schooner, designed in the fashion of an 1800’s cargo ship. When Seattle was just getting started, gaff-rigged schooners very similar in design to Bay Lady were a common sight on the waterfront as they were loaded up to deliver shipments of lumber around the West Coast.
We don’t do a spoken tour over the ship’s PA system as we want everyone to enjoy the sailing as they wish to, however, the whole crew is passionate about our city, the Pacific Northwest, and the history of Bay Lady and Tall Ship sailing. If you are interested in learning more, make sure to ask the crew and they will tell you all about it!