COOS BAY — As the cool wind battered their clothes, small groups of people stood waiting on the Coos Bay Boardwalk for their arrival.

But the tall ships didn’t come.

Expected to arrive at 2 p.m. today at the Coos Bay City Docks, the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain have been delayed far south of Coos Bay, said former crew member and unofficial spokesman Brion Spore.

“The Oregon Coast is traditionally one of the roughest coasts we ever sail,” Spore said in explanation to the crowd of onlookers.

According to an e-mail from the North Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau, The Hawaiian Chieftain now is scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the Lady Washington should arrive by noon.

At about 3 p.m. Spore said the Lady Washington was  in Port Orford and the Hawaiian Chieftain was near Brookings.

According to www.historicalseaport.org, The Lady Washington is the official ship of Washington. The Hawaiian Chieftain accompanies her on her voyages and goodwill missions. Both ships are open to tours for the general public when they visit ports in Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia. The site also says the vessels encountered heavy weather Monday afternoon off Brookings.

Several hours after the sailing ships were due over the bar at the entrance to Coos Bay, no sails were to be seen on the horizons, save for those on the mast of a small personal schooner.

From Trans Pacific Parkway, near the McCullough Bridge, the gentle lapping of water and the thundering of chip trucks on the bridge roadway could be heard, but not the sound of wind filling sails.

Among the people waiting to see the majestic wooden ships were Cathy and Lloyd Jones of Portland. The Joneses, who stood on the Coos Bay Boardwalk, will be volunteering on one of the ships via “Two Weeks Before the Mast.”

They said they expected to board today. Now, they said they won’t begin working until tomorrow morning. They added they had originally planned to meet up with the ships on May 1, but those plans also fell through, as the Hawaiian Chieftain needed work and the Lady Washington ran into a gale, Cathy Jones said.

“Fifty-knot winds put them back into port,” Lloyd Jones said.

“We sail, so we understand how these things happen,” Cathy Jones added.

She said she loves the old vessels, including the catboat earrings that dangled from her ears.

“I almost get teary because we are carrying on a tradition.”

Lloyd Jones, a musician, said he and his wife own a sailboat, but sailing a tall ship is a completely different experience.

“Being sailors, part of the fun of it is dealing with the elements. It’s not like driving a car,” he said, noting it’s understandable that the ships are late. “I’m fascinated by having to do things before there were engines and modern conveniences.”

Former boardwalk caretaker Leo Langlais, 84, who also waited in the wind, said he comes to see the tall ships every year without fail.

“I see them come and I see them go. I just enjoy it,” Langlais said as he waited for the ships. “I was brought up near the ocean. This is not new for me.”

For more information, those interested can contact (800) 200-LADY.

— Staff Photographer Alex Powers contributed to this story.