The Privateer Lynx arrives under sail in Coos Bay Thursday. The 122-foot schooner is a replica of a 19th century war ship that was valued for its speed on the water. The crew will be offering public tours at the Coos Bay Boardwalk. -World Photo by Alex Powers

COOS BAY — The chance of a tall ship making its schedule is about as dependable as the weather report.

Traveling at about five knots up the Pacific Coast — approximately 6 miles per hour for the nautically challenged — the crew of the Baltimore clipper schooner Lynx planned to arrive this afternoon.

They won’t.

They’re already here.

The Lynx arrived in downtown Coos Bay at about 12:30 p.m., Thursday, said ship’s captain Mike Kellick, after navigating approximately 176 miles from its last stop in Eureka, Calif. It departed from California on Tuesday.

“It’s not easy bringing a tall ship up the coast of the Pacific Northwest,” Kellick said.

Kellick, who has lived and worked on tall ships for the past six years, including on the Hawaiian Chieftain and the Lady Washington, said the ship will undergo maintenance today.

For tours dockside Saturday and Sunday, crew members will greet visitors and describe the history of the vessel. The 122-foot square topsail schooner was one of the first ships to defend American freedom. Because of their swiftness and maneuverability, these ships were most effective as blockade runners and offensive weapons of war. This newer version of the Lynx was launched in 2001 from its home in Newport, Calif.

Lynx crew members, who wear period uniforms and operate the ship in keeping with the maritime traditions of early 19th Century America, will offer public dockside tours and adventure sails on Saturday and Sunday.

 The ship will leave Coos Bay on Tuesday, following a day of leave for the 8-man crew, Kellick said.

Cindy Buffa, the director of education and sail training for the Lynx Educational Foundation in Newport Beach, Calif., said the Lynx is working its way up to Victoria, British Columbia, where it will join up with the other tall ships for the West Coast Tall Ships challenge 2008.