Google Map showing the location of Port Alberni

Port Alberni Tall ships website:

http://portalbernitallships.ca

There are two main ways to get to Vancouver Island. Cross the border and take the B.C. ferry from Tsawwassen:

http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/tssw-current.html

Or take a Washington State Ferry from Anacortes:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/faq/index.cfm?faq_id=1

The second option is a longer sail, at over three hours, but the upside is that you get to see a lot of the San Juan archipelago, since you’re sailing right through it.

Then, of course, you would need to drive to Port Alberni or take a bus once in Sydney.

Different ships have different sailing schedules and ports of call. Many tall ships have their own websites. Here is a link to a website with lots of links to tall ship sites:

http://www.apparent-wind.com/sailing-page.html#tallships

And here’s a page which tracks tall ships in real time. A lot of ships don’t seem to report in, but it can be useful.

http://sailwx.info/shiptrack/tallships.phtml

For example, the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan are both at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, WA, right now, this minute - which I never would have known if I hadn’t checked the site.

I will be in Oregon and Washington at that time.