The Ocean Institute’s signature tall ship, Spirit of Dana Point, led a Southern California fleet of brigantines and schooners out Friday, Sept. 8, for her first cannon battle since undergoing a $1.4 million renovation.
The mock skirmishes are part of the institute’s annual Maritime Festival which draws thousands to Dana Point Harbor each September to learn about life at sea during the 1800s, when tall ships supported trade and commerce among growing populations along the California coast.
This year’s schedule includes more cannon battles on Saturday and Sunday. The Age of Sail naval skirmishes give passengers an idea of what it was like to be a privateer sailing the seas and some of the dangers that could be encountered during an era that saw the rise of naval artillery.
Spirit, a replica 118-foot Revolutionary War-era tall privateer schooner, is part of the institute’s living history program, which educates more than 5,000 students a year on maritime history and pirate life.
The ship underwent a major renovation in 2021, in which she got new wooden decks, mast rigging and sails.
For John Kraus, who captained the Spirit Friday, the first cannon battle sail was a sweet voyage with the ship he last sailed in the festival 20 years ago. Kraus oversaw the vessel’s renovation at a San Diego shipyard and then, with help from many volunteers, put all the sails and rigging up – but that was after last year’s festival.
Other tall ships from the Southern California fleet are participating in the festival’s mock battles, including twin brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson, that are home-ported at the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, and The Bill of Rights, a schooner berthed in Chula Vista Harbor.
Wendy Marshall, CEO and president of the institute, credits the passion of the local community and private donors for the restoration of the Spirit.
“It took longer and cost more than we expected, but the reactions of the kids who have…
Read the full article here
