Dana Point : Brig Pilgrim II Is in Escrow, May Get a Slip

The Pilgrim II, which has become a Dana Point landmark during the four years it has been anchored there, may soon become the property of the Orange County Marine Institute.

Stan Cummings, director of the institute, which has kept the two-masted brig at anchor in the harbor since 1981, said the institute plans to buy the ship by May 18. Although the title to the vessel is in dispute, Cummings said the escrow agreement calls for all parties to resolve their differences by that time.

Cummings would not disclose how much the Marine Institute is willing to pay for the Danish-built ship, which is valued at $630,000. If escrow closes successfully, he said, there will be a fund drive to help raise the needed amount.

Plans for a $400,000 floating slip about 70 feet long by about 30 feet wide, which would surround the Pilgrim II on three sides, have been submitted to the county supervisors, Cummings said.