Dana Point : Purchase of Pilgrim II May Be Briefly Delayed

The Orange County Marine Institute, which has been trying to keep the Pilgrim II in Dana Point Harbor since its arrival there four years ago, may have to wait a few weeks longer before it finally owns the two-masted sailing ship.

Stanley Cummings, director of the institute, said Wednesday that escrow, originally scheduled to close Monday, may be delayed at least until the end of May.

The reason for the delay is a change in the institute’s joint powers agreement with the Orange County Department of Education, Orange County and four local community college districts. The change would relieve the other parties of liability in the event of default on the ship’s mortgage.

The change must be approved by the Board of Supervisors, and Cummings said he expects that vote either late this month or early June. Afterwards, the institute can complete the purchase. “We’re shooting to close as fast as possible, hopefully the same day the supervisors vote,” he said.

The Pilgrim II, a 98-foot replica of the 19th-Century ship Richard Henry Dana sailed on, has been moored in the harbor since Memorial Day, 1981. The institute is buying the ship for about $500,000 from DJW Enterprises in Salinas.