Dana Point : Tall Ship to Set Sail on Mercy Voyage to Mexico

The Californian, the state’s official tall ship, is scheduled to sail Sunday on a 1,700-mile voyage of mercy and good will, carrying a cargo of medical and shelter supplies destined for the victims of Mexico City’s earthquake.

Although the 93-foot replica of a mid-1800s revenue cutter has sailed more than 15,000 miles since her launching last year--including a cruise to Hawaii--this will be her first voyage to a foreign country.

The ship will sail from Marina del Rey, where the cargo will be put aboard, to Acapulco, according to Steve Christman, founder of the Nautical Heritage Society in Dana Point, where the idea of constructing the topsail schooner was born.

“In addition to her regular crew, she’ll have on board two Spanish-language students from Oxnard College, Domingo Aguilar and Armando Roldan, who will act as interpreters,” Christman said.

He added that the operation was organized by Merlyn Phelan, an Orange County businessman, “as a good-will gesture between California and Mexico.”

Through Phelan’s efforts, about 12 tons of supplies, including medicines, tents, tarpaulins and other items were collected by Operation California, a group that provides aid for disasters in all parts of the world.

The cruise is being financed by the Camino Real Savings Bank of the San Fernando Valley, which has made a $72,000-a-year, long-term commitment to support the Nautical Heritage Society, Christman said.

The supplies sent to Mexico, which will help some of the thousands of people still homeless in the quake-wracked area, will be delivered to the University of Anahuac “to assure that they (the supplies) end up where they belong,” Christman said.

He said a message of good will to the recipients of such aid will be forwarded from Gov. George Deukmejian at ceremonies during the loading of the ship.

The Californian is modeled after the revenue cutter Lawrence, which patrolled the waters off San Francisco during the 19th-Century Gold Rush years. It has the seaworthiness and the speed, a maximum of 14 knots under sail, of her predecessor.

The ship’s main function is to serve as a training ship for young men and women, under the auspices of the American Sail Training Assn. The vessel, which under full rig carries nine sails, is frequently on the move between 15 official ports of call along the California coast.