DANA POINT : Festival Offers Public Sail on Vintage Ship

Their sails billowing in the wind, an armada of classic wind-powered vessels will cruise into Dana Point Harbor during the annual Tallships Festival this weekend.

Eight frigates representing the early 19th-Century trading ship era will arrive at the harbor today around noon, kicking off two days of nautical-themed events.

All ships will drop anchor at the Orange County Marine Institute, at the north end of the harbor at 24200 Harbor Drive. The festival attracted 10,000 people last year.

A fleet of escort ships from the Harbor Patrol and Coast Guard will lead the procession into Dana Point. Among the vessels coming to port will be two square-rigged schooners, the Swift of Ipswich and the Witch of Wood.

For the first time, the public will get a chance to sail aboard one of the vintage ships during the tall-ship procession. Passage is $20; for reservations, call the marine institute at (714) 496-2274.

Visitors to the festival can also board the docked vessels, which will include the Pilgrim, a full-size re-creation of the trading boat used in the 1830s by the city’s namesake, Richard Henry Dana.

The open house will also allow a close look at modern-day nautical technology aboard the SeaJet I, a 130-foot-long catamaran. The public can tour the craft at 2 p.m. today.

“We have the best of the old and new,” said Dan Stetson, the institute’s director of maritime affairs. “Some of these replicas date back to the early 1800s, and on the other end, we have the SeaJet I.”

Most of the sailing vessels were once privateers, including the Witch of Wood and the Pilgrim. Privateers were ships that were capable of being transformed into warships but which sailed as traders during peacetime, Stetson said.

A collection of vintage cannons owned by Laguna Beach High School instructor Peter Tiner will also be exhibited. Tiner will be on hand to talk about the heavy guns, some of which are replicas.

The festival will feature food booths, photo exhibits and nautical crafts. Also planned is a ocean-themed music program with Orange County Civic Light Opera Company, which will perform songs from “HMS Pinafore” and other Gilbert and Sullivan productions.

Other acts will include Irish singers and sailors performing sea chanteys.

A scrimshaw demonstration and an instructional program will be offered. During the hands-on program, children can learn how to tie sailing knots and experiment with other shipboard tasks.

With parking near the festival limited, a shuttle will be available from a parking lot on Selva Road and Pacific Coast Highway. For more information about the festival, call the marine institute.