Tall Ships Festival Brings Swashbuckling Past to Life

With light winds filling its massive sails, the tall ship Pilgrim led a flotilla into Dana Point Harbor on Saturday and unleashed a wave of cannon fire to open the tall ship festival.

More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the two-day festival, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Orange County Marine Institute.

Aboard the Pilgrim, Capt. Jim Wehan provided a special treat for his crew and hundreds of spectators who lined the harbor, giving the order to light a battery of Civil War-era cannons operated by crew members in historic dress.

“Fire in the hole!” yelled one of the Pilgrim’s sailors as he lit the fuse. He quickly stepped back as the brig’s cannon fired with a BANG!

“Wow” said one boy sitting on the shore. “Cool,” said another.

For much of the year, the 130-foot Pilgrim is moored near the Marine Institute, which owns the vessel and coordinates “living history” programs for thousands of schoolchildren and weekend visitors each year.

But in late summer, the Pilgrim leaves its Dana Point home and sails the sea. The ship takes a maintenance run to San Diego, then travels up the coast to the Santa Barbara islands before heading back home for the annual festival.

Aboard is a volunteer crew of more than 30 men and women whose love of sailing takes top priority.

Jack Lynch, a 69-year-old retired businessman originally from Boston, has had a long-distance fascination with the Pilgrim. “I live on that hill high above the harbor there,” Lynch said, pointing to a cluster of townhomes. “From there I can see the harbor and the ship, and I’ve always been intrigued by it.”

Lynch gives tours of the ship on Sundays. But the volunteer had never sailed on the Pilgrim until this weekend. “This is my first time on board. I love it,” he said.

The event, now called the Toshiba Tallships Festival, includes booths with food and crafts, music, educational displays and an art show.