Tall Ships at the Ocean Institute
Pilgrim | Spirit of Dana Point | Toshiba Tall Ships Festival
Pilgrim
 Come visit the Pilgrim at the Ocean Institute.
The Pilgrim is a full size replica of the hide brig immortalized by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. in his American seafaring classic novel Two Years Before the Mast. Dana said of the Pilgrim , "The vessel I am going on is small, but strong and a remarkably fast sailer having been built for the smuggling trade."
The original Pilgrim was built in 1825 at a cost of $50,000. Her length was a mere 90 feet compared to the average 110 feet for other vessels of the same class. The purpose of its 1834 voyage was to participate in the California cattle hide trade for her Boston owners, Bryant and Sturgis. The Pilgrim set sail from Boston loaded with England's manufactured goods such as shoes, foodstuffs and ironware. When she arrived along the Alta California coast, The Pilgrim would sell or trade her New England wares then procure hides from the missions and rancheros to be transported back to Boston. The Pilgrim anchored several times at San Juan Bay (Dana Point). It is not known in what other trades the Pilgrim engaged after her voyage to Alta California, Mexico. However, it is recorded that she was lost in a fire at sea in 1856. By this time the hide trade had also suffered its demise.
Today's Pilgrim started her life in 1945 as a three-masted schooner plying the Baltic coastal trade out of Denmark.
In 1975, She was sailed to Lisbon, Portugal by Captain Ray Wallace, the noted marine architect, where she was converted to her present rig.
The Pilgrim entered Dana Point Harbor in Sept. 1981, amidst tremendous community support, destined to become the Orange County Ocean Institute's largest classroom. Today, the Pilgrim provides a national award-winning living history program to over 16,000 students a year.
The Pilgrim also hosts a variety of dramatic and musical maritime theatrical performances during the summer months.
Aside from acting as a living classroom for students and a theater for the public, the Pilgrim actually sets sail annually with her volunteer crew. The skills of sailing and maintaining a historic vessel are kept alive by her volunteer crew, which musters every spring to learn traditional seafaring skills. Late summer, the Pilgrim sets sail on her sail-training voyage up the coast and around the southern and northern Channel Islands. The brig visits ports along the way as an ambassador of good will for the city of Dana Point. Her return in early September is celebrated with the annual Toshiba Tallships Festival.
Pilgrim Open House
Most Sundays the historic tallship Pilgrim hosts an "Open House" for the public. Families and individuals of all ages are invited to come aboard and learn more about our unique nautical heritage. Our docents, dressed in period costume, will greet and guide you as they bring you back in time to the golden age of sail. Sing sea chanteys, listen to nautical lore, help raise sail or just stroll the decks and enjoy the ambiance.
The Pilgrim is open for interactive tours most Sundays from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Space is limited, offered on first come, first served basis. Click here for more details.
Please note that certain times of year the Pilgrim is closed due to special programming or when she is on her annual goodwill sail along the coast of Southern California. Please check the public program calendar for these event dates.
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Brig Pilgrim
Length on Deck: 98 '
Beam: 24.6'
Mainmast Height: 98'
Net Tonnage: 64
Built: 1945, Denmark |
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Ocean Institute Programs
Learn more about the many educational programs offered at the Ocean Institute.
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