Tag: tall ships

Official tall ship of California begins Sunday sail!

Californian, official tall ship of the State of California, set out today from the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Passengers aboard the schooner, a replica of a Gold Rush era revenue cutter, began another four hour Sunday sailing adventure!

I stood on the museum’s barge out on San Diego Bay as Californian’s volunteer crew prepared the tall ship to get underway. Once well out on the water, the sails would be employed, so necessary actions were performed beforehand.

At noon, when all was ready, lines were cast off and the ship moved away from the dock by using its motor.

I don’t pretend to understand the details of sailing a traditionally rigged tall ship, but I do enjoy watching the action!

If you’d like to go on one of these Tall Ship Adventures, visit the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s website here!

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Full moon above a beautiful morning Star.

Early this morning, as the sun rose slowly above San Diego, beautiful tall ship Star of India began to shine.

Beyond the Star’s bright sails, the full moon quietly retired.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Pirate ship arrives for San Diego Comic-Con!

This morning the Voodoo Ranger pirate ship arrived for Comic-Con 2024. It crept silently across the bay and pulled up to the dock behind the San Diego Convention Center. Unsuspecting citizens on shore were no doubt startled by the sudden arrival of the fierce marauders!

No, the crew wasn’t really that fierce. Because they were friendly members of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and their supposed “pirate” ship was actually the seaworthy Spanish galleon replica San Salvador, one of the amazing ships in the collection of the world famous museum. San Salvador used its motor this morning, but it does sail.

Would you like to see photographs of the galleon San Salvador being built years ago in San Diego? Yes? Then click here!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

You can help restore beautiful HMS Surprise!

Weather and the elements are damaging to any ship. That’s especially true when the ship is made of wood.

If you’ve been by the Maritime Museum of San Diego lately, you’ve probably seen how one side of their tall ship HMS Surprise is being repaired. The starboard side, which for many years faced south toward the harsh sun, had seriously deteriorated.

Fortunately, the world-famous Maritime Museum of San Diego has the expertise required to undertake complicated projects such as this, as shown by the beautiful deck restoration of HMS Surprise. But funds are also required, which can be a challenge for any nonprofit organization.

Would you like to help?

Perhaps you love the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which starred Russell Crowe and beautiful HMS Surprise. As I did a little research this morning, I noticed that author Michael Eging, who also loves the critically acclaimed movie and the Patrick O’Brian novels it’s based on, has created a GoFundMe fundraiser for the restoration of HMS Surprise. A fair amount of money has already been raised, but there’s more to go.

To learn about this effort, and perhaps make a contribution, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Step aboard an amazing Mexican tall ship!

The amazing tall ship Cuauhtémoc is visiting San Diego and you are invited to step aboard her!

Those who walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero during the next few days will undoubtedly see the three high masts and many furled sails of Mexican Navy training vessel Cuauhtémoc.

ARM Cuauhtémoc, built in Spain in 1982, is extraordinarily beautiful. It’s now docked at the B Street Pier, across from the Cruise Ship Terminal, and the public is welcome to walk down the pier and come aboard. I was told by a friendly officer that the ship will be open to the public from 8 am to 8 pm through next Monday.

If you love tall ships (who doesn’t?) you’ve got to take advantage of this rare opportunity. (It’s been ten years since I last saw her in San Diego.)

The following photographs that I took this evening provide an idea of what you’ll find, but they really don’t do justice to the experience of being on the deck of an immense, truly spectacular tall ship!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Star of India’s mizzen gaff carefully descends!

Today volunteers and crew members at the Maritime Museum of San Diego undertook a complicated operation. Very carefully, they slowly removed and lowered a spar on the Star of India called the mizzen gaff.

The mizzen gaff of the historic, 161-year-old tall ship hadn’t been inspected for 15 years, and it was time for another look. The United States Coast Guard is tasked with ensuring that working ships like the Star of India remain in safe sailing condition.

I stood and watched for a long while. You can see why special care must be taken when lowering this long, heavy spar. Imagine what might happen if somehow it slipped! Many lines held by steady hands were supporting and maneuvering it, making sure a calamity could not happen.

I watched for probably half an hour, and it seemed to my eyes that little progress was made in that time. That’s how carefully the operation was conducted!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Evening’s golden hour on the Embarcadero.

This series of photographs attempts to capture the magic of the “golden hour” along San Diego’s Embarcadero. This evening, about an hour before sunset, I walked south from the Maritime Museum of San Diego to Tuna Harbor.

As the sun approached the horizon across San Diego Bay, its light reflected from downtown’s many windows, creating a magical scene.

When San Diego’s blue sky contains big fluffy clouds, the drama is heightened! The weather experts say a small storm is approaching–showers late tonight.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Reenactment of Boston Tea Party in Chula Vista!

A reenactment of the Boston Tea Party was performed today in Chula Vista Harbor aboard tall ship Bill of Rights!

The reenactment was part of a larger San Diego event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. I blogged about it and posted photographs here.

During the Boston Tea Party reenactment, a crowd watched from across the marina as Sea Scouts in historical attire rowed out to the schooner Bill of Rights, boarded her, and proceeded to toss crates of tea from her stern!

I photographed the action from the deck of Bill of Rights and the adjacent dock!

Yes, those weren’t really crates of tea, and the performance was a bit improvised and very loosely based on the actual historical event, but the spirit of the reenactment was appreciated by all who watched.

As tea was flung over the ship’s side, a cheer rose from the onlooking crowd at Bayfront Park on the other side of the marina!

Because the crowd continued to stand and watch, the floating crates were gathered up, reloaded onto Bill of Rights, and tossed into the water again!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Boston Tea Party to be reenacted in Chula Vista!

A very unique event is coming to Chula Vista. On Saturday, December 16th, there will be a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party in San Diego’s South Bay!

The event, marking the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, will be held at Chula Vista Bayfront Park, beside the marina. The event runs from noon to 4 pm, with the historical reenactment starting at 1 pm.

The event is free and open to all. It will be a great opportunity for young people to learn a little about our country’s history. You can read more about this special event and view a map showing where it is taking place exactly by clicking here.

I was told Chula Vista based tall ship Bill of Rights will take part in the reenactment. By sheer coincidence, I spotted the Bill of Rights last weekend at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, where it was docked for a Tall Ships America Pacific Coast community muster. That’s when I snapped these photos!

Six years ago I stepped aboard Bill of Rights during the Festival of Sail. See those photographs here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Star of India starts across San Diego Bay!

The world’s oldest active sailing ship, San Diego’s own legendary Star of India, is sailing this weekend! It has been five years since she headed out into the Pacific Ocean.

At 9 o’clock this morning, Maritime Museum of San Diego crew members cast off the ropes that held Star of India to the Embarcadero, and two tug boats commenced to tow her across the bay.

Once far out on the ocean, the beautiful Star would unfurl her majestic sails and become a white cloud floating on the blue. Unfortunately, nobody would see that from downtown–unless, perhaps, one could peer out into the watery distance from a high building.

Five years ago, from the end of Point Loma, I photographed the Star of India cruising out into the wide ocean. It was accompanied by other tall ships that make San Diego their home. See those photos here.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!