Brig Pilgrim

Description:

• The current Pilgrim is a replica of the original and was built in Denmark in 1945. She is 98 feet long and weighs 64 tons. Richard Henry Dana sailed on the original Pilgrim in 1834 and kept a diary of his voyage which would later become the inspiration for his novel Two Years Before the Mast. A full scale replica with purpose, today she serves as a classroom and testament to living history as well as still functioning as a sailing vessel. Her volunteer crew sets sail on a cruise each summer which is ended with the Toshiba Tall Ships Festival in celebration of her return to the harbor. Each Sunday an open house is hosted aboard the Pilgrim in Dana Point Harbor and tours are given by guides in period costume who will gladly tell you a tale or two. All of the maintenance of the square rigged ship is performed by the crew, in fact the carpenter shop adjacent to the ship often has masts, sea chests, galley doors and the like being crafted by the ship's carpenter Bob Smirl. History is indeed alive and well in Dana Point Harbor.
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