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Tall Ships Festival @ Ocean Institute
Categories: Local Flavor, Museums [Edit]
24200 Dana Point Harbor DrDana Point, CA 92629
(949) 496-2274
1 review for Tall Ships Festival @ Ocean Institute
Though I didn't have a lot of time to roam through the vendors at this event, I certainly enjoyed the experience of being on the tall ships.
The Tall Ships Festival was held this year on September 6th and 7th, and it started off early Saturday morning with bagpipes playing in the harbor. I was peering down on the Ocean Institute from a perch near the Blue Lantern Inn when I heard the bagpipes skirling through the fog. The tall ships themselves can be viewed on the Friday evening before the festival officially begins. I hear that this is perhaps the best time to view them, when the harbor is relatively quiet and parking is not so difficult.
However, I was given the opportunity to actually take a 3-hour ride on one of the tall ships - American Spirit - and to enjoy the amazing cannon battle (thanks, Bentley). Check-in was at 3:30 p.m. and we boarded the ship at between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. we were all back in the harbor.
If you are interested in attending next year's event, tickets are $65 per person to board a ship that will participate in the cannon battle. Parking is not the most fun, but you can sneak into a space in the Dana Point Marina Inn parking lot and walk from there. There were ample shuttle pick-up and drop off points all around Dana Point, but just leave enough time to get to your check-in point.
Three or four other ships were involved in the cannon battle and it was a lot of fun to watch. Plus, we got some amazing pictures of the sunset as we returned to the harbor. The crew was totally entertaining, and they even supplied everyone on the ship with earplugs.
This is a great event for kids as I saw lots of them in pirate costumes and also enjoying the firetruck that was at the Ocean Institute for kids to explore. There was also some tasty kettle korn and lemonade to make standing in the sun for an hour waiting for the ship to board slightly more bareable.
If you have time to kill, it is best to purchase tickets to view the Ocean Institute while you wait. I think the tickets are $11 early in the day and $6 late in the day. The staff gives you a wristband so you can enter and check out the fish. Of course, you can always go into the museum store for free if so inclined.