The tall ship Californian, a popular tourist attraction at the Maritime Museum in San Diego, will be out of service during the opening weeks of summer so that it can undergo periodic repairs and inspections in Chula Vista.
The 139-foot vessel, the official tall ship of California, will travel to Marine Group Boat Works next Monday for a haul-out that will cost about $75,000, said Jim Davis, director of ship operations. The ship will likely return to San Diego by July 9 if inspections don’t reveal significant, and potentially expensive, problems.
The Californian is a 41 year-old wooden topsail schooner that was built as a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence. The museum acquired the 130-ton vessel in 2002 and uses it for sailing adventures and educational purposes from its home just north of the USS Midway Museum.
The ship is relatively young compared to some tall ships. But it’s no less vulnerable to the elements and to termites. Workers at Marine Group will likely coat the masts with tallow, a preservative that’s meant to do things like seal small cracks. It’s also used as a lubricant that makes it easier to raise and lower sails.
Divers clean the bottom of the Californian every month. But Marine Group will clean it more deeply, helping eliminate worms that can damage the schooner.
Changes and repairs also can be ordered by the Coast Guard, which has toughened its inspections and regulations for enger vessels since September 2019, when a fire aboard a dive boat off the Channel Islands killed 34 people.
