Friday, September 25, 2009

Tall ships festival, Dana Point, California

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see the happenings at the annual Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point....for the first time.....after they have been celebrating this festival for more than two decades..........at a place 30 minutes drive from where I live!

I am no stranger to Dana Point because I fish there a lot, as I do, at other landings along Southern California coast, enjoy their picnic facilities, eat at their fine restos or just drive there to unwind. Why I never bothered before to spend a few hours there, at least once till now, during the yearly festival is probably a tribute to the many other attractions Southern California has to offer to its residents and visitors alike year-round.

I had a great time checking out the festival. I should have planned to stay longer so I can see the tall ships sail out into the sunset and simulate a sea battle between them. There's a fee if you want to be aboard these ships during this engagement and get a feel of the action; but just to be able to photograph these ships in full sail moving out to the open sea is worth the wait. That regrettably, I did not do, I left after a couple of hours but I will be back next year.




Tallships moored side by side and open to the public. Late in the day, they sail out and simulate cannon battles. They fire their cannons at each other but there is no ammo or balls or whatever they call their deadly projectiles - it is all sound and no fury....no damage anticipated except to the eardrums of those standing too close to the cannons LOL.






I bet the view is superb up there.


Three different modes of sea transport



Portrait of a pirate family LOL








11 comments:

Sidney said...

Impressive ships ! And the marina..the beach, the sea, the BBQ looks like fun !

Anonymous said...

this post reminds me of the movie series pirates of the caribbean.
... i can almost smell those yummy BBQ. were you able to savor them?

Reena said...

hello. :) cool ships! they really look like real pirate ships. i mean based on what i see in movies. :)

i enjoy fishing too. haha. pero i fish on online games lang. hehe. it's very therapeutic. i haven't tried real life fishing though.

Missy said...

Wow what a nice view! I love your shots! And the water was so clear and blue. The barbecue looks yummy hmmmm. It's so funny to see the family wearing pirates costumes :-) what an early Halloween hehehe

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

Being on one of these tall ships is a childhood fantasy for me - must have been brought about by listening to stories about pirates. There's one that operates in NY but it's always full of tourists.

Dennis Villegas said...

Hi Bert,
Buti pa dyan ganda ng sikat ng araw, dito sa Pilipinas ilang araw na kaming nangungulimlim ang kalangitan sa sobrang ulan.
Btw, I love all your pics especially the second photo ;)

bertN said...

Sydney, Dana Point is a pretty cool place to hang out - even if there is no local activity going on.

docgelo, I did not try the bbq at the festival LOL. Harang ang prices nila. I ate at a nearby restaurant where the food is better and cheaper LOL.

Reena, try fishing at least once and if the fishing is good - you might be hooked for life like I was.

Missy, the participants in most festivals that I've been to dress in costumes appropriate to the occasion. Anu sa palagay mo, hindi kaya ako gulpihin nung asawa ko kung pumunta ako sa isang nudist festival? LOL.

The Nomadic Pinoy, I share your fantasy - but mine would be a short voyage on a sailing ship in a stormy weather. I just wander how long I will last on board wihout losing my sanity LOL.

Danny Villegas,dito sa amin maganda nga ang sikat ng araw pero three years na kaming nagtitiis ng drought and no relief in sight. Kung hindi sa tubig galing sa Northern California at Colorado River dead meat na kami LOL.

BlogusVox said...

How old are these ships? It seems to me like these were built when pirates still roam the Carrebeans.

bertN said...

BlogusVox, those ships are replicas of the sailing ships of a bygone era. They are all seaworthy as their ancient counterparts, in fact, better in many ways.

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Looks like it's surely an interesting place to unwind. I'd love to be onboard on one of those boats and see how they fight back in the old days...

Nice photos as well. The water looks so bright and clear, parang ang linis-linis talaga - exactly opposite from the waters we have here in Manila Bay...

bertN said...

dodong flores, the water is clean because the local and federal governments require that discharges to the ocean be treated first and there are not too many people and industries to mess up the place to begin with.