Tall Ships Gold Rush Race

---

° Index ° Eagle ° Guayas ° Hawaiian Chieftain ° Kaiwo Maru ° Deep Sea Derby, 1852 ° Levy's Log

As part of the Sesquentennial celebration of the discovery of gold in California, a parade of tall ships, canvas sails snapping, glided under the Golden Gate Bridge, welcomed by cheers from thousands of spectators lining the Headlands and sailing alongside in their own vessels.

This was the biggest gathering of tall ships on the Pacific Coast in the 20th Century.

The square-riggers represented five foreign countries and included the Californian, the state's official tall ship. Vessels representing the Navies of Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia and Japan, used to train Navy cadets, were part of the festival.

The Master Mariners Benevolent Association (MMBA) was formed in 1867 by owners of coastal and Bay working schooners to raise funds for the families of sailors lost at sea by scheduling an annual race to settle arguments among shippers as to who had the fastest vessels.

February 2, 1869, New York Times, New York

The New York Seamen's Benevolent Association has a procession yesteday numbering three or four hundred mariners. There are nearly five hundred names on the rolls. It is expected that a Committee will wait on some members of the Chamber of Commerce to-day. The sailors feel the need of the assistance of influential men. If some of those who express their sympathy through the paper would give the Association more personal attention, they would forward to cause materially.

In this century, the purpose of the organization and its 130+ member vessels has evolved to fostering the maintenance and preservation of traditional sailing craft, with funds raised going towards scholarships for sail training, internships in traditional craft skills, and restoration projects.

Tall ship events are held around the world during the year; the 1999 Memorial Day weekend Regatta, and Wooden Boat Show were the primary events sponsored by MMBA.

Part of the team for San Francisco's Tall Ship event had the privilege of sailing on the Guayas from San Francisco to San Diego.

Alison Healy (top of stairs in blue jacket) signed on as a volunteer for the 1999 event and was ultimately hired to plan events to greet the ships and host the captains and young cadets. When the financial plug was pulled, dozens rowed off in lifeboats. Alison took the helm. With a small group of dedicated volunteers, she stayed the course. She has a 20-year history in the field of marketing, public relations and special events. In Boston, her special events company earned the "Best of Boston." She sold the company, consulted on international projects, and moved to San Francisco. 

Alison also produced the San Francisco Maritime Museum's annual Festival of the Sea, which delights thousands of families with maritime displays, old-world games, sea chanteys, and boat building at Hyde Street Pier each Fall. 

Dianne Levy is Founder and CEO of The Maritime Heritage Project, a California not-for-profit dedicated to preserving California shipping history. Levy is a 25+ year veteran of the San Francisco Chronicle, where she managed one of the largest media fundraisers in the country and one of the largest Independence Day events in the U.S.

Dianne's great-great-grandfather, James H. Blethen, and great-grandfather, James H. Blethen, Jr., were Master Mariners who plied Pacific waters from 1851 through the turn of the century.

Individuals Who Made a World of Difference

Gale Brewer	Dave Burnley	Captain John Carlier
Steve Christman	Ward Cleaveland	Alice Cochran
Mary Ann Connaroe	Ana Belan Diaz	Laurence Dray
Guy de Lacrosse	Peter English	Earl Frounfelter
Sherri Ferris	Ann Gralneck	Captain Larry Hall
Patti Hart	Alison Healy	Catharine Hooper
Steve Hyman	Captain Frank Johnston	Ruy Kern
Terry Klaus	Dianne Levy	Kathy Lohan
Captain Diego Mantilla	Don Maskell	Lynne McFarlane
Ian McIntyre	Denise Turner	Ray Truman
Rick Saber	Christa Schreiber	Joanne Scott
Bob Partridge	Arianne Paul	Ron Phillips
Jayne Preston	Rusty White	Captain David Wood, Ret.
Daniela Rahm	Jason Rucker	Connie Skoog
Denize Springer	Doug Storkovich	Tarbrush
Burnett Tregoning	Jim Wiltshire	Kit Wallace
Russ Wallace	Fran Zone

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Ward and Elaine Anderson
Lawrence Barbu
Peter Blake
James E. Brennan
Wayne and Lorraine Brown
Claire Brouwer
Ward Cleaveland
Peter and Kathryn English
Lloyd and Dorothy Erion
Jay and Diane Fry
Barbara and Allison Healy
Marilynn Ann Juncker
Janna and James Maes
Ms. Marjorie A. Martin
Paul and Nancy Reck
Robert M. Rogers
Stuart Riddell
Robert Rutz

The following vessels took part in the 1999 Parade of Tall Ships in San Francisco.

Note: While many of these vessels are Naval training ships, many also offer private charters in American ports. (Generally speaking, if you search Google for one of the vessels, you will find sailing information.)

SHIP	COUNTRY	TYPE	LENGTH (in feet)	NOTES
Alabama	USA	Schooner	90	Crew: 6
Alma	USA	Scow Schooner	59	Built in 1891 to carry bulk cargo out of San Francisco, this flat bottomed hull boat could navigate shallow Delta waters - and can rest on the bottom at low tide.
American Pride	USA	Schooner	129	Crew: 10 with 25 cadets
Bagheera	USA	Stagsegelschoner	72
Brigadoon	USA	Schooner	65	Built in 1924 in Maine. Berthed in Alameda.
Californian	USA	Top Sail Schooner (official Tall Ship of California)	145	Crew 8. Replica of 1874 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence. Carries 30 cadets.
Cock Robin	USA		82
Concordia	Canada	Barque	190	Crew: 65 with 48 cadets
Corsair	USA		30
Dariabar	USA	Staysail rigged schooner	94
Eagle	USA	U. S. Coast Guard Barque	295	Crew: 50. Coast Guard Training Cutter Originally the "Horst Wessel," a German training ship. 150 cadets
Gas Light	USA	Gaff Schooner	72	Replica of an 1874 S.F. Bay and Delta Scow Schooner, built in Sausalito, CA(Charters)
Gloria	Columbia	Barque	249	Crew 50 with 90 cadets
Guayas	Ecuador	Barque	257	Crew 50 with 90 cadets
Hawaiian Chieftain	USA	Square Sail Ketch	103	Crew 20 with 40 cadets
Ka'lulani	USA	Schooner		Built in 1984 as a replica of the three-masted sailing vessel Kaiulani from the 1800s.
Kaiwo Maru	Japan	Four Masted Barque	361	Crew 45 with 130 cadets
La Sirena	USA		50
Nehemiah	USA	Cruising Ketch	57	30 tons, and can carry 32 passengers. The vessel was built in 1971 by 2 skilled craftsmen, and has travelled around the world.
Pilgrim of Newport	USA	Brig	118	Full size replica of the hide brig made famous inRichad Henry Dana's classic novel "Two Years Before the Mast." The original Pilgrim was built in 1825 at a cost of $50,000. Her length was 90 feet compared to the average 110 feet for other vessels of the same class. The purpose of its 1834 voyage was to participate in the California cattle hide trade for her Boston owners, Bryant and Sturgis.
Rendezvous	USA	Schooner		Based in Cambridge, Maryland
Talofa	USA	Topsail schooner		Built in the 1930's in San Francisco to haul treasure back from the Samoan Islands. "Talofa" means "Welcome" and "Warmest Regards" in Samoan.  Liberty Fleet Cruise Information
Valkyrien	USA	Schooner	78	Crew 6 with 8 cadets

CLASSIC YACHTS Yachts sailed in company with the large motor vessels, following the Tall Ships.
Amaya	USA		46
Beauty	USA		36
Conquest	USA		50
Fantasea	USA		38
Fifer	USA		105
Foxy	USA		35
Hiltot II	USA		44
La Jota	USA		65
Nirvana	USA		38
Tacoma	USA		36
Tule Lady	USA		34
Rio	USA		38
Windfall	USA		38

MOTOR and OTHER VESSELS
U.S.C.G. Munro	USA	Cutter	378	Built in 1971 at Avondale Shipyard, New Orleans as part of the maritime law enforcement mission. Homeports have included Alameda, California.  Her History
Jeremiah O'Brien	USA	WWII Liberty Ship	441	One of the two remaining Liberty Ships from 2,710 launched during World War II. She is historically accurate and is based at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.
Potomac	USA	Yacht		Used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Known as the Floating White House. Berthed in Oakland. Open for tours and S.F. Bay cruises.
Fireboats	San Francisco and Oakland, CA USA	Fireboats		The Fyddeye Guide to America's Maritime History is a unique directory for tall ships, lighthouses, historic warships, maritime museums, and other attractions that preserve, protect, and interpret America's maritime history. Helpful in planning a family trip, map out a heritage travel experience, or find an organization to help you discover the sea captain in your family tree.

Tall Ships: The Fleet for the 21st Century
Thaddeus Koza
This new and revised edition includes photographs and descriptions of over 175 vessels, including the major class 'A' ships along with many class 'B' and 'C' vessels from around the world. These are the tall ships of today and can be seen at major world ports during the years. Organised alphabetically, the book offers an impressive photograph of each vessel, supplemented by photographs of details ranging from figure heads and binnacles to flags and rigging. The text describes each ship featured, its history and notable events under sail, along with its technical specifications. An ideal book for everyone interested in these elegant vessels, their enduring history and traditions.

Tall ship rigging includes: Two-Masted Schooners, Brigantines, Topsail Schooners, Full-Rigged Ship, Barquentine, Three-Masted Schooners, Brig.

Clipper Ships and the Golden Age of Sail: Races and Rivalries on the Nineteenth Century High Seas
Sam Jefferson
More than 200 paintings, illustrations, and thrilling descriptions of the adventures and races on the water. First-hand accounts, newspaper reports and log entries. Racing out to the gold fields of America and Australia, and breaking speed records carrying tea back from China, the ships combined beauty with breathtaking performance. Speed was of the essence in order to reach port with goods first.

American Built Clipper Ship 
1850-1856 Characteristics, Construction, Details
William L. Crothers
More than 35 years exacting research, this book presents detail of 152 clippers that comprise the culmination of the shipbuilder's art. Every facet of clipper ship design and construction is covered, including wood species, scantlings, fastenings, midship sections, interior living areas, and details of scarphs, keels, stem- and sternpost assemblies, frames, timbers, and bracing, with some 160 intricately drawn illustrations by a man whose unequaled work has earned him a national following among modelers and maritime museum directors.

Pacific Marine Review:
The National Magazine Of Shipping, Volume 19
Pacific American Steamship Association.
A reproduction of a book published before 1923. 

China Tea Clippers
George Frederick Campbell
The history of the China tea clippers is examined, especially their struggle in the 19th century for economic survival in the face of the steamships. It also details advances made in design, hull construction, rigging, sail plans and deck arrangements.

American Clipper Ships: 1833-1858
Adelaide-Lotus, Octavius T. Howe
Volume 1 covers all American Clipper Ships built from 1833-1858 whose names begin with the letters A through L, and Volume 2 covers from M through Y. The criteria used to define a Clipper Ship, which is a ship "of peculiar construction, designed for great speed rather than for capacity." (p.v) The authors consider the Ann McKim launched at Baltimore in 1833 to be the first Clipper, and the era of the Clipper to be over by 1858 with the launching of The Star of Peace at Newburyport. The books are basically listings of all 352 known Clipper Ships arranged alphabetically. Clipper ships, in addition to being exquisite vessels, were beasts of burden. Their loaded holds raced around the world; first goods in a foreign port -- San Francisco being a "foreign port" at that time -- brought in the highest returns.

American Merchant Ships: 1850-1900
(Dover Maritime)
Frederick C. Matthews
American Merchant Ships 1850–1900 was written and compiled early in the twentieth century, when the halcyon days of merchant sailing were still easily within recall. Meticulously researched, with many verbatim accounts taken from contemporary sources, the text was reviewed wherever possible by the ships' builders, owners, and captains. Unlike the older and faster clippers, these wind-driven leviathans, most of them built in Maine, were constructed to carry heavy cargoes, yet were amazingly swift, the later-built ships closely approaching records set by their famous predecessors. Here are enthralling accounts of life and death aboard ship as these fabled craft fought fierce winds and turbulent waters, penetrated ice floes, sat out long ocean calms, dodged icebergs, and rounded the treacherous Horn. Here, too, are details to warm the hearts of naval historians and sailing-ship enthusiasts alike: ships' dimensions, tonnage, launching dates, speed and length of voyages, cargoes, commanding officers, and much more.

American Merchant Ships and Sailors
Willis John Abbott
A chronicle of the high courage, the reckless daring, and oftentimes the noble self-sacrifice of those who use the Seven Seas to extend the markets of the world, to bring nations nearer together, to advance science, and to cement the world into one great interdependent whole. Willis John Abbott (1863-1934), American journalist and author of several maritime books, gives a detailed account of the history of merchant shipping in the United States.

The Old Merchant Marine: A Chronicle of American Ships and Sailors 
Ralph Delahaye Paine

The Clipper Ship Era
An Epitome of Famous American and British Clipper Ships, Their Owners, Builders, Commanders, and Crews
1843-1869
Arthur Hamilton Clark

Two Years Before the Mast
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Dana's father received a law degree from Harvard and eventually closed his practice in favor of his literary leanings. Dana also attendard Harvard and developed into a fine writer. After his sophomore year he contracted measles, which affected his eyesight and forced him to leave Harvard because he could not read. Not wanting to add to his father's financial difficulties, he joined the crew of a ship called the "Pilgrim" and sailed around the Horn to California's West Coast just prior to the Gold Rush. This is his journal of his two years "before the mast" (ordinary sailors lived in the front of the ship) that became an international sensation.

The Seaman's Friend: A Treatise on Practical Seamanship
(Dover Maritime)
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
(Not necessary well-regarded given today's competition of illustrated books which better impart a sense of sailing during the 19th century. It is here because of the value of Dana's Two Years Before the Mast.

Visions from San Francisco Bay
Czeslaw Milosz
Interrelated essays by the Nobel Laureate on his adopted home of California, which Lewis Hyde, writing in The Nation, called "remarkable, morally serious and thought-provoking essays, which strive to lay aside the barren categories by which we have understood and judged our state. Their subject is the frailty of modern civilization.