Gangway 5, Dana Point Harbor

Gangway 5, Dana Point Harbor

curlew

Robert Harrison

Gangway 5, Dana Point Harbor

1926 Schooner,
Curlew

Website: http://sailcurlew.com

Featured as part of the 2009 Historical Society Home Tour, the Curlew is moored in Dana Point Harbor. The historic 1926 schooner is described as being built in Wiscasset, Maine for a member of the New York Yacht Club and was raced often in the Newport to Bermuda race. Originally configured as a standard schooner, the Curlew was redesigned as a staysail schooner. She served the Merchant Marine Academy as a training vessel during WWII and was then transferred in 1944 to the U.S. Coast Guard in Connecticut, serving there until 1960. A new career as a charter boat in the Caribbean was soon interrupted by a once-in-40-years storm with hurricane force winds that stripped her of mast and bowsprit, destroyed the cabin and then abandoned. The Curlew was salvaged and survived due to her sturdy hull of mahogany over white oak and teak decks. With refitting, she resumed her sailing days in the Central and South Pacific. A new owner took her to New Zealand for a complete rebuild and relaunched her in 1975 where she was used in Hawaii as an inter-island charter. Restored to pass stringent U.S. Coast Guard safety standards for carrying up to 30 passengers, she is again seaworthy under the ownership of Bob Harrison of Curlew Charters, Inc. and sails out of Dana Point Harbor as a historic vessel representative of the classic days of sailing.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.