Cannon battles showcase tall ships as part of this weekend’s Maritime Festival

It’s a sort of game day at the Ocean Institute this weekend as several historically accurate sailing ships with their tall masts are in the Dana Point Harbor for the 41st celebration of the Maritime Festival, helping showcase life on the water in the 18th century.

Armed with its cannons, the Spirit of Dana Point, the Ocean Institute’s flagship, will join six other tall ships outside the harbor’s breakwaters, giving those who climb on board a real sense of what it was like to be in a maritime battle.

And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.

“I like the idea of recreating what a naval battle would have been like, where we really work to outmaneuver each other,” he said as he was walking to the ship just before Friday’s first battle. “Shooting just under sail, it’s kinda of a real joy and demonstrates the ship’s seamanship. It’s hard to figure out who wins in a mock cannon battle, but everyone comes back a winner.”

The Maritime Festival, with its ship battles, pirate village and breakfasts with mermaids, routinely draws thousands to Dana Point Harbor. This year, the festival will also include the American Burger Cup, with visitors voting on which of the burger food trucks is the best.

There will be mermaid swim shows and meet and greets, pirate adventure shows and sailor camp. A peddler’s village will also feature food trucks, along with local businesses and artisans. Bands will perform throughout the weekend.

For many years, Kraus participated aboard two of his competitors, the twin brigantines the Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson, flagships of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, where he worked for 13 years.

Now, back at the Ocean Institute where he first worked in the 1990s, he said he relishes the idea of deciding how he can best outmaneuver them, along with also taking on the Californian, officially designated the State of California’s tall ship, that comes to the festival from the Maritime Museum of San Diego; the Curlew from Dana Point Harbor; the Bill of Rights, official tall ship of the city of Chula Vista, and the Mayflower, from Newport Beach.

What makes Spirit’s valor and strength so important to Kraus is partly the role he played in helping get the tall ship refurbished after the Ocean Institute sent her to San Diego for a significant overhaul to make sure she was seaworthy and could continue her education role for the maritime institute. The tall ship is used to educate more than 5,000 school children a year on maritime history and pirate life.

This is the third year since Spirit’s overhaul, and Kraus’ second year to target the two Los Angeles brigatines.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said, adding he knows all the boats in the Southern California fleet well, having taken part in the Maritime Festival since 1997. “Whether I was sailing on a boat or performing, I’ve always been down here. I just wouldn’t miss it.”

From Kraus’s perspective, Spirit is in “as good a shape as she’s ever been,” and will serve the Ocean Institute for many years.

“Luckily, the Ocean Institute has managed to put the resources into the boat that she requires to be a member of the fleet out here, participating in all these events,” he said. “This is the only time all the boats get together and show off to each other.”

Kraus said that while the boats’ crews work together, sharing crews from time to time, this is the only opportunity they have to showcase their seamanship.

“It’s a little bit like game day,” he said. “We have one game a year.”

Among his favorite things about the festival, besides defeating the other ships, he said, is teaching the public about the period in history when the tall ships sailed along California’s coast.

The ships brought explorers to the coast, facilitated trade, and brought economic development. They also helped connect California’s ports and the era led to the creation of specialized vessels and navigation techniques uniquely suited to California’s waters.

And it’s precisely that technology that Kraus likes to wow those who board the Spirit with.

“It’s fun showing them how we steer the boat and how it operates by hoisting the sails and how they did that in the late 18th century,” he said. “When we turn off the engines, it will be exactly the way it was during the Age of Sail.”

If you go

• When: The festival continues Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14
• Where: Ocean Institute and the Dana Point Harbor; free shuttles run 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from Dana Hills High and the city’s trolley will also be running
• Cost: Free admission, some activities, such as sailing during the cannon battles and the mermaid and pirate experiences, require tickets.
• Information: maritime-fest.org