Pirate Ship Porn

 

Well, not really.  But it's pretty damn close.

 

I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a pretty ship.  I love sailboats, sailing, and all the things that go with it.  So it also goes without saying that I absolutely love the old multi-masted square rigged sailing ships as well.  You know the ones.  The kind the pirates used to sail around in.  The kind the British took to war with the Spanish and the French.  The kind you see in such great films as Master and Commander, Pirates of the Caribbean or Captain Blood.

 

So when I found out about the Tall Ships Festival that was taking place in Dana Point a few years ago, I had to go.  Basically, at the festival they get a bunch of the old boats together and let people walk around all over them and inside them and stuff like that.  Typical touristy stuff mostly.  But the festival also does something pretty unique.  Cannon Battle Cruises. 

 

For a $65 ticket, you can book passage on your ship of choice as they sail the tall ships out onto the open ocean where they then take part in a multi-ship mock cannon battle.  I've been meaning to go for a few years now, and I finally got around to it yesterday.  And man, let me tell you, it was worth every penny and then some.  2 hours of cannon barrages, broadsides, and taunting of your opponents as you sail by each other.

 

Six ships participated in all.  I booked passage on the Californian, a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence, that patrolled the coast of California enforcing federal law during the gold rush.  The Californian is based out of San Diego, California and is a part of the San Diego Maritime Museum.

 

I've created a flickr set with all of the pics I took during the cruise, along with a few videos as well.  Feel free to check them out if you're so inclined.  In fact, the above photo was taken by yours truly near the end of the cruise. 

 

This was a really fun activity that I can't suggest enough to just about everybody.  I had a really great time and will definitely be going again next year.  You should go too.  It's a hell of a lot of fun.

 

And if for some reason you feel that I unfairly teased you with the Pirate Porn title to this article, let me help to make things right with you.  If it's pirate porn you want, you can always find that sort of thing here.