Last year the night of the Parade of the Tall Ships was really overcast. It was our first visit to the event, and we certainly enjoyed the show, but were disappointed that we watched much of it through the mist. With a prediction for a clear night and a spectacular sunset, we decided we'd return to watch the ships come back into Dana Point again last night. The parade is the kick-off to a Festival of the Ships that runs through this whole weekend.
We returned to the little man-made Dana Island to watch, this time securing a great vantage point very near where the ships drop sails and turn into the channel. We grabbed the corner of a pic-nic table, ate the sandwiches we'd packed and enjoyed chatting with two other couples while we waited for the ships to pass. It was a great place to watch people AND wildlife. The trees above us were filled with cormarands, and a pod of dolphins swam up the channel, then turned and came back out. Dana Point is a very dog-friendly community, so there were plenty of cute pups to watch, too.
It's a shame that you can only see the ships under full sail on the other side of the rock breakwater. But, even with their sails lowered, the were beautiful to see, especially as the sun dipped towards the horizon. And, after endless weeks of heat and humidity, what a joy it was sit in the cool breeze off the ocean for a couple of hours. Another local "adventure" we were glad we repeated!
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