Savoring Scenic Spots in DANA POINT | SV Ramble On

This week we drop the hook in Dana Point, a true gem on the California coastline. We explored the town as best we could with their ridiculously short time limits at the dinghy docks. We learned about the death of the Killer Dana surf break 🌊and about the "hide droghers." ⛴️ Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Dana Point.

The city of Dana Point was named after Richard Henry Dana (1815–1882). He was an American lawyer, politician, and author, best known for his autobiographical work, "Two Years Before the Mast." Born on August 1, 1815, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dana came from a prominent family. He attended Harvard College but interrupted his studies to embark on a sea voyage, which became the basis for his famous book.

In 1834, Dana set sail as a common sailor on the brig Pilgrim, traveling around Cape Horn to California and engaging in the hide trade along the California coast. His experiences during this journey formed the narrative for "Two Years Before the Mast," which was published in 1840. The book provided a detailed and vivid account of the hardships faced by sailors and the conditions aboard ships during the early 19th century.

A full-sized replica of the brig Pilgrim was operated as a living history museum by the Ocean Institute until she sank in her slip in March 2020. It was determined the Pilgrim could not be saved and was demolished. Currently, the Spirit of Dana Point, a traditionally built replica of a 1770s privateer schooner used during the American Revolution, is located in the Pilgrim's old slip and operated by the Ocean Institute.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, Dana Point was a bustling surf community with a right-handed surf break called the Killer Dana. It gained legendary status among surfers and played a significant role in the history of surfing in Southern California. The surf break was named after the nearby Killer Dana surf shop, which was established in 1950 and became a central hub for the local surf culture.

The Killer Dana surf break was renowned for its powerful and challenging waves, attracting surfers seeking an exhilarating and sometimes treacherous experience. The wave was particularly popular during the 1950s and 1960s when it became a focal point for the emerging surf culture in Southern California.

In the 1960s the local chamber of commerce lobbied for a harbor and received federal funding shortly thereafter. The creation of the harbor would kill Killer Dana. According to the website Surfline "Among the surfers there was a general sense of helplessness — a sense that the project was inevitable. Longtime local and noted surf scribe Chris Ahrens says of the spot’s demise, “It was like a sudden death that you couldn’t talk about. I couldn’t even look at it for probably 10 years, just the most painful thing you can imagine. It was a whole world, a whole history erased. I knew I’d never feel at home in Southern California again. If they can do that, they can do anything.” https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/ki...

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Artlist Music:
Ocean Avenue by Paper Planes
Bossa Old by Hanjo Gabler
Clean Cut by Randy Sharp
Heartbeat by Evert Z
We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Reed Pittman
South Side Slide by Kevin Conlon

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We’re Jeni and Rich. We’re really just a couple of average Joes. In a nutshell we met and married in our early 20s; I graduated from college in my late 20s; adopted two cats and a dog in the late 90s; sold a house and bought a new house in our mid 30s; then sold the new house and moved onto a sailboat in our early 40s. In between all that we had a bunch of fun like camping, scuba diving, watching hockey games (Go Red Wings!), concerts, traveling, spear fishing, restoring a 1963 Chevy II Nova; spending time with family and friends. A few years ago we decided to lay off all the fun-having to fix up this old boat. We figure if we put our noses to the grindstone for a few years, we’ll be able to travel for a few years and do all the fun things we’ve missed.