Dana Point : A Volume of County’s History Arriving by Sea

Much like the goods of old, updated copies of South Orange County historian Doris Walker’s book, “Home Port for Romance,” will arrive in Dana Point Harbor aboard the tall ship Californian on Oct. 4.

During the early 19th Century, manufactured goods could reach this coast only by sailing ship, said Walker, adding that it seemed only fitting that “a volume of history about this romantic port . . . should arrive by sea.”

The new 272-page volume, with more than 600 photographs, succeeds two earlier editions, the first of which arrived in the harbor in 1981 aboard the brig Pilgrim, a replica of the original Pilgrim on which author Richard Henry Dana sailed in 1835. That occasion marked the opening of the Orange County Marine Institute.

The Pilgrim and the Californian, the state’s official tall ship, will both sail in the third annual tall ship race, which begins Oct. 3 at Oxnard and ends Oct. 4 at Dana Point. Six other sailing vessels will be in the fleet.

Walker’s book, updated to include information on many new developments along the coastline, will be on sale at the Marine Institute and a number of other shops and bookstores after its arrival aboard the tall ship.