There we were, aboard the Spirit of Dana Point, when a shout rose from the stern: "Here comes the Lynx!" Behind us appeared the many-sailed Lynx, larger and slower than the Spirit, but gaining on us. "Hands to tack!" shouted the captain. The crew ran to their posts, and waited. At the captain's command, the mainsail swung about, then the foresail, and finally the headsails crossed over and we swept around in a broad arc. The gunner shouted "Clear the deck!"and BOOM! We fired both canons on the Lynx. All hands cheered, and the day was saved.

Dude, that was totally my afternoon. Lori asked late last night if I wanted to see ships in San Diego today, and I was like "Well, I've got things to do, but I hate doing things, so okay!" It turned out to be the best choice ever, because we got to ride one of the tallships during a gun battle. We helped hoist the mainsail! Turns out that sucker's pretty heavy. And did you know how quiet and fast those big ships are when they get going? So neat.