The State Tall ship is the topsail schooner, Californian. The 145-foot-long, 2-mast, 9-sail vessel carries 7,000 square feet of canvas. The 130-ton, wooden vessel was launched by the Nautical Heritage Society in 1984. The Californian is a replica of the marine cutter Lawrence, which patrolled the California coastal waters in the 19th century as part of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the predecessor of the U. S. Coast Guard.

The fully operational schooner was acquired by the Maritime Museum of San Diego in 2002 as part of their remarkable exhibits dedicated to California’s nautical heritage. The Californian continues to serve as a sailing school and educational vessel and takes part in many festivities, ceremonies, and events in the Pacific and Atlantic regions.

(Added to Statutes, Chapter 113, 2003)