Schooner ‘Bill of Rights’ Faces Eviction From Home Docks

The 136-ft gaff-rigged schooner Bill of Rights, which took first place overall in the 2025 America’s Schooner Cup hosted by Silver Gate Yacht Club, is facing eviction from her home dock, where she has been active since 2013. The ship is maintained by the South Bayfront Sailing Association, who reached out to us to share the news.

The South Bayfront Sailing Association has informed us that the historic tall ship, schooner Bill of Rights, is facing eviction from her home dock in Chula Vista. The organization’s dock lease will not be renewed and will terminate on May 5, 2026, leaving the ship and the maritime education programs she supports without a berth.

The ship has called Chula Vista home for decades and has been docked at the marina since 2013, becoming a recognizable and beloved feature of the South Bay waterfront community. Here the schooner has served as a floating classroom and living waterfront museum. Operated by the South Bayfront Sailing Association (SBFSA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the vessel has hosted sea cadet training, sail-training programs, youth leadership development, boat-building classes, and maritime history education for thousands of participants from across San Diego County and beyond.

For many residents, the Bill of Rights is part of the living culture of the South Bay. Its tall masts, traditional rigging and volunteer crew represent a connection to maritime traditions that are increasingly rare on the modern waterfront. Supporters believe the loss of the schooner from the Chula Vista marina would remove one of the region’s few active tall ships dedicated to education, training and community service.

In response to the decision, supporters have launched a public petition urging marina management and city leaders to reconsider and allow the schooner to remain at her current berth. The petition notes that the vessel has “been instrumental in thousands of people’s lives,” including youth sailors and community members who have trained aboard the ship.

“We’re asking the community to stand up for maritime history,” supporters of the organization said. “This ship belongs on the bay where people can see her, sail her, and learn from her.”

Supporters are asking residents throughout San Diego County, especially those in Chula Vista, to:

• Sign the petition supporting the schooner’s continued berth
• Contact Chula Vista mayor John McCann and city officials
• Share their personal stories and support for the vessel
• Attend community meetings and events advocating for maritime heritage

The petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/keep-bill-of-rights-in-safe-harbor

SBSA wants the lease renewed so they can continue to be an accessible, contributing member of the local community and to the tall-ship community as a whole, as well as finish the major projects currently underway.

The schooner Bill of Rights is more than a boat. She represents generations of sailors, volunteers and young people who learned seamanship, teamwork and maritime history aboard her decks. Through partnerships with Sea Cadets, Boy Scouts, sailing students and volunteers, the vessel has served as an accessible gateway to the ocean for people of all ages and backgrounds. Thousands of young sailors have climbed her rigging, learned navigation, and discovered the rich maritime heritage of San Diego Bay. Losing her dock in Chula Vista would not simply displace a ship. It would displace an entire educational mission rooted in community service and historic preservation.

Bill of Rights was built in South Bristol, Maine, by Capt. Joseph M. Davis Jr. of Newport, R.I., and master shipwright Harvey Gamage. She is a historic sailing vessel that was launched in 1971 and has graced both the eastern and western seaboards of the United States. The vessel is now the official tall ship of Chula Vista, California, operated by the nonprofit South Bayfront Sailing Association. For decades, she has helped preserve the art of traditional seamanship while serving as an educational resource for Southern California.