San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Grace Quan Sail Replacement
Grace Quan Sail Replacement
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National Historical Park
1988 Park Size 50 acres Annual Visitors 1.8 million Park Fee $15 to visit ships, free to walk grounds Superintendent Paul DePrey Park Partner San Francisco Maritime National Park Association Location San Francisco County, CA |
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is home to over 100 historically significant vessels and a world-class collection of Pacific maritime artifacts and documents. Millions of visitors enjoy the park annually.
The Grace Quan is a 43-foot replica of a San Francisco Bay Chinese shrimp fishing junk. Between 1860 and 1910, these were the staple of the Bay Area's Chinese–owned dried shrimp industry. The Grace Quan was built by a team of National Park Service volunteers and staff in the summer of 2003 at China Camp State Park, the site of one of the largest of the historic Chinese shrimp fishing villages in San Rafael. The ship regularly sails between Hyde St Pier and China Camp. Grace Quan’s sails were deteriorating and in need of replacement in order to keep the junk sailing. The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to replace the sails so that the public can continue to connect deeply with the cultural, economic, and nautical history of the region. The sails were carefully fabricated and delivered by a niche sail-maker, and have been bent onto the Grace Quan. After the first season of sailing, the sail was removed from the boat, and in 2023, park staff treated it with tanbark, a traditional cotton preservative used by San Francisco Chinese fishermen during the 19th Century. Project Cost: $10,800 Project Completed: 2020 The Grace Quan represents an important period of West Coast maritime history and serves as an important ambassador for the park. With the new sails, the Grace Quan will once again be seen sailing on the bay between Hyde Street Pier and China Camp." |
