The two ships circled one another like prizefighters as a salty sea lashed their hulls and passengers huddled for safety and warmth.
Orders were given. Cannons blasted. But this mock battle in outer Bodega Bay on Sunday was about having fun and giving people a taste of what seafaring life in the 18th century really was all about.
"Now I understand how hard it was to get maneuvered around to get a shot," said Rick Blanc of Forestville as he watched from Doran Beach.
Blanc was among the masses who descended upon Bodega Bay this weekend for a tour or ride aboard the tall ships or just a glimpse of them from shore.
The crowds were a boon for Bodega Bay businesses and a great promotion for the ongoing celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of Fort Ross. But they also at times were too much of a good thing, forcing organizers to scramble to try and meet the demand and leaving some visitors disappointed after they had to be turned away.
"The crowds were overwhelming," said Adri Boudewyn, past president of the Rancho Bodega Historical Society, which helped organize the ships' visit.
The ships are owned by the nonprofit Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, and at a similar event in Sausalito last week, drew fewer than 50 people, according to Boudewyn.
But a combination of media publicity, spring break and nostalgia for seafaring adventure drew an unexpected horde to Bodega Bay, swamping the community of 900 and leading to traffic jams, packed parking lots and some frayed nerves.
None of that deterred Loraine Von Seeburg of Santa Rosa and 10 members of her family, who were among the lucky few who scored tickets for one of the weekend's mock battles.
Von Seeburg chose to be aboard the Lady Washington because the ship was featured in 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl."
"She loves Johnny Depp," said Jeff Whitaker, her son.
Some people dressed in period costume for the journey out of Spud Point Marina and into the outer bay where the mock battle took place. Dozens of people lined Doran Beach hoping to witness the action, but for the most part, the ships were too far away to see or hear much of anything.
Staff at Doran Beach counted 500 to 600 extra vehicles on Saturday and Sunday above and beyond what they normally expect for Easter weekend, said Rich Crumley, a park ranger. All 128 campsites at the beach were full by Friday, he said.
"From a regional parks perspective, it's been awesome," Crumley said. "I wish they'd come back next year."
The crowds also were good for local businesses, including at the Inn at the Tides, where manager Marco Galazzo was gleeful on Sunday.
"It's definitely been a good thing," he said.
The weekend crowds were the largest Noah Wagner said he has seen in nearly a quarter-century of working at Spud Point Marina.
But while the marina supervisor said that was a good thing for the most part, he expressed frustration at what he characterized as a lack of planning and organization.
Wagner said Sonoma County Regional Parks had to call in extra staff, hire security guards and bring in food vendors and extra portable toilets to handle the crowds.
"We were turning away hundreds of people," Wagner said Sunday.
The two ships were planning to host a combined 390 visitors a day for public tours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this weekend.
But Wagner said the public tour of the Hawaiian Chieftain scheduled for Sunday was instead booked as a charter sail, which he said in effect canceled the tour of that ship. He said marina employees took the brunt of the complaints that resulted from what he called a scheduling "fiasco."
"Their own employees were handing out schedules that were wrong," Wagner said.
Boudewyn acknowledged that event organizers could have done a better job handling the crowds. He said more volunteers were added when it became clear that more people than had been anticipated would be showing up at the docks.
He said ship employees also started handing out tickets earlier so that people who were not fortunate enough to get one did not have to wait in line to find out that tours had sold out.
"Overall I felt people were very patient and friendly. They understood that you could not organize an orderly viewing of the ships," Boudewyn said.
Supervisor Efren Carrillo, whose district encompasses Bodega Bay, said Sunday that he was planning to convene a meeting today to discuss how the event could have run more smoothly.
He said Caryl Hart, the county's regional parks director, had been in contact with the ships' owners to discuss how the county might recoup some of the unanticipated costs for the event.
Boudewyn also said the groups that sponsored the event spent $1,000 in last-minute berthing fees at Spud Point after it was determined that the water depth at the Tides was too shallow to accommodate the vessels.
But Carrillo said overall, the crowds were something to celebrate.
"I think it works itself out given the economic activity with the businesses out there," he said.
No public tours of the ships are available today, according to the schedule handed out to visitors Sunday.
After leaving Bodega Bay on Tuesday, the ships will be sailing up to Eureka and Crescent City for their next two stops.
You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com.
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