The ship serves as the platform for the non-profit Maritime Leadership and is also available for private charters and memorials at sea.

Upon completion it was hauled to The Knight & Carver Boatyard on San Diego's Mission Bay and launched on October 25, 1989.

The nine spars were shaped from old growth Douglas fir shipped from a mill in Washington State.

Seventeen months later the ship went for a first sail in 20 knot winds off San Diego.

In 1994, with a crew of six, the ship sailed north for Bellingham, WA, and then cruised the San Juan Islands, participated in Tall Ships events, raced with schooners up the British Columbia coast and one trip to Alaska.