Chula Vista’s “Bill of Rights” schooner gets reprieve, negotiations continue

A temporary lifeline has been thrown to the official tall ship of Chula Vista, allowing the historic schooner Bill of Rights to remain docked in the South Bay — at least for now.

The 137-foot vessel, a replica of a 1850s-era schooner, had been facing eviction from the harbor it has called home since 2013.

The ship is run by the South Bayfront Sailing Association, which uses the vessel to teach students ages 10 to 18 traditional sailing skills, navigation and teamwork. It also provides training programs for U.S. Navy Sea Cadets.

The termination of lease notice came March 6th from Safe Harbor Marina, which last year was acquired in a $5 billion deal by Blackstone Infrastructure. The company has been working to redevelop marina properties across the country.

That notice prompted swift backlash on social media from supporters across the community who also started a petition demanding marina management reconsider.

That pressure appears to have made an impact.

In a recent message to the organization, marina officials reversed course, asking leaders to disregard the earlier termination notice and signaling a willingness to continue discussions over long-term mooring options.

“We do have a lot of angels out there… thank you, thank you, thank you… whoever you are,” said Karen Merrill, a volunteer quartermaster who has worked various position aboard the ship for years. “This girl (the ship) is worth saving and restoring for an entire community,” Merrill told NBC 7.

Merrill has been part of the schooner’s crew even before it docked in Chula Vista more than a decade ago, helping maintain the vessel and guide its education mission.

Susan Johnson, who runs programming for the ship alongside her husband, Captain Don Johnson, said the initial eviction notice underestimated the schooner’s role.

“They thought we were just a boat, and we’re not,” she said. “We’re a community.”

Captain Johnson said negotiations with marina management are ongoing but expressed optimism about the ship’s future.

“We have more work to do and a little more discussions and negotiations,” he said. “Let’s use that phrase to bring them to full awareness of what we do here.”

Even amid uncertainty, the ship’s programs continue. With summer approaching, preparations are underway for seasonal sailing excursions, including educational trips to Catalina Island.

Below deck, instructor John Ziolkowski recalled a recent success story involving one student whose experience aboard the ship strengthened family bonds, according to the boy’s father.

“He said, ‘My son talked to grandpa… they never talk, and they talked about sailing for three hours. The parent was weeping about that,” Ziolkowski said.

M.,G. Perez

M.,G. Perez

For Merrill, the ship represents more than history — it’s a living, breathing vessel with lessons still to teach.

“She doesn’t turn on a dime,” she said of the schooner. “So little corrections are best — even though you have that great big wheel.”

While the future of the schooner remains unresolved, those closest to it believe the tide is turning.

“Sailing off… well not into the sunset,” Captain Johnson said with a smile, “but into the sunset and back — because it’s an ongoing process.”