Zodiac (schooner)

As a pilot boat is required to be on station during all weather and, in the case of the San Francisco Bar Pilots of the time, remain on station for about five days supporting a crew of seven hosting up to ten pilots, modification was required.[3][4] The Association had the vessel modified by The Moore Dry Dock Company of Oakland, after consultation with the original designer, increased power with a 275-horsepower (205 kW) Atlas-Imperial diesel engine to replace the original Atlas 140 hp (100 kW) diesel engine that in turn required modifications to the stern to accommodate a larger shaft and 65-inch (1.7 m) diameter propeller with 59-inch (1,500 mm) pitch replacing the original 54-inch (1.4 m) diameter, 2-bladed propeller.[3][note 1] The propulsion change increased speed from approximately 7.5 to 9.73 knots (13.89 to 18.02 km/h; 8.63 to 11.20 mph).[3] Deck houses and accommodations were renovated to fit the needs of pilots serving long waits on station with a pilot house added that was unusual for a yacht and resembling that of a commercial vessel.[3] The galley had an Ingle oil burner range and accommodations were heated by a steam heat system based on an Areola boiler.[3] Modifications resulted in an increase in draft from the original designed 13 feet 11 inches (4.2 m) to 14 feet 11 inches (4.5 m) with a new waterline length of 103 feet (31.4 m) and displacement increasing from 210 to 245 tons.[3]

California was delivered and on station in early 1932 serving as one of the pilot boats, rotating duty on the bar at five-day intervals.[3][4] The other active pilot vessel was Gracie S. with Adventuress serving as backup vessel.[4] The offshore pilot vessel station was approximately nine miles off the Golden Gate.[2] Operating in close proximity with large ships had its risks with California losing her bow three times and once being grounded in San Francisco Bay.[2]

California was retired in 1972 to be replaced by pure motorized vessels, including a more modern vessel built in 2000.[2][5] This made her one of the last three sail-powered pilot vessels in the United States, along with the Boston-based schooner Roseway, which was retired sometime between 1971 and 1973,[6] and Adventuress, also once a San Francisco pilot boat, which was retired in 1952, and is also a registered National Historic Landmark.[7][8]