Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Zodiac is a two-masted schooner designed by William H. Hand, Jr. for the heirs to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals fortune. Hand intended to epitomize the best features of the American fishing schooner. The 160 foot long (sparred length; 127 feet on deck), 145-ton vessel competed in transatlantic races before being sold to the San Francisco Bar Pilots during the Great Depression. Renamed California, she served actively as a pilot boat before being retired in 1972. This makes her one of the last two sail-powered pilot vessels in the United States, along with the Boston-based schooner Roseway, which was retired sometime between 1971 and 1973.Zodiac was sold in 1973 and, in the late 1970s, the private Vessel Zodiac Corporation was formed to operate and maintain her. She was professionally restored, and her rig, which had been altered during her time as a pilot boat, was returned to its original configuration.