September, 2010 - We continued to shuffle between the various free
San Diego Anchorages, gaining new perspectives on the city with
every stop. Most mornings began with a cold damp fog that occasionally
broke into sunshine for a few hours on rare, lucky afternoons. By my
reckoning, summer began on August 16th, and after 10 stunning days of
warm sunshine and bright blue skies it promptly ended on August 26th.
We discovered that 2010 was the coldest summer in San Diego since
1933. Brrr.
However, we thoroughly enjoyed the activity on the waterfront,
regardless. One of the joys of staying at the public Police Dock marina
on Shelter Island that is open to all boaters on a first-come, first-serve
basis, was its amazing variety of visitors. Long term cruisers heading
north or south would stop in, their boats laden with dinghies, liferafts,
bicycles, solar panels, wind generators and everything else necessary for a safe and comfortable nomadic life afloat. Next
door to them would be local liveaboards who were taking a break from their usual swinging spot on a mooring, using the
convenience of the marina to wash the boat, walk to the car, and luxuriate in hot, stationary showers in a space larger than a
phone booth.
Right next door to the Police Dock is San Diego's ritziest
megayacht dock. So, while your transient Cop Dock neighbor
tells you what a steal he got on his ancient 25' sailboat (he just
picked it up for $300, and not only does it sleep four, making it a
fine liveaboard home, but it still floats), a few hundred feet behind
him the seven person uniformed crew of a megayacht stands in a
formal receiving line to greet the very old owner and his very
young wife onto their palatial yacht for the weekend. I can't think
of too many land based neighborhoods where the scruffiest
scrappers and the most supremely ultra-rich can practically reach
out of their windows and shake hands.
The megayacht Leight Star (140') made the news during
our stay because its very seasoned helicopter pilot
crashed under the Coronado bridge. Apparently he
experienced a mechanical failure shortly after taking off
from the yacht, and he didn't quite succeed in his
attempted emergency landing on the bridge. Fortunately,
a rescue team just happened to be nearby. They saved
the 69-year-old pilot from the wreckage and got him to the
hospital right away.
Taking our dinghy across the bay to the Maritime Museum, we
watched the goings-on aboard the Star of India, a megayacht of sorts
(205') from another era. This beautiful ship is docked permanently
along the downtown waterfront, and it often sports a few flying sails.
Way up in the rigging we saw four daring crew members unfurling
one of the square sails.
Sadly, the Star of India had made the news just a month earlier as
well. A 68-year-old retired Naval officer who volunteered on the
ship fell 50' to his death while moving from a rope ladder to the
rigging on the forward mast of the ship. In a safety reminder to us
all, it turned out that his harness wasn't clipped in at the time.
As we wandered from anchorage to anchorage we got to enjoy the stunning
skyline of San Diego's downtown district from many angles.
The harbor seals didn't
seem as impressed by the
view, and they lolled about,
sleeping soundly on the
bay's bouys.
San Diego is a busy, active
harbor, and more often than
not, while transiting the bay,
a warship will make an
appearance. You can hear
these guys on the radio first, warning all mariners that they are coming.
When they finally slip by, their sheer size and intense purposefulness makes
them very intimidating.
Coronado Island is the bulb at the end of the peninsula that
essentially forms the outer arm of all of San Diego harbor.
This "island" is not to be confused with the four Coronado
Islands that lie offshore of San Diego just over the Mexican
border. Ringed by beaches -- both docile ones on the bay
and surf-pounded ones on the open ocean -- San Diego's
Coronado Island is extremely inviting.
We learned that back in the early 1900's the entire peninsula was
loaded with little beachside shanties. Initially the structures were simple
canvas tents clustered together to form "Tent City." A few years later
these little bungalows sprouted thatched roofs and $1.50 per couple per
night price tags. You could get a deal if you brought your family for four
months during the summer. It seems that all of San Diego's party
crowd came out to Coronado Island for beach, sun and surf.
The Community Center park has a heartwarming outdoor
display of photos, showing long deceased revelers
enjoying this wonderful area when the only roads were
dirt. The women wore long, lace trimmed dresses at the
turn of the century and shifted to flapper, tube-style
dresses in the 1920's. Every cheek-by-jowl bungalow
door was framed by two camp chairs. Today the area is
dominated by high-rises.
The Glorietta Bay anchorage is tucked into a nook on the bay side of
the island. The sandy beach is lined with palm trees, making it look
almost tropical. Our friends on "Bella Marina," a beautiful dark green
Hunter 44DS anchored nearby, and the two sisterships swung in
unison for an overnight, undoubtedly swapping stories about their
owners.
The clothing may have changed between 1900 and 2010, but the
spirit of partying in the sun is just the same as it ever was. San
Diego erupted in warm sunshine and sparkling water for the
afternoons we were at Glorietta Bay, and the party boats just kept
on a-comin'.
Lots of beer and lots
of skin brought the
bay to life.
Behind us a group gathered in a seven boat raft-up. By tying the boats
to each other, with three boats dropping their anchors to hold the group
still, everyone could scamper from boat to boat, enjoying a party
aboard one boat on one night and on another boat another night.
Coronado is soaked in history,
and two old landmarks still
stand as reminders of the past.
The Coronado Boat House, built
in 1887, perches on the edge of
the bay. Today it is home to a
fine restaurant and a boat rental
business.
More dramatic, the
Hotel del Coronado
anchors a classic
California beach.
With red turrets and
lots of dormers, the
hotel is a charming
historic landmark.
Walking along its
perimeter we came
across two old ladies
chatting in on a villa
patio. They added to the Hotel's "last century" air.
Offering more of a youthful spirit, someone had created sand
swept images on the sidewalk. Walking delicately across a
smiling sun face, it seemed the artist was as happy about
this brief turn in the weather as we were.
A little further on we
found ourselves behind
some beach-goers.
What a perfect day to
take a beach chair, towel
and book to the beach.
For me, Coronado
Beach is what I always
imagined a California
beach must be like, and
the throng of Asian
tourists taking photos of
each other with the
beach and ocean in the
background confirmed
that others must feel
that way too.
Coronado Island has a
busy main street where
the boutique shops and outdoor eateries spill
out onto the sidewalk all the way down the
road. Everyone was out for a late Sunday
brunch as we strolled along, but we were ready
for an early pint at McP's. This is a special bar
where the Navy Seals hang out, and with a
parental connection to the Navy we had to
check it out.
Also, our neighbor in the A9 Cruisers'
Anchorage, former Navy Seal "Pete
the Pirate" on the motor yacht "Patriot
Seal," painted the beer hoisting frogs
on the wall of the bar.
Although originally nicknamed
"Tent City," Coronado was
created by the Coronado
Beach Company as a master
planned resort community in
the late 1880's, and the area
remains very upper crust
today. Ornate business
buildings and carefully crafted
shop buildings give the area a
precious, studied charm. We
wandered through the back
neighborhoods, all very quiet,
where each home is an exquisite
display of architectural flair.
Back on the boardwalk,
returning to the boat, an old
man in a wheelchair gave us a
huge smile. "One dog power,"
he said, pointing to his dog who
was on his leash ahead of him.
Nearby, a trio of little girls
clambered all over a huge,
colorful kaleidoscope.
When our weekend on
Coronado Island drew to a
close, we motored back to our
home base at the A9 Cruisers'
Anchorage off of Harbor Island in the
bay. Glorietta Bay is flanked by shallows,
and a hapless ketch ran aground on the
way in just as we were leaving. The tide
was still falling as we passed them, giving
them few options until the tide came in
again. Meanwhile, on the radio, we heard
the Coast Guard simultaneously dealing
with two emergencies, a sailboat that had
lost power near the rocks of Point Loma
and a power boat that suddenly sank out
from beneath three older men. While the
sailboat dropped anchor and awaited a
tow, the three men in the water
miraculously kept their handheld radio dry
and followed detailed instructions from the calm Coast Guard lady on the radio. As we went
about our business setting our anchor, we marveled that such a tranquil morning in such a
beautiful place could yield three crises in a matter of minutes. There is always a lot of action on
the water.
Unfortunately, during the next few weeks, bad weather and boat outfitting projects prevented
us from further forays around southern California, but on November 2nd we left San Diego permanently to sail down Baja