FOR SEA BREEZES, SALT SPRAY, SUN - AND SURPRISES - TAKE A BOAT TOUR OF THE BAY.Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor SAN DIEGO San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. - Now there's something you don't see every day: a tugboat tugboat, small, strongly built vessel, used to guide large oceangoing ships into and out of port and to tow barges, dredging and salvage equipment, and disabled vessels. , in among the pleasure craft on a glistening glis·ten intr.v. glis·tened, glis·ten·ing, glis·tens To shine by reflection with a sparkling luster. See Synonyms at flash. n. A sparkling, lustrous shine. day on San Diego Bay Noun 1. San Diego Bay - a bay of the Pacific in southern California San Diego - a picturesque city of southern California on San Diego Bay near the Mexican border; site of an important naval base Pacific, Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean in the world ... towing a nuclear-powered attack submarine along the surface of the water. This sight stunned even David Weaver, a 20-year Navy veteran who is spending his retirement as a tour guide on a Harbor Excursion boat. For the three dozen passengers on the tour boat, he excitedly described the sub's size, the length of time it can stay at sea, its offensive capability. He didn't need to tell us how ominous the darned darned adj. Damned. Adj. 1. darned - expletives used informally as intensifiers; "he's a blasted idiot"; "it's a blamed shame"; "a blame cold winter"; "not a blessed dime"; "I'll be damned (or blessed or darned or thing looked - painted in a flat black paint, with no markings whatsoever, no portholes, and even the crew members standing on deck clad in unmarked blue jumpsuits. It was yet another reminder of how tightly the Navy's business is intertwined with San Diego Harbor. There were many such indications on a recent ride across the sheltered bay that abuts the city's downtown district. Navy SEALs tore by on a light boat. All manner of military aircraft zoomed off the runway at North Island Naval Air Station A Naval Air Station is an airbase of the United States Navy. Such bases are used to house Naval Aviation squadrons and support commands. List of Functioning US Naval Air Stations
Weaver, a former Navy bosun, said he hadn't noticed a significant increase in the number of ships sent to sea in the fight against terrorism. ``There are 55 ships in the fleet here,'' he said, ``and about two-thirds of them are deployed at any one time. That's about what it is now. It was a lot different during the Gulf War. You probably couldn't find five masts in the whole harbor.'' A cruise around the bay on a tour boat can be pleasurable on many levels. Out here, the air seems a little cleaner, definitely cooler, and scented with salt spray. The perspective on the city skyline is unique, and memorable. You're likely to find sea lions lounging everywhere - on buoys, on floating wharves Structures erected on the margin of Navigable Waters where vessels can stop to load and unload cargo. Cities located on lakes, rivers, and oceans usually have at least one wharf, where ships can deliver and pick up passengers and load and unload various types of goods. . Sailboats glide by Verb 1. glide by - pass by; "three years elapsed" elapse, go by, slide by, slip by, slip away, go along, pass, lapse advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" . Cars - and the unfortunate landlubbers who are confined to them - pass high overhead on the Coronado Bridge. Two companies, Harbor Excursion and Hornblower Cruises, operate tour boats at the B Street Pier. Each offers one- and two-hour tours, priced identically ($18 per adult for two hours, $13 for one hour). They are offered roughly hourly from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For the one-hour tour, you can choose either the north bay or the south bay; for the two-hour tour you get both (although this latter ride is not continuous; you return to the dock halfway through to pick up more passengers). If you only have an hour, the south bay might be the best option, as it takes in the skyline, the Coronado Bridge and the many ships moored at San Diego Naval Station. The north bay tour goes out to the tip of Point Loma Point Loma is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River. and turns around at John Wayne Jetty jetty: see coast protection. - so named because he twice beached his yacht on it when returning from trips to Mexico in the 1960s. It was on this route that we saw the submarine (the Navy maintains a base in this part of bay), sea lions, the Coronado Islands off Mexico, and the impromptu air show of Navy pilots practicing takeoffs and landings at North Island. Weaver must be a busy soul, because somehow we've drawn him as guide on our last two tours of the bay. His Navy background (and obvious passion for the fleet) enables him to call the ships by name, describe their function, and dispense all manner of statistics about them - peppered with nonstop cornball corn·ball Slang n. One who behaves in a mawkish or unsophisticated manner. adj. Mawkish or unsophisticated; corny: a kid's cornball humor. humor. You might find your eyes glazing over when hearing about this one's weight, the number of helicopters that one can carry, the amount of diesel fuel that one will burn at 30 knots. But it's an impressive overview nonetheless. Weaver also has some fun with his irreverent characterizations of various features of the downtown skyline: lemon meringue pie, Phillips screwdriver, socket set, martini glass. Tour tips: At this time of year, the wind on the water can get a little cool, and a warm jacket is a must. Although the top deck is the best spot for viewing, the boats also have indoor areas that offer protection from the chill. The water of the harbor is well protected from the ocean swells, so the boat ride is generally smooth. Sunscreen sunscreen /sun·screen/ (-skren) a substance applied to the skin to protect it from the effects of the sun's rays. sun·screen n. for the face is a good idea at all times of the year, particularly on the two-hour tour. Snacks and drinks are sold on board. Information: San Diego Harbor Excursion, 1050 N. Harbor Drive; (800) 442-7847; www.harborexcursion.com. Two-hour tour: $18 adults, $16 seniors and military, $9 children (ages 4-12). One-hour tour: $13 adults, $11 seniors and military, $6.50 children. Hornblower Cruises, 1066 N. Harbor Drive; (619) 725-8888; www.hornblower.com. Same prices as Harbor Excursion. CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Buoys in San Diego Bay prove to be ideal perches for marine mammals marine mammals mammals inhabiting the sea; generally taken to include the cetaceans (whales, porpoise, dolphin), the sirenians (sea-cows, including manatees and dugong) and the pinnipeds (the carnivores of the group, seals, sealions, walruses). seeking a little rest. (2) Sailors wave from a sailboat to one of the harbor cruise boats. (3) Tourists have a photo taken before embarking on a bay cruise. (4) A tourist gawks at an aircraft carrier during a harbor cruise. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (5) The Navy presence is unmistakable in San Diego Harbor. Here, a tugboat pulls along a nuclear-powered submarine. Eric Noland/Travel Editor |
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