YACHTS, SHIPS AND WEAPONS OF WET DESTRUCTION…

The Luna

Strolling along San Diego's Embarcadero at the B Street/Broadway Pier. We come across a 377-foot long yacht, named Luna,.  A quick Google search reveals that the yacht is owned  owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and equipped with two helicopter pads, a pool, spa, medical center, hot tub, and a crew of 40. Maybe we can arrange a vacation home exchange – Mr. Abramovich could spend a week with Dave and Dimples and we could perchance test out the spa and  helicopter pads???   LOL

Star of India Rigging

B-39 

Back to reality… we continue on to the San Diego Maritime Museum, a world-class collection of historic ships and artifacts. The Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing vessel. There are fascinating exhibits outlining the life of the sailors and passengers onboard.  Two submarines give us insight into cold war nautical life.  The Russian B-39 is down right Spartan and crudely constructed, which makes sense considering that;  if this sub ever deployed one of it’s nuclear torpedoes, the shock wave would have obliterated the sub.  The USS Dolphin by comparison is downright luxurious with lots of stainless steel and smooth surfaces.  The Steam yacht Medea takes us back to an age of elegance on the high seas and the steam ferryboat, The Berkeley presents commuting in style.

The Cabrillo National Monument is located at the entrance to San Diego Harbor on Point Loma. This is supposedly the place where, in 1542, the Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed and “Gave the world California.”   There are tide pools, lighthouses and incredible views of the harbor and city skyline.   We watch a modern nuclear sub exiting the harbor. She slowly moves along the channel and out to sea.

Weapons of Wet Destruction

On the horizon we view the aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Regan  returning from Washington State.  As the carrier enters the mouth of the harbor, the sailors stand at attention along the rail in their dress blue uniforms.  The flight deck is deck covered with the vehicles of Navy Sailors. At a cost of about $4.5 billion this is probably the world's most expensive parking lot. It may seem a bit odd, but this is actually a common occurrence for the Navy and a lot cheaper and easier than transporting the vehicles almost any other way.

USS Ronald Regan

For us San Diego harbor is a wonderful tourist location, but this is also a major Naval installation and the military industrial complex fuels 26% of the area economy.

Next up… more fun in the sun…

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