WWDOOV (part 3)

Tuesday morning we were scheduled to sail on the "California." It is the official "tall" ship for California. It is over 120' long with 2 masts. It has 7 sails with over 7000 square feet of canvas. There are 4 guns that they can move from side to side. The captain told us the diference between a gun and a cannon but I can't remember what it is.

When we signed up to do the sailing trip, the lady told us to wear good shoes cause they put you to work (if you want to help) and to dress accordingly because you will be sailing on the ocean and you never know what the weather will be like. Well, M only took flip flops with her so she was worried that they wouldn't be suitable so bright and early that morning we made a trip to PayLess for sensible shoes. She found a nice pair and you know a woman can never have too many pairs of shoes so they won't be just used for that day. She has a coat in the car all the time so that was tied around her waist.

Anyone who wanted to help hoist the sails was able to. We were instructed on what to do and what commands to listen for. It was fun but I wouldn't want to have to do it without lots of help. It was amazing how much difference each sail made.

The cruise usually lasts about 4 hours but there was a documentary crew filming about national parks and they wanted us to fire the guns for that then we began the actual sailing. We had to sail around in the harbor until they were ready to film us so we go more time than normal.

The weather was perfect that day. The captain said that usually the wind doesn't blow much in August. They were excited and didn't care if we stayed out longer than normal. While we were sailing, one of the sail boats that is going to be competing in the America's Cup was there. It was the BMW Oracle and is a pretty unique sail boat. They claim due to the design and engineering features that it has it can go 30% faster with the same wind as other sail boats.

We sailed around for probably 4 hours and they pointed out different sights and we were listing so far to either side that water was coming onto the boat thru the deck drains. The captain said that we were doing about nine knots which is over 10 miles an hour. It seemed a lot faster than that. It was very relaxing and fun.

There were navy helicopters and planes flying all around and at one point a navy F-16 flew so close and banked away from us that we were deafened by the sonic boom it made. The crew of the boat was very friendly and we could ask them anything about the boat that we wanted. Whether what they said was true or not, who knows. They could of dazzled us with their brilliance or baffled us with their BS,

Every time they go into port after a cruise they fire the guns so we go a double dose of gunfire that day. There was a small boat going past us when they were going to fire the guns so they were yelling and waving at them to get out of the way. They use a tin foil ball of flour to simulate a ball and it makes more smoke when it fires.

It was real fun day. After sailing, we wandered the maritime museum. There is a Russian submarine and the USS Dolphine there. The ship that was used in the movie "Master and Commander" is there, and normally the "Star of India is there also but it is in dry dock having work done on it. It is even bigger that the California - it has over 20,000 square feet of sail and all the sails are square.

The museum is in an old ferry. There was a gentleman making a miniature sail boat from scratch...he was carving and fitting pieces and we interupted him to ask him questions. Every time we go on vacation to someplace unique we pick up a Christmas decoration to put on the tree. This time we got an ornament of the California sail boat.

That night we went to Old Town and had dinner at the Old Town Mexican Cafe where B and B went. We were impressed, just like B.

It was a fun day that we will never forget. Next time you are in San Diego, try to do the sailing thing.