A
Amphipoda@yahoo.com
Guest
San Diego Harbor Excursion
Steve and Connie graciously invited me to
join them in their "salty" red Amphi to tour
the San Diego harbor. Now for those of you
unfamiliar with this body of water - it is a
supreme ocean bay of large sailboats, harbor
tour ships, cargo vessels, aircraft carriers,
yachts, speed boats, and pickle-fork race boats?
& on this fine day - a red Amphicar. We launched
at Shelter island and were instantly the only non-
white watercraft for as far as the eye could see.
EVERYONE had to get close enough to take
photos, wave, ask questions, pump the thumbs
up sign, and shake their heads in disbelief. Only
a lone suicidal kayak was smaller than our red
Amphi. We sailed to the Star of India (one the
last original ancient tall-sail ships), then over by
various restaurants where diners were treated
to a rare sight indeed. Then we motored all the
way down to the Coronado Bridge and looped
around back to one of the aircraft carriers docked
at Coronado. Talk about being dwarfed in size.
Steve also stopped in front of a giant ship just
long enough to have some photos taken of him
demanding the right of way from this 60,000 ton
tanker ship. {Steve, please post that photo so these
guys believe me.} On the way back the Nada II,
another massive cargo vessel, was coming South
and behind us a huge harbor tour ship was coming
North - we were in between these behemoths waiting
to be engulfed in wakes. The waves bobbed Amphi
like a cork in a blender, saltwater over the bonnet,
over the windshield and in our laps. Water came
horribly close to the tops of the doors too!!! It was
exhilaration on an epic scale, a legendary voyage.
I was even allowed to navigate us back out onto
dry land AND was even permitted to re-enter (in
second gear at an undisclosed speed), but I'll let
Steve tell that less than proud moment of my life.
I may never drive my Amphi into the harbor but
I'm most thankful for the experience. Anyone
questioning the "sea worthiness" of our Amphis
should purge all doubts. We hung with the big
boys and lived to tell about it!
Amphipoda
'64 Turquoise
San Diego, CA
Steve and Connie graciously invited me to
join them in their "salty" red Amphi to tour
the San Diego harbor. Now for those of you
unfamiliar with this body of water - it is a
supreme ocean bay of large sailboats, harbor
tour ships, cargo vessels, aircraft carriers,
yachts, speed boats, and pickle-fork race boats?
& on this fine day - a red Amphicar. We launched
at Shelter island and were instantly the only non-
white watercraft for as far as the eye could see.
EVERYONE had to get close enough to take
photos, wave, ask questions, pump the thumbs
up sign, and shake their heads in disbelief. Only
a lone suicidal kayak was smaller than our red
Amphi. We sailed to the Star of India (one the
last original ancient tall-sail ships), then over by
various restaurants where diners were treated
to a rare sight indeed. Then we motored all the
way down to the Coronado Bridge and looped
around back to one of the aircraft carriers docked
at Coronado. Talk about being dwarfed in size.
Steve also stopped in front of a giant ship just
long enough to have some photos taken of him
demanding the right of way from this 60,000 ton
tanker ship. {Steve, please post that photo so these
guys believe me.} On the way back the Nada II,
another massive cargo vessel, was coming South
and behind us a huge harbor tour ship was coming
North - we were in between these behemoths waiting
to be engulfed in wakes. The waves bobbed Amphi
like a cork in a blender, saltwater over the bonnet,
over the windshield and in our laps. Water came
horribly close to the tops of the doors too!!! It was
exhilaration on an epic scale, a legendary voyage.
I was even allowed to navigate us back out onto
dry land AND was even permitted to re-enter (in
second gear at an undisclosed speed), but I'll let
Steve tell that less than proud moment of my life.
I may never drive my Amphi into the harbor but
I'm most thankful for the experience. Anyone
questioning the "sea worthiness" of our Amphis
should purge all doubts. We hung with the big
boys and lived to tell about it!
Amphipoda
'64 Turquoise
San Diego, CA
