Tag: ships

You can help restore beautiful HMS Surprise!

Weather and the elements are damaging to any ship. That’s especially true when the ship is made of wood.

If you’ve been by the Maritime Museum of San Diego lately, you’ve probably seen how one side of their tall ship HMS Surprise is being repaired. The starboard side, which for many years faced south toward the harsh sun, had seriously deteriorated.

Fortunately, the world-famous Maritime Museum of San Diego has the expertise required to undertake complicated projects such as this, as shown by the beautiful deck restoration of HMS Surprise. But funds are also required, which can be a challenge for any nonprofit organization.

Would you like to help?

Perhaps you love the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which starred Russell Crowe and beautiful HMS Surprise. As I did a little research this morning, I noticed that author Michael Eging, who also loves the critically acclaimed movie and the Patrick O’Brian novels it’s based on, has created a GoFundMe fundraiser for the restoration of HMS Surprise. A fair amount of money has already been raised, but there’s more to go.

To learn about this effort, and perhaps make a contribution, click here!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Star of India’s mizzen gaff carefully descends!

Today volunteers and crew members at the Maritime Museum of San Diego undertook a complicated operation. Very carefully, they slowly removed and lowered a spar on the Star of India called the mizzen gaff.

The mizzen gaff of the historic, 161-year-old tall ship hadn’t been inspected for 15 years, and it was time for another look. The United States Coast Guard is tasked with ensuring that working ships like the Star of India remain in safe sailing condition.

I stood and watched for a long while. You can see why special care must be taken when lowering this long, heavy spar. Imagine what might happen if somehow it slipped! Many lines held by steady hands were supporting and maneuvering it, making sure a calamity could not happen.

I watched for probably half an hour, and it seemed to my eyes that little progress was made in that time. That’s how carefully the operation was conducted!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

USS Midway, strangely wrapped!

Why is the towering island of the USS Midway aircraft carrier wrapped up?

To protect San Diego Bay and the environment as the historic aircraft carrier (now a popular tourist destination) receives a new coat of paint! That’s what I was told a couple days ago by a USS Midway Museum employee.

But how strange it appears!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Innovative robotic ship visits San Diego.

A bright green, very sleek ship caught my eye today as I walked along San Diego’s Embarcadero. The ship Armada 78 07 was docked at Broadway Pier.

Armada 78 07 is an innovative, environmentally responsible vessel that utilizes robotic technology. It was built by Ocean Infinity and operates as an offshore supply ship.

According to what I’ve read, it’s part of a small fleet of Armada ships that has entered service in the past year or two. The Ocean Infinity website states: Today we operate a hybrid model of robotics alongside fuel-efficient conventional vessels. But, we’re beginning the transition away from conventional vessels with the development of hybrid and ammonia powered uncrewed and ‘optionally crewed’ robotic ships, ‘Armada’.

Here’s their video about building a fleet of robotic ships.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Cool photo memories from April 2019.

San Diego never disappoints. So many cool events were held in April five years ago that I had a difficult time selecting which ones to revisit as this new month begins!

Back in April 2019, my camera recorded knights in shining armor battling in Balboa Park, the inside workings of a Peruvian Navy tall ship, a wheelchair OTL tournament, a couple of Earth Day events, a tour of a United States Coast Guard cutter, Witches’ Night at the Comic-Con Museum, a local skatepark’s 20th anniversary, the Encinitas Street Fair, a big Shakespeare festival, a super fun Pet Day on the Bay…and much more!

I have 15 links coming up to blog posts that contain oodles of photographs!

Click the following links for hundreds of cool photos!

Little Italy’s history, culture at Amici House.

Great ideas at South Bay Earth Day!

Faces of INSIDE OUT still smile in Chula Vista!

Washington Street Skatepark’s 20th Anniversary!

Fun times at the Wheelchair OTL Tournament!

Earth Day at Old Town’s Native Plant Garden.

English knights, cute Corgis, Harry Potter and more!

Photos of Shakespeare celebration in Balboa Park!

Photos aboard Peruvian Navy tall ship BAP Unión!

Cool sights along Adams Avenue west of 30th.

Local history remembered at Trolley Barn Park.

Dogs enjoy a harbor cruise on San Diego Bay!

Take a tour aboard a new Coast Guard cutter!

Cool discoveries at the Encinitas Street Fair!

Images from Witches’ Night in San Diego!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Historic ferry in San Diego, like a cathedral.

It reminds one of stained glass in a cathedral. Exquisite art glass windows, fabricated over a century ago, fill a historic ship in San Diego with golden sunlight.

If you’ve ever stepped onto the Dan McKinney Deck of the steam ferry Berkeley (part of the Maritime Museum of San Diego) you’ve experienced the beauty. The long polished wooden benches, the soft light and tranquil quiet–the atmosphere is indeed similar to that of a cathedral.

I noticed during a recent visit that the Berkeley’s art glass was created by California Art Glass Works in San Francisco. The 1898 steam ferryboat Berkeley was built to carry Southern Pacific Railroad passengers between Oakland and San Francisco.

Out of curiosity, I’ve tried to find information concerning California Art Glass Works. The factory was located on Mission Street in San Francisco. It was famous for the manufacturing of lodge and church memorial windows.

Here’s a link to a page on the Oakland Museum of California website that contains information about California Art Glass Works and the man behind it. Among other things, you’ll learn the glass company was founded in 1879 by William Schroeder, who had learned the craft in Germany. California Art Glass won a silver medal at the Paris Exposition of 1900 for the windows it exhibited there.

If you happen to know more about California Art Glass Works, please leave a comment!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Port of San Diego’s new environmental signs.

The Port of San Diego has installed two brand new information signs on the Embarcadero next to the Maritime Museum. They concern Port and U.S. Navy efforts to protect the environment in San Diego Bay.

I took these photos yesterday…

The U.S. Navy and the Port of San Diego – A collaborative partnership to manage and protect natural resources in San Diego Bay… The Navy and the Port work collaboratively with the goal to ensure the long-term health, restoration, and protection of San Diego Bay’s ecosystem along with the bay’s economic, naval, navigational, recreational, and fisheries needs.
Navy ships based in San Diego – San Diego is home to roughly one quarter of all U.S. Navy vessels. There are more than 50 Navy ships stationed at Naval Base San Diego alone. Across San Diego Bay, aircraft carriers are stationed at Naval Air Station North Island and submarines are stationed a Naval Base Point Loma.
Hospital Ship, USNS Mercy, docked at North Island across San Diego Bay.
Visible behind a new Port of San Diego information sign are HMS Surprise and Berkeley of the Maritime Museum.
Expanding Eelgrass – Eelgrass provides important ecosystem functions, including shelter for fish, food for sea turtles, and foraging areas for invertebrates… The Port and Navy seek to expand the acreage of eelgrass…
Studying Fish and Protecting Birds, including the endangered California least tern. Fish health can be affected by water quality conditions, such as urban runoff and warming temperatures… To protect sensitive bird species, the Navy and the Port have several measures in place, including maintaining nesting sites, relocating nests, managing predators, marking and avoiding areas where nests may be present, and monitoring least terns and snowy plovers during breeding season.
Monitoring Sea Turtles – The Port and the Navy monitor federally listed endangered Pacific green sea turtles by affixing satellite tags to the top of their shells and track their movements through San Diego Bay…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Two very unusual vessels visit San Diego!

Two unusual ocean-going vessels are now visiting San Diego. Both are large and amazing!

The first, which you see above, is the Island Pride, a state of the art construction and support vessel. It features a large helicopter landing pad and an impressive crane. It’s docked at the B Street Pier. I don’t know why it’s in San Diego–I saw it this morning during a walk along the Embarcadero. If you’re curious, you can read about this impressive ship on its website here.

That helicopter pad in front makes Island Pride appear as if it’s wearing a hat!

The second ship, moored a short distance north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, is the superyacht Aquijo.

According to this Wikipedia article, Aquijo is (or recently was) the largest ketch in the entire world! A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast. Aquijo was built in the Netherlands.

Take a look at the final photo. Impressive!

You never know what sort of cool sight you might encounter during a walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero!

UPDATE!

Here’s a pic of Island Pride taken several days later. It had turned around…

ANOTHER UPDATE!

About a month later, I spotted Aquijo docked behind the San Diego Convention Center…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Preparing for the world’s most desired cruise!

The people you see in these photographs are extremely fortunate. They are the volunteer crew members of the Star of India, world’s oldest active sailing ship.

Next weekend, after a break of five years, the historic tall ship will be sailing from its home at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and out into the Pacific Ocean.

Today was the crew’s last chance to practice handling the ship before actually putting to sea–they must manipulate yards and sails very quickly and carefully. The iron-hulled Star of India, built in 1863, has no engine. And it’s a world treasure.

I stood on deck this morning, watching the crew members hard at work, feeling very envious.

A docent stood by me and we talked a bit. He gets to go out on the Star of India next weekend along with the many crew members. As he explained, the upcoming journey out of San Diego Bay is truly the world’s rarest, most desired cruise.

Want to go on that rare cruise in the future? You can volunteer at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and become a crew member!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Star of India crew trains for historic sail!

Crew members of San Diego’s world-famous tall ship Star of India were training today for her upcoming journey into the wide Pacific Ocean!

Accompanied by a fleet of beautiful sailboats and Maritime Museum of San Diego vessels, Star of India will sail out beyond Point Loma on November 11th and 12th, 2023, to celebrate her 160th birthday!

This morning I stood on the Embarcadero watching the sail crew hauling at lines, raising a sail, and practicing the complicated dance that is required to maneuver the world’s oldest active sailing ship. The crew will be training each Sunday up until the big weekend next month.

If you want to buy tickets for Star of India’s historic sail, go to the Maritime Museum website here.

Enjoy my photographs, taken from the nearby boardwalk…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!