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Local Knowledge
By Matt Trulio — Fall 2004
You’d have to literally be asleep at the wheel
to get in trouble in San Diego Bay. The bay is wide and deep enough to
accommodate Navy vessels and cruise ships, and it has no shallow-water
reefs or sandbars. A 70-footer might be big—but it’s not that
big. “Aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines come in here, so
it’s not all that challenging,” says Dick Peterson of Mikelson
Yachts.
Still, unfamiliar territory can make even seasoned cruisers
a little nervous. Here are three tips for making your visit to San Diego
Bay even easier:
Watch for weeds. Though well-marked on paper and electronic
charts, the kelp beds off Point Loma are formidable and can easily foul
your propellers. For an extra margin of comfort and safety, give them
an extra-wide berth.
Head south to come north. If you’re returning
to San Diego Bay from a southern port, such as Ensenada or Cabo San Lucas,
the mouth of the harbor is a relatively straight shot. However, if you’ve
come down from a northern port such as Seattle or San Francisco, you actually
have to overshoot the mouth of the harbor, then come north to enter.
Book everything early. Yes, San Diego Bay is huge. Yes,
there are plenty of hotel rooms and adequate dock space for mid-range
powerboats. But thanks to an average daily temperature of 70 degrees,
San Diego is one of the most popular destinations in California. Even
large hotels fill up fast.
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