Rocket Red's Glare, Part 1

Drunkenness, the Bronx, Kitty Litter Boxes and Cheerleaders

Back in the 16th century, history tells us that San Diego Bay was discovered by that famous English explorer/navigator Sir Cyril Ego who first set foot on California soil in 1542. Sir Ego was a great explorer who had one downfall -- he loved the sauce and, it is said that he was in a perpetual state of drunkenness.  Wrapped in purple velvet robes, his grandiosity stepped off his boat onto the sandy shores of what is now Coronado Island and promptly stumbled and fell hard on his face on the damp beach. He laid there a while in a drunken stupor and finally wobbled his way onto his feet.  When he stood up, there was sand in his hair, sand stuffed up his nose, sand packed in his ears, sand in his mouth and all over his elegant garb. After this incident, behind his back, his men called him “Sandy Ego” and, over time, this has evolved to the more familiar “San Diego.”

How to Wipe out the National Debt

Well, if you believe that, there is a beautiful bridge over San Diego Bay that I can sell you cheap.  There really are a lot of sandy beaches in San Diego and most of them belong to me… and millions of other tax payers. San Diego is the headquarters of the 11th Naval District -- the site of one of the largest and most diversified military operational bases in the entire world. Much of the prime waterfront real estate in and around Sand Diego Bay is owned by the Navy. 

There is a huge, beautiful cemetery overlooking the ocean on one side and the bay on the other on Cabrillo Point (Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo, by the way, discovered San Diego according to the history books -- but I like my version better). In any case, the US Government owns so much grossly expensive waterfront property in San Diego including: The above-mentioned land in Point Loma, the prime northern part of Coronado Island and facilities on the mainland, that parceling off this desirable property, would, most likely, CLEAR THE NATIONAL DEBT! Since peace has broken out, some of this land lies unused.

Bronx vs. North County Coastal

San Diego, although the 6th largest city in the US, sure doesn’t feel that way.  Townsfolk say that is because the city is divided into five distinct counties: South Bay, Central, East County, North County Coastal and North County Inland. That may be so but, remember, New York City is similarly divided into counties but New York ain’t no San Diego. But how could it be having counties with names like Staten Island, Brooklyn and Bronx?  Bronx! It sounds like somebody is hacking up a clam!

Schlocking Tomato Peelers

My wife and I were in San Diego to spend a relaxing week and do some business at the same time. It was time to audit construction of a custom 53-footer under construction in town at Knight and Carver so we went out a few days early to spend the fourth of July with the “Mikelson guys.”  There are many people schlocking boats these days, and they can be divided in two distinct camps. There are the guys with fire in their bilges (see July and August ‘96 Spectator) -- people who have owned boats and have a true love of boats and boating. Then, there are the sales people who look at boats as a mere commodity -- something to be bought and sold. They could be selling kitty litter boxes, pork bellies, hair curlers or tomato peelers. 

It wouldn’t really matter as long as there was $ $ $ in it for them. Over the years, a few boat lovers/brokers that I have dealt with stand out in my mind: Guys like Joe Collins of Bertram Yacht Sales, Bruce Majka of Cheoy Lee America, Greg Burdick of Stuart Yachts and Pat Sullivan, Dick Peterson, Michael Loffer and Paul Fecteau of Mikelson Yachts. About twelve years ago, Mikelson took one of our “stealth designs” -- a 42-footer that absolutely no one knew or cared about, inserted it as the centerpiece of their fledgling yacht brokerage business and turned that design into a successful business now offering a complete line from 43’ to 92’. Their secret: Their laid-back personalities, hard work and a sales style that can only be described as selling boats seemingly without really trying. 

Every time I get together with the Mikelson guys, we always seem to end up in their “office” conjuring the ultimate boat. While they have a real office ashore (which  is kind of how one would envision a set for a TV series about yacht brokers in San Diego would appear -- large second floor offices on Shelter Island surrounded by manicured marinas and boat yards with cool cars parked out front and hot looking women manning … excuse me… womaning the desks), it always seems we do most of our business in an alternate “office” -- the flyingbridge of one of their boats. Indeed, most of the Mikelson designs were conceived on the circular flyingbridge settees of existing Mikelsons. During this trip, the new 64 crystalized on the flyingbridge of Dick Peterson’s personally owned 48-foot “Le Soleil.”

This Fourth of July, Mikelson sponsored a raft-up (we call it a rendezvous on the right coast) on Glorietta Bay in the shadow of the famous Hotel Del Coronado.  Twelve Mikelsons attended from 42 feet to 78 feet.  For Regina and I it was a fun chance to meet owners of our designs, eat, schmooz, eat, watch some fireworks and eat (boating makes you hungry).  We did not, however, count on THE BONUS. In my past history with Mikelson, THE BONUS could have been anything from an unforgettable abalone dinner (with mud pie for dessert) to L.A. Ram’s cheerleaders to a great cruise to Catalina. This time THE BONUS made all the others pale by comparison. 

I’ll tell you about it next month.

(Reprinted with permission of Regina Fexas.)

If you would like to read more of Tom's pearls of wisdom, tune in next Friday -- "Fexas Friday." 

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