You need only consult The Log newspaper for evidence that truth is stranger than fiction this month – at least in local boating and fishing circles.
Its Sept. 25 online edition carried the report of a teenager thrown off an inner tube in Mission Bay – and landing on the lap of a bikini-clad lady in another boat. The 14-year-old boy complained of sore ribs but was otherwise unhurt.
A second report told of a 5-pound fish jumping into a passing boat on Mission Bay and smacking the pilot across the face.
The boater, a 59-year-old man driving a low-profile speedboat about 25 mph to 30 mph near Crown Point Shores, had no idea what had suddenly hit him in the eye, bloodied his nose and caused him to briefly lose consciousness. Other boaters came to his rescue, and lifeguards confirmed that the fish, a species that jumps out of the water to catch bugs, apparently caused the injury.
They recovered the evidence in the boat – a dead mullet.
San Diego lifeguard Lt. Nick Lerma in informing The Log that officers had decided not to press charges against the culprit, concluded: “The fish got it the worst, I think.”
The injured boater took home the fish as a trophy, saying he planned to stuff it and mount it on his mantel.
Boating lifeguard Sgt. Rick Strobel, who was called to the scene, said he had never responded to anything so strange in his 18-year career.
Another fish tale
A bizarre “fish attacks fisherman” incident also occurred earlier in the summer at the tip of the Mission Bay jetty where three young men were fishing.
One was poked or bitten by a fish he had caught, said Sgt. Rich Stropsky of the San Diego Lifeguard Service. That would have been merely a minor annoyance except that it caused the fisherman, in his late teens, to lose his balance and tumble 10 to 15 feet down the rocks where he hit his head and had to be flown out by helicopter.
This rescue, along with that of the boy riding the inner tube, was covered by the reality TV show “Ocean Force,” which had a camera crew tail lifeguards over the summer. The rescues are expected to be aired this season on the cable network truTV.
'Moneymoon' in S.D.
San Diego is the setting for the second season of ABC's reality show “Here Come the Newlyweds.”
Cameras are following nine couples as they compete for a nest egg worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to kick-start their lives together.
The show also is padding the nest of the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, which reported to the San Diego Film Commission that more than 4,000 room nights have been booked for this project.
Cabrillo's legacy
Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo made history when he landed here Sept. 28, 1542, and became the first European to discover what is now San Diego.
Today his name pops up everywhere. There's Cabrillo National Monument, Cabrillo Beach, Cabrillo Elementary School, Cabrillo Credit Union, Cabrillo Garden Inn, Cabrillo Mortgage, Cabrillo Yacht Sales, Cabrillo Veterinary Hospital, and so on.
Pretty interesting, mused Ray Ashley, executive director of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, considering the explorer was only in San Diego for six days. He headed up the coast and succumbed to disease 12 weeks later near Santa Cruz.
The newest addition to the Cabrillo legacy is a life-sized replica of his ship, the San Salvador, which is on the drawing boards. So far, the museum has collected about $3 million of the $5 million needed to build the ship, slated to join its floating museum fleet in San Diego's harbor.
Project heads are now scouting for a building site along the ocean where bleachers can be erected for spectators interested in watching the work progress. They hope to begin construction next year.
Diane Bell's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fax items to (619) 260-5009; call (619) 293-1518; or e-mail to diane.bell@uniontrib.com.
