Water Taxi Adventure With The Finch's June 19th 2014

Did You Know? - A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to work or travel on water. Small boats are typically found on inland (lakes) or in protected coastal areas.

However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed for operation from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship).

Another less restrictive definition is a vessel that can be lifted out of the water. Some definitions do not make a distinction in size, as 1000-foot bulk freighters on the Great Lakes are called oreboats.

For reasons of naval tradition, submarines are usually referred to as 'boats' rather than 'ships', regardless of their size.

Did You Know? - The THUMS Islands are a set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off the coast of Long Beach, California. They were built in 1965 to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise, and they are the only decorated oil islands in the United States

Since 1967, they have been known as the Astronaut Islands, having been renamed in honor of four of the first American astronauts to lose their lives. Island Grissom, Island White, and Island Chaffee were named after the Apollo 1 astronauts, and Island Freeman for the astronaut who died while piloting a T-38 Talon jet for NASA.

Did You Know? - It's safe to say that a more distinctive pier never adorned the Southern California shore. Unlike the many pleasure piers that stretched beyond the breakers only to dead-end above the ocean's swells, the Rainbow Pier in Long Beach extended more than a quarter-mile into the cold Pacific before arcing back to shore. The 3,800-foot-long structure resembled a giant horseshoe, or a rainbow -- hence its name.

But its shape was not all that made the Rainbow Pier unique. It was also among the first of its kind designed explicitly for the automobile. Built atop a granite breakwater, the pier's roadway could easily support the weight of a motorcar. And the fact that the road returned to shore eliminated the need for awkward turnarounds.

"When it is finished it will be possible to board an automobile any dark night in Los Angeles, bowl over a continuously illuminated boulevard all the way from the metropolis via the great white way of Huntington Park to Long Beach, and then out from shore...over the ocean," the Los Angeles Times reported in 1913, long before the pier was actually built.

Did You Know? - Rainbow Harbor / Rainbow Marina is located next to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and has 87 slips for commercial and recreational vessels. There is a 100-foot long dock inside the marina for day guests, and 250 feet of day guest mooring, outside the entrance to the Harbor. Day mooring is first come first served, with a three (3) hour time limit. Rainbow Harbor has twelve, 150-foot docks for commercial vessels. Shoreline Village overlooks Rainbow Marina with arcades and restaurants.

Attractions include Whale Watching, Dinner Cruises, Private Charters, Sport Fishing, Boat Rentals, Personal Watercraft Rentals and shuttle buses and boats to other attractions and facilities in Long Beach.

Did You Know? - The Grand Romance Riverboat was built in a sand lot near the Noyo river in Fort Bragg, Ca. by Daniel Steel Co. and the Barker Family. It is the brainchild of Captain Bill Barker. "We were running fishing charters in Bodega Bay and quite frankly was scared of the liability involved. That, coupled with some bad weather, made me rethink my line of work.

Construction of the Grand Romance, California's only true sternwheel riverboat, began in mid-October 1990. She debuted on July 3, 1993 - almost exactly 150 years since the first sternwheeler operated in California.

Out-fitted with cast Victorian ironwork from the Old South, towering twin smoke stacks and a 43-note calliope she is the grandest authentic riverboat to operate in California. Her interior features a two-story high Grand Ballroom with a red velvet stage, gleaming marble dance floor and polished brass and stamped tin ceilings.

Overlooking the 16-foot diameter paddlewheel is a turn-of-the-century mahogany bar. The upper deck has covered verandas to enjoy the view and a 100 seat murder mystery showroom where multiple murders take place every weekend.

Did You Know? - B-427 was a Project 641 (Foxtrot-class) diesel-electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. The "B" (actually "Б") in her designation stands for большая (bolshaya, "large"). Commissioned in 1971, the submarine operated with the Russian Pacific Fleet until decommissioning in 1994.

The boat was sold to a group of Australian businessmen, who converted her into a museum vessel, which was placed on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum (under the name Foxtrot-540) from 1995 until 1998, then at Long Beach, California (under the name Podvodnaya Lodka B-427 Scorpion) in 1998. The submarine is still on display as of 2014.

Did You Know? - For twenty-two years B-427 patrolled the Pacific, protecting the ballistic missile submarine bastions of the Pacific Fleet while based out of Vladivostok, Russia with the exception of a few temporary postings as part of the Soviet Submarine Squadron that was for a time based at the former US Navy base at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. Such postings were normally for a period of between 8 to 12 months before returning to Vladivostok.

In 1989, B-427 was returning to Vladivostok from Vietnam when it ran into a typhoon. A mechanical breakdown that could not be fixed in time prevented the sub from diving. The storm battered the boat, destroying the light hull and damaging the ballast tanks and high pressure air bottles. B-427 was taken back to Vladivostok where it was repaired and refitted with a new light hull.

Did You Know? - In May 1998, the submarine was loaded onto a heavy lift ship and relocated to Long Beach, California, sailing from Sydney on 31 May and arriving on 25 June.[citation needed] On arrival, she was berthed next to RMS Queen Mary, and opened to the public on 14 July under the designation "Podvodnaya Lodka B-427 Scorpion".

On 19 April 2011, the company operating Queen Mary (Delaware North) announced that they had acquired Scorpion, and were planning to increase attendance at both attractions through combined ticketing and joint marketing campaigns.

The Scorpion Submarine is currently owned by NEWCO Pty Ltd LLC and is on a long term lease to the Queen Mary