The Talk of San Diego & Ivonne Ferrero chat with Author/Actor Dr. John B...

Life of a Sailor

City of San Diego skyline from the bay

J and L happened to bump into their old friend (figuratively speaking of course) Johnny Nevada from the Talk of San Diego on a beautiful 36 foot classic sailing yacht by the name of Lei Lani. She (that's how we sailors refer to yachts) was built in 1967 in Costa Mesa (a true California girl) by hand. That means every inch of this boat was lovingly caressed into the finely shaped vehicle she became.

Wow, sounds like the start of a romance novel.

The Lei Lani ready to sail

Lora Lei under sail

Seriously, the Lei Lani is a beautiful boat from stem to stern with the rich mahogany interior and the teak wood exterior which is kept up by the boat owners, Kyle and Ashley Corbett . Perhaps their more favored monikers would be the Big Kahuna (Kyle), and the Mermaid (Ashley) and both seem appropriate as both are excellent and professional sailors who spend most of the year in and around the San Diego Bay making a sailing tour into a memory of a lifetime.

Enjoying the bay



Owners - Ashley and Kyle Corbett

J of J and L had lived in San Diego eons ago and had always believed, and still does, that San Diego has one of the most stunning sky lines in the world (and he's traveled much of it and knows a thing or two about sky lines). But to see it from the waters edge is a special treat that not many can experience unless they are proud owners of their own boat or has had the ability and pleasure of sailing around it quietly aboard one of the two yachts owned by the Corbett's - the other being an almost retro thirty foot sailing yacht built in 1991 in San Francisco but looks like the sixties to this old salty dog (J and not L). The Lora Lei is just as handsome (can you say that about a woman) as the Lei Lani and as impeccably cared for. The Lei Lani and the Lora Lei are in the fleet owned by San Diego Sailing Tours (i.e. - the Corbett's) and either boat is a thrill to sail on especially with the knowledgeable and friendly crew.




Captain Kyle Corbett and the back of J's head

We had been invited by Johnny to go on a private tour of the magnificent San Diego Bay while he interviewed the co-owners of San Diego Sailing Tours (Kyle and Ashley) and if time permitted would chat us up a bit about J and L's recent three week trip to Ireland. It was our third time in front of the camera with the Talk of San Diego and made us feel like regulars and that was good. How many times has so and so been on Jay Leno and we're sure it's as exciting the hundredth time as it was the first but the difference being a person tends to get a little more relaxed each of those times and it was for us. Besides the fact Johnny and his wonderful interviewer, Ivonne Ferrero, made us feel right at home. And yes, Daniel Bentz, the sound man was very attentive but rather quiet (strange for a 'sound man') except when the microphone wasn't held to his liking - he's touchy like that.

Big Kahuna - Kyle Corbett

The cruise included many of the famous sites around the bay - San Diego is truly a city built around a bay, that including the Coronado Bridge, the famous floating Maritime Museum, the United States Naval station on Coronado, and one really interesting and new site which is the building of the replica sailing ship of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who discovered San Diego Bay on September 28th of 1542 (excepting it had already been discovered by the natives who resided there but let's not dither about the details shall we?). The flagship of Cabrillo's fleet, the San Salvador, is being rebuilt to exact measurements by the Maritime Museum right off of North Harbor Drive just west of the Spanish landing site (the only non-rocky stretch of waterfront) and the 200 ton galleon should be water-ready very soon which could mean a year or two but since it's been hundreds of years in the making a few more doesn't seem that important.

Mermaid - Ashley Corbett

As the cruise continued Johnny and Ivonne talked to the owners of the charter company and J and L, along with L's sister Beth Baker, just relaxed on the bow of the Lei Lani taking in the sun, wind and perfect weather which is a pretty steady stream in San Diego.


Laureen relaxing on the bow

John talking with Skipper Dave

Finally, Johnny stated we had a few minutes to interview J and as the yacht sailed noiselessly back to its slip on Harbor Island J and Johnny traded barbs on air about John's novel, 'Hunted', his next upcoming book 'Soft Target' and of course they both did their best to imitate the Irish accent which turned out to be a mix of somewhere between London and Dublin. It was rather amusing but not if they were both sitting in a pub in downtown Blarney. They may have been asked to leave after finishing their pints and not to come back to soon.



Johnny Nevada and Ivonne Ferrero kicking it on the Lei Lani

 Beth Baker enjoyed the sail

Of course, that could be just blarney but that is sometimes how blogs go.

http://youtu.be/U5fDBwlI-oQ

For more information just look below the ducks:

http://sandiegosailingtours.com/

http://www.thetalkofsandiego.com/



A Nevada night in San Diego

John and Zlata

The evening was clear, warm and beautiful with the sun setting to the west of San Diego Bay and both J and L felt very fortunate to be standing on the deck of the fifty foot motor yacht, Bay Watch. We were there at the invitation of Johnny Nevada, the producer, director, and voice of the Talk of San Diego to discuss the recent release of the novel Hunted. Johnny's show was both live radio and a cable show shown on three different cable networks in greater San Diego, the radio broadcast being one of the favorites in the city by the bay.

After being ushered aboard by a dapperly dressed Captain Bill, who is owner and operator of Bay Watch Cruises located on Shelter Island at the Silver Gate Yacht Club we were given a tour of the three story luxury yacht and were duly impressed. Three staterooms, one for each story was our guess, and two heads (that's bathrooms to the landlubbers), a large salon, kitchen, dining area, and overall a great place to live which is exactly what a Captain Bill does when he is not out giving water tours on the bay.

Johnny Nevada, as usual was busy making sure everything was ready for the show that evening, a live radio broadcast as well as television but that didn't mean Nevada was too busy to throw lively jokes, one-liners, and an occasional fun-intended bard toward this writer. Somehow the lovely Laureen seems to escape this good natured hazing by many while the not so lovely John gets broadsided. Since we knew Johnny and now consider him a friend, the real time banter was fun and enjoyable.

It was a great way to relax before sitting down in front of a television camera.



Zlata, John and the illusive Johnny Nevada

Shortly after our arrival the hostess for the show came on board and introductions were once again shuttled back and forth. It was the first night for this newcomer to serve as the host for Johnny's show and she only smiled, sat behind the microphone, tossed her hair, and said she was ready.

Zlata Sushchik (yes, definitely a Russian name) was the 2009 Miss Alaska Teen beauty pageant winner and the competition surely made her ready to sit behind microphones without a bat of an eye or a nervous twinkle for that matter.

To hear John and Zlata, click the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqFW0AxOkn0&feature=share&list=PL4CBF129279744325


We learned during the interview, where both J and L were interviewed separately for the audience that Zlata recently announced that she will be running for the upcoming Miss California pageant. She would have our votes after listening to her questions us about the novel, our blogging escapades, how we met, and eventually married, and other topics which showed what a wonderful interviewer she was. And she easily kept up her momentum even with Johnny Nevada shooting jokes at her while on-air. She was a true professional.

As the moon rose over San Diego the show round down with laughter and good feelings for a show well done and from the look on everyone's faces it had been time spent in the company of friends.

Laureen and Zlata chat -- to hear them, click the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoOAlr51l-A&feature=share&list=PL4CBF129279744325

It was great publicity for Hunted, Bay Watch Cruises, Silver Gate Yacht Club, Zlata Sushchik and her many quests (this is one very determined beautiful young woman who has her eyes and fingers on many different venues), and of course for the Talk of San Diego.


Again, Johnny Nevada was a gentleman (hope this doesn't tarnish his image) and we were glad to have spent a truly gorgeous San Diego evening aboard a yacht with him and his entire crew.

"The Talk of San Diego" Cox Cable Ch 23 - AT&T U-Verse Ch 99 ...

www.thetalkofsandiego.com

A Bay Watch Cruise

www.sandiegoboat.com/

Silver Gate Yacht Club

www.sgyc.org/‎

‎

The Talk of San Diego

 

The Director and the Directed

in their element

J and L were invited recently by our pal the Law Dog, Tino Luciano to show up at the Wooden Nickel Ranch in Menifee, CA for a television interview conducted by The Talk of San Diego, a local media production team headed by Johnny Nevada and his bevy of beautiful female co-hosts. On this fine Sunday afternoon, the host was Andrea Bensussen who was friendly, professional, and ready to ask questions of both J and L after she got through her interview with Tino Luciano. Yes, we responded to Tino's request for us to be at the Wooden Nickel Ranch to help launch his new movie (which starts filming soon) entitled, The Reckoning of Scarlet Waters. Tino had been contacted by The Talk of San Diego who wanted to film the interview in an 'authentic' appearing period western town and the Wooden Nickel Ranch fit the bill. The ranch is a delight for those who enjoy the romance of the old west and besides being a setting for films, commercials and other media events the owners provide breathtaking backgrounds for weddings, quinceaneras, birthdays, and much more including summer horse camp.

So, Laureen and John showed up in period dress, 1880's western for an afternoon of walking about the small but pretty authentic looking western town which is tucked away on the twenty-five acre ranch.

To our delight we were included in the interviews and discussed what a fine director/producer Mr. Luciano is besides the fact that he is just plain fun to work for on his sets (John also shamelessly got a plug in for his novel Hunted  due out May 18th). One of the great moments of the day was when John was directed to come out of the town's saloon with his .45 raised in the air and was stopped by the distinctive voice of Tino yelling: "Cut." At that moment the Director stepped up and joined John on the wooden sidewalk in front of the saloon and advised the Talk of San Diego's audience what was time period and what was not time period in John's attire. Tino is amazing as he approved everything but the cowboy boots with pointed toes and the holster which was a Buscadero rig dating from the 1920's instead of the 1880's. Overall, John received a 93% approval from a very picky but accurate director, which the teacher in the team approved.

Again, a great day of exploration of a new place, the Wooden Nickel Ranch, and time spent with friends.


http://www.wnranch.com/default.html



http://www.thetalkofsandiego.com




http://thereckoningofscarletwaters.com/