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Cruise for a lifetime

By Karen Wamhoff

Coronadans make their home-sweet-homeson the water

A big part of the Coronado lifestyle is about being surrounded by water. So what could be better than living on the water. Here’s a peek into the lives of five “live-aboarders” docked along our sunny shores!

Chuck and Jo Thurman…Sitting on the dock of the bay.

“Living on a boat had always been a fantasy of mine,” says Jo Thurman. “I wanted a different lifestyle, and we certainly found it with the peacefulness and serenity that comes from living on the water. It’s times like this – sunset – when the water is smooth as glass. You notice nature more. Like the seagulls that fly out to the Coronado Islands at this time every day, just like clockwork.”

Chuck and Jo Thurman spent 10 years searching for the perfect boat before they bid adieu to their spacious four-bedroom Cays home and moved over to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Marina.

The Thurmans are quite content to stay put dockside, and only rarely take their boat out on the bay.

That’s fine with Chuck, who has owned boats for more than 30 years. He uses his 24-foot powerboat, also docked at the marina, in his volunteer work for the Coronado Coast Guard Auxiliary, an organization that promotes safe boating.

“People who live in our marina are just like family,” Jo says. “And I’ve never in my life felt so incredibly safe. Part of it is because we’re in such close proximity to one another; we get to know each other and our habits. The other day I was washing my dog in the tub and the phone was ringing off the hook. My neighbor, Vicki, heard it and checked to see if I was okay. I yelled out at her, ‘I’m in the tub… with the dog.’”

Speaking of tubs, it’s a Jacuzzi.

“I told Chuck there were three things I couldn’t live without: a Jacuzzi tub, a king-size bed and a washer and dryer.”

With a little renovation, the Thurmans have all these amenities aboard their three-bedroom, two-bath Lady Jo. They spend much of the day in either the main salon or in the aft deck, with its wicker chairs, flowers and bird’s eye view of the bay and Pacific. The aft deck is also where they enjoy most meals, including those special occasions when they have room service delivered from the Loews resort.

December, the Thurman’s favorite time of year, is when they transform their boat into a “floating Christmas tree for the Parade of Lights boat parade,” says Chuck. To encourage its marina tenants to decorate for the holidays, Loews pays the boaters’ December electric bills and offers prizes for best decorations.

“Two years ago we won a free night in the hotel and this year we won a dinner at Azzura Point,” Chuck beamed. “We had more than 4,000 bulbs on our vessel.”

Ralph and Pamela Hodges… Cruisin!

Ralph Hodges built his first boat when he was nine years old, and hauled it daily behind his bicycle down to Warm Springs Creek in his hometown of San Bernardino.

“Since those early years, I’ve almost always had a boat,” Ralph says. “And my life’s dream was to go cruising. Cruising is when you get out on the high seas, rather than do what the majority of boat owners do, which is to go from boat dock to boat dock.”

Both Ralph and his wife Pamela are certified “blue water cruisers” by the Seven Seas Cruising Association, which requires they both must have sailed a minimum of 2,000 miles. They’ve cruised to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska. And after five years of “R&R” at their floating Coronado Yacht Club home, they’re embarking this month on a shakedown cruise to San Francisco before another major sail down Mexico way.

The most marvelous part of cruising, says Ralph, is that they get to experience beautiful places that others miss, like Honolua Bay on the island of Maui, their ultimate Shangri-La.

“We once met a guy who had circumnavigated the globe three times, and I asked him what was the most beautiful place he’d ever been. He said, ‘Have you ever heard of Honolua Bay?’ Out of all the places on the globe, he had named our favorite spot.

“Picture it…there’s sand in the middle of the bay, so you can easily drop anchor. Surrounding the sand is a coral reef filled with tropical fish. Spinner dolphins do somersaults in the air. The resorts up at Ka’anapali bring their guests down to snorkel between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., but after that, there’s no one around. It’s ours alone.”

But life’s also good just hanging out in Coronado, the Hodges agree.

“Our back yard is Glorietta Bay and the Del,” Pamela says. “And our front door is the Coronado Golf Course.”

The Hodges enjoy eating in, and have lots of filet mignon in their giant freezer, spices battened down in the spice rack, a microwave (in addition to a stove and oven) and even a bread maker on board.

The yacht club’s “raft-up” parties are among their favorite social events.

“Anywhere from 15 to 26 boats will tie up together in the bay,” Pamela says. “The fun begins on a Friday afternoon and goes until Saturday night or Sunday. We’ll hop from boat to boat, with neighbors serving hors d’oeuvres, playing cards and racing in dinghies.”

Most of all, the Hodges cherish their time together, and although their boat could accommodate another couple or crew, they say they’ll pass.

“Living on your boat is the most wonderful retirement lifestyle that anyone ever invented,” says Ralph. “We named our boat ‘One Desire.’ It’s kind of like the ‘Spirit of Aloha,’ meaning we each have one desire, to make the other happy.”

Peter Stoll…floating along and philosophizing

At the east end of Loews Marina, Peter Stoll is living the bachelor’s life. He, too, has had a lifelong love affair with boats, beginning in his college days at Cal State Los Angeles when he’d jaunt down to San Diego’s Mission Bay with his powerboat for a little water-skiing. After college, Stoll flew F-4’s and F-14’s off very big boats like the carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Following his 20-year Navy career, Stoll worked for three defense contractors, finally settling in San Diego. He purchased his 57-foot Hudson Force 50, knighted Elliott after the Disney character in the movie Pete’s Dragon.

“After being laid off for the third time, I was wondering what I should do for the rest of my life,” Stoll remembers. “I looked up towards the dock at the Chula Vista marina where I was living at the time and saw this sign that said ‘Yacht Broker.’ I walked in and said, ‘Hey, could you use a new broker?’”

Stoll’s been brokering boats ever since, and now owns his own brokerage in Point Loma and has sold several boats to current owners at Loews Marina.

So just how much does life-on-the-water cost, we asked this broker.

“I sold one sailboat to a guy who lives on it for $18,000, but realistically, your starting price is about $30,000 to give you some room, although at that price a boat is probably not in the greatest condition and will need some work,” Stoll advised. “At the upper end in Coronado, we’ve got boats such as a 110-footer that’s for sale for $1.1 million and others upwards to $2 million. Marinas are starting to fill up in San Diego and rental prices are going up, the range is about $8 to $15 per linear foot. Plus, you need to figure about 10 percent of the boat’s purchase price will be spent on annual property taxes, insurance and maintenance.”


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Reprinted with permission from Coronado Lifestyle, "the little magazine with the BIG impact."
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