For those longing to celebrate spring’s arrival with a dinner cruise — but who have hesitated in this faltering economy — a golden opportunity exists Thursday, May 13. The Cabrillo National Monument Foundation (CNMF) will host its second annual fundraiser, the Spring Fling, aboard the environmentally-oriented ship Adventure Hornblower starting at 6 p.m. The event features a chance to seize a family bargain involving an elegant buffet dinner and a relaxing cruise around San Diego Bay while supporting San Diego’s only national park. Advance tickets are $35 or $40 at the gate — a substantial discount from the regular rate. The 1¾-hour sunset cruise departs at 7 p.m. from the Grape Street Pier along the Embarcadero on North Harbor Drive. Free on-street parking is plentiful after 6 p.m. and available also after 5:30 p.m. at the County Administration Building across Harbor Drive, said CNMF board member Jim Unger, also vice president, Hornblower Cruises and Events in San Diego. Included in the price are bruschetta and coconut shrimp appetizers, a buffet with a selection of salads, grilled rosemary chicken with lemon-caper cream sauce, roasted Scottish salmon with fennel cream, a vegetarian pasta and desserts of petits fours and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Also part of the event packet is one ticket for the opportunity drawing. Additional tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Peninsula businesses and San Diego museums and attractions have stepped up to the plate with donations for the drawing, said CNMF vice chair DeeAnne Snyder, director of convention services for the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. Prizes will include gift certificates to such restaurants as Bertrand at Mr. A’s, the Red Sails, Maria’s Café, Point Break Café, Point Loma Sports Pub and Grill and the Wine Pub. Other prizes will include several rounds of golf at area courses, certificates for goods and services from the Marine Exchange, Ocean Beach Upholstery, Canvas Services and tickets to many major attractions. All funds raised through the Spring Fling will go toward capital improvements and on-going programs at the Cabrillo National Monument. CNMF, founded in 1956 as a nonprofit cooperating association specifically to supplement federal funding for the national park located at the tip of Point Loma, has raised and donated more than $1.6 million since its founding to assist the park’s public programming. The foundation also operates the park’s gift shop and bookstore to benefit park activities. Among the programs CNMF regularly funds are the Junior Ranger program, the Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Life Festival and the school education program. The foundation underwrites the cost of educational materials for teachers’ use. Recent major projects the foundation supported include the initial designs for construction of the new Whale Watch Overlook, the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters, the lighthouse tactile sculptures for the visually impaired, the conservation and preservation of the park’s photographic collection, tidepool monitoring and a bird banding project. Like all national parks, Cabrillo has suffered from many years of reduced federal budgets and staffing and maintenance cutbacks. The CNMF attempts to fill some of those funding shortfalls. For more event information or to purchase tickets, call (619) 222-4747, or visit www.cnmf.org.
