Boats, Girls, and Guns, Oh My!

Today Dad and I took the whaler (a ten foot dingy for the boat) out for a drive. We traveled out of the docks that we were in after filling up and into the ocean. Well, technically it wasn't the ocean since Dad and I were inside the outer breakers, but the waves were far stronger. Anyway, Dad drove the boat over to a small dock nearby the Queen Mary Ship, and we checked out a little mall called the Shoreline Village.
After checking out the docks around that area, we accidentally went into a shallow area. Fortunately we managed to get out with only a little pickup: a jacket that had gotten caught on the motor blades. While Dad and I tried to get the jacket of the motor, I noticed a youn couple either in their late teens or early 20's couple making out on a ledge above us (unfortunately, we were too far away to make cat calls). I personally didn't know that watching people suffer was make-out inducing, but you never know. Anyway, the jacket was finally torn off, and the boat was free.
After traveling to a harbor that had few boats moving (it was a cargo harbor for loading and unloading) Dad let me drive the boat. I would like to say I jumped at the chance, but I kept having visions of Dad and I swimming to shore. Anyway, after a bit of prodding I took the motor and away we went. While driving the whaler certainly wasn't easy, it was a little fun and I enjoyed the feeling of control (at least for the first hour and a half. Driving is hard even in a boat!). Then came the scary part.
Dad and I went over to one last harbor and saw that the U.S. Navy was traveling around that spot. Dad explained that the navy uses part of the harbor for their boats and their might be something docked at the harbor. Curious, I drove us towards the mystery zone. It turned out there was a submarine parked there. However, the navy was really nervous about this submarine, so they were redirecting the boats around five hundred feet from the submarine (with boats that had MACHINE GUNS!). Dad told me I should keep a steady speed while boating by, but I was so nervous and inexperienced with driving, I couldn't keep a straight course at a steady speed. I could practically feel the machine guns pointing at my back! Luckily, the navy must have spotted that I was new at controlling the boat, so they let Dad and I go. Anyway, after a few minutes rest, Dad drove us home. The length of the entire boat ride was about thirty-nine and a third miles!!! I would have to say that was a good day's worth of fun. Anyway, at home I rested, relaxed, and wrote up this blog post.

P.S. Here is the map of where we went. I think the map is pretty conclusive.