The Nautical Brunch : Sunday Morning Dining Goes Down to the Sea--Fine Food and Great Views of Southland Harbors

The food, the drink, the solicitous service, even the tough choices--all of these are routine at any Sunday brunch in any upscale restaurant. But with meals on keels, Matey, you get the expected food and service, plus a short cruise on the briny.

Sunday brunch has gone to sea, sailing from Marina del Rey, Newport Beach and San Pedro; all you need is a reservation and the price of the cruise. And although a cruise with brunch may be offered from other ports, most are open to group charters only.

The size of the ships varies as well as the food and price. One example is the Marina Hornblower, a 200-passenger ship that sails through the Marina del Rey harbor on brunch cruises every Sunday.

Outside her picture windows, which run from forward to aft and protect the middle deck and lower deck from wayward ocean breezes, the meeting of land and water glides by, a continuous panorama of docks, waterside eateries and sailboat masts.

The 79-foot motor yacht is cunningly designed to resemble an old-time steamer and evokes those lazy days of yesteryear. But Hornblower Dining Yachts spokesman Patricia O’Brien recommends that you don’t think of it as a cruise but as “a unique dining experience with exceptional views.”

Granted, the Marina Hornblower does cruise from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. without a real destination, but while she explores the marina’s spiderweb network of channels, the Champagne flows, the coffee and orange juice are constantly replenished and the passengers relax--glad to be temporarily severed from life back on land.

Hearty Welcome

Festivities of Sunday brunch on the Marina Hornblower begin at 10:30 a.m. at Dock 52 off Fiji Way in Marina del Rey. While waiting for the ship to arrive from its nighttime berth in Fisherman’s Village, passengers stand around and eye each other; some wear khakis and tennis shoes, but most dress as if Sundays require more dressy attire.

Upon the ship’s arrival, general manager John McLean swings open the gates and sings out: “Make sure you’ve got your cabin assignments, passports and extra change,” as if the awaiting passengers were going on a long voyage.

You walk the gangplank, but only to greet tall and tan Capt. Larry Brock, who shakes your hand and welcomes you aboard.

The tables are dressed in their Sunday best, with white cloths, silver, china and glassware; they’re a good match for the 1930s nautical style: white walls, varnished mahogany trim, brass fixtures and navy-blue carpets and upholstery.

The stewards scurry about pouring Champagne, and some passengers sit and sip. Others, however, explore, looking out on all sides and climbing up to the open-air observation deck. Here, in the separate VIP lounge, one long table is decorated with balloons and streamers for a family celebrating a birthday party.

The ship glides away from the dock, and soon brunch is announced. On the lower deck, Tom Gregoire, the executive chef, has worked magic in a cramped galley and produced a lavish spread.

The long buffet table is covered with platters of fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, croissants and Danish pastry, pasta salads, cold poached salmon, eggs Benedict, sausage, bacon and potatoes, a roast beef and a turkey. Later, chocolate truffles, cheesecake and other desserts appear.

Eating takes some concentration with so much to see outside. The view from the water is surprising and sometimes unrecognizable. Fisherman’s Village, the bike path, restaurants, the UCLA boat ramp, even bathrobed residents standing on their condominium balconies watching you--all of this looks different when viewed from the yacht.

Finally, the Marina Hornblower heads down the main channel toward the breakwater. If time and weather permit, the ship cruises into the open Pacific for a few minutes, before returning to Dock 52.

For brunch munchers living south of Palos Verdes, there are closer dining cruises. In San Pedro’s Ports o’ Call Village, a more casual Champagne brunch is served every Sunday on the Buccaneer Queen, a 90-foot, square-rigged, pirate-style bark that really sails.

The Queen, owned by Jack Jurian, appeals to those who fancy a woodier environment. Eight years a-building, by Jurian’s sister and brother-in-law who originally planned to sail her to the Caribbean, she is outfitted in dark wood and resin-topped burnt-wood tables with embedded coins, fish hooks and other nautical paraphernalia.

Guests find their own seats on the lower deck or climb to the outside upper deck, where the view is fantastic. Passengers sit on benches on the upper deck, balancing their plates on their laps. The ship sails in the main channel and in San Pedro Bay.

The Queen alternates brunch sailings with the Princess, a paddle-wheeler reminiscent of New Orleans (and a sister ship to the Phoenix, a glass-bottomed boat docked in Catalina).

Newport Cruise

Farther south in Newport Beach, local residents like brunch on the 58-foot Isla Mujeres, owned by Bill Hamilton of the Cannery Restaurant.

For seven years the Isla Mujeres has been taking passengers on two luxury Sunday brunches and on Friday dinner cruises through Newport Harbor, acknowledged to be one of Southern California’s loveliest.

The Isla Mujeres’ competition in Newport Beach is the Pacific Hornblower, which serves a brunch similar to the Marina Hornblower’s.

Of the many ships that serve meals on keels, most are private-charter outfits booking only to groups. This is because commercial harbor cruise ships are like migratory gray whales, tending to follow the seasons.

To stay busy all year, their activities vary: whale-watching cruises from January through March, private-charter dinner and sunset cocktail cruises through late spring, summer and fall, and special banquets on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, Easter and other holidays.

Happy brunching!

Hornblower Dining Yachts, Marina del Rey: The Marina Hornblower’s Champagne Brunch cruise sails each Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Boarding begins at 10:30 a.m. at Dock 52, north and west of the intersection of Fiji Way and Admiralty Way. Adults $29, children $14.50. Reservations are required, must be prepaid and are non-refundable. If space is available, the ship will sell tickets at the dock at sailing time, but be prepared to be refused. Call (213) 401-9900.

The Cannery, Newport Beach: Sunday’s Champagne brunch on the Isla Mujeres is served from 10 a.m. to noon, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person.

From January through mid-November, the Friday-night dinner cruise sails from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. for $39.50 per person. After Thanksgiving and through December, the dinner cruise includes a longer harbor cruise past boats and buildings twinkling with Christmas lights, for $49.50 per person. Prepaid, advance reservations are required. The Isla Mujeres sails from Cannery Dock in front of the Cannery Restaurant, at 3010 Lafayette Ave., Newport Beach. Call (714) 675-5777.

Hornblower Dining Yachts, Newport Beach: The 105-foot Pacific Hornblower offers Sunday Champagne brunches and Friday and Saturday night dinner-dance cruises. The brunch, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., is $29 for adults and $14.50 for children. From January through March, Champagne brunches and whale watching in the open ocean will be combined. The dinner cruises, with a four-course meal and live band for dancing inside and sunset and harbor lights outside, offer a romantic evening. Friday dinner, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., is $49 per person. Saturday dinner, from 7:30 to 11 p.m., is $54. Beverages are not included. Reservations required. The cruises sail from the Lido Village area. Call (714) 548-8700.

Buccaneer-Mardi Gras Cruises, San Pedro: The Buccaneer Queen and the Princess alternate on Sunday brunches, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, for $16 per person. Brunch is served buffet style.

The Queen sails on dinner cruises at 4, 6:30 and 9 p.m. on Saturdays. A barbecue steak dinner and salad bar, plus chili and garlic bread, with hors d’oeuvre and dessert costs $31 per person. Beverages are extra. The brunch and dinner cruises leave from Berth 76, Parking Section 9, Ports o’ Call Village, San Pedro. Reservations required. Call (213) 548-1085.