San Diego: San Diego Sailing (July 2018)



My spouse and I took a 2-hour bay cruise with San Diego Sailing Tours on a Saturday morning in early July 2018. The company offers a 2-hour signature day sail at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, or 3:30 pm for $79 per person (add an additional $10 for the sunset sail time at 6:00 pm). The company also offers a 3-hour sail, private sails, and whale watching (at appropriate times of the year). We reserved and paid for our sail online two days prior to our experience, and we received email confirmation that it was a “go”.

San Diego Sailing Tours owns five restored 36-foot sailboats, each outfitted with mahogany and teak; the vessels are large enough that you can move around a bit if you desire, including below deck to the small cabin and “head” (bathroom). Each sailboat holds 6 passengers (we had 5 on our trip), and we didn’t feel crowded at all. Our captain, Curtis, suggested that we sit on the two raised rear shelf-like seats above the main sunken seating area, and he directed the much younger (not even 21 years old) passengers toward the padded seating on the front of the boat. We felt safe and secure in the capable hands of Curtis since he has sailed all his life, spending decades in Hawaii and travelling elsewhere on boats before relocating to San Diego.

You board the sailboat from the Harbor Island marina, which has a dedicated parking lot (which might be crowded because all the boat owners park there, some of whom live on their boats). The marina parking lot is located between the two Sheraton hotel buildings on the island. Papanani’s Deli/sundry shop is located behind the marina building on the waterside, where you can grab a drink, snack, or forgotten item (like sunscreen) before you board. Although the marina has a restroom, you need a keycard to access it.

Our sail included one complimentary drink (such as beer or wine); additional drinks were $5. Packaged snacks were offered, but we declined. Curtis used the motor until we exited the harbor area, then he hoisted the sails (which he was able to do on his own without assistance from any guest). We quickly learned that 2 hours is not a lot of time, particularly since at least a third of it was spent just exiting/reentering the marina and rounding the lighthouse as we began and ended our sail. With the remaining time, we were only able to sail to the Embarcadero and back, although we did spend some time sailing close to the USS Midway and the other historic ships in the harbor, which was interesting. Next time, we would book the 3-hour sail instead so that we could go farther down the bay. As we were concluding our sail, the winds had stopped; Curtis said that the next group of passengers probably wouldn’t be able use the sails at all. 

We enjoyed our 2-hour sail with San Diego Sailing Tours, but next time, we’ll add the extra hour so that we can sail a bit longer/farther past downtown, Point Loma, and Coronado Island.












































No comments: