Having a private charter boat in San Diego, much of our business derives from conventions that are in town, local businesses, as well as weddings. However, summer in San Diego is filled with families, many of who are visiting San Diego and want to get to know the city from a different perspective. It is a special treat to have a family aboard our boat that wants to soak up the San Diego sunshine and enjoy some quality downtime, 30-knot winds and all.

As the sun began to heat up the cement-covered docks, it was beginning to feel as though you could truly fry an egg on the ground beneath your feet. The San Diego sun has sure been shining these past few days, and we have been enjoying every minute. Although we truly have a great time on every sailing charter, yesterday was a pleasure for the Aolani team as we welcomed aboard a family of four whose only requests were great Mexican food and a jump in the water! Four towels and a call in to El Indio’s Mexican Food located on 3695 India Street in San Diego made that happen.

As we left the front dock at the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel where the Aolani is located and after having raised the sails, we headed straight to the bait docks where the harbor seals tend to hang out for obvious reasons (bait). They barked at us as we passed, reminding us that this was their dock, naturally.

Taking pictures at the Bait Dock

San Diego Harbor Seals on Bait Dock

Because the bait dock is close to the entrance of San Diego Harbor, we decided to sail out past the tip of Point Loma and the Point Loma Lighthouse, where we were unexpectedly greeted with high winds of around 30 knots and choppy ocean waters. It made for a great background as the family snapped pictures, but not for long as the winds became stronger. As we jibed to starboard tack to head back into the San Diego bay, we noticed a familiar ship entering the harbor right along side of us, the USS Nimitz supercarrier. Commissioned in 1975, the USS Nimitz is the first ship in the NIMITZ class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers.

Family stands in front of USS Nimitz on the Aolani Catamaran

With a length of 1,092 feet (332.85 meters), the carrier was easy to recognize as we began to wave and welcome back the crew from a successful sea trial. Aolani Owner, Bruno Schwarz, even blew the conk shell as we passed. Helicopters covered the skies as the carrier made its way back into homeport, and it was turning out to be quite an exciting day. The best part was, it wasn’t over just yet.

After sailing past downtown’s San Diego skyline, we continued south to Glorietta Bay where we could anchor and swim for a while. The water was refreshing as the family jumped in, as they made their way to the beach area where they could relax in the sand on Coronado Island.

Family sitting on Coronado Island Beach after swimming from Aolani Catamaran

Swimming in Glorietta Bay with the Aolani Crew

It was turning out to be quite an eventful day. We even saw a black jellyfish, one of many who have been making recent news for being in rare abundance in San Diego bay. To learn more about the rare occurrence, you can check out the recent LA Times article on black jellyfish in San Diego bay.

After four hours out in the harbor and under the beating sun, it was time to head back to the dock. As we reflected with the family on the day’s events, we came to the conclusion that it was action packed and yet another beautiful day on the San Diego bay. It made it even better that we could share San Diego and all it has to offer, with a family from out of town who appreciated it as much as we do.

To see more photos from this particular charter, check out our July 16th Family Charter album on Facebook.