As of this morning, Thursday May 10, there are 58 days left in the campaign to assist in fundraising the making of “MURPH: The Movie”, and so with just two months to go, we want to encourage you to get in on this project and support this soon to be documentary that will honor the epic life and story of Navy SEAL Lt Michael Patrick Murphy, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor but arguably, most importantly, an extremely driven and faithful friend, family member, and teammate.

Why are we, as a family and company, supporting the funding of this documentary? The answer may be simple though its roots are deep. We believe and support the determination of Lt Murphy’s life, his time served on the SEAL teams, and his fundamental passion in fighting for the country he loved. Political views and judgments aside, for this documentary is not about war or an individuals views on the subject, it is instead and more importantly being created not only because his story is epic, but because it is important that his story is shared with those who don’t yet know it, for it’s a story of selflessness and strength, and a great reminder of how this country became so epic in the first place; because individuals like Lt Murphy stepped up to the plate to make things happen, and that’s what the American spirit is all about.

As a small family owned business (well, hey, we don’t like to think of ourselves as that small but..), we appreciate stories like that of Murphy’s, because we’ve taken risks too, and though our stories have absolutely no comparison to his, they are of the same ideal and same ambition; the ideal that life is what you make of it, and Dad’s famous quote that “life is about the journey, not the destination”. If it weren’t for pops and his determination, our business would not exist and I would not be writing this. If it weren’t for people like Lt Murphy and the spirit that he held, our country wouldn’t be as great as it is so proudly claimed, for individuals like Murphy are what make this country strong. We are given a unique freedom here, often taken for granted; yet not by Murphy and not by those serving the country they believe in. Actions speak louder than words, I always say.

Therefor, political agendas aside, what we support is the character of this epic individual who willingly chose to give his life in the name of others, and in doing so, was awarded the United States military’s highest decoration, The Medal of Honor, for his actions in 2005 during the War in Afghanistan; the first member to receive the award in the United States Navy since the Vietnam War. Murphy served on the SEAL teams, also hitting home for us (literally), as we reside in Coronado, CA –the very place these boys are trained. We see some continue forward in their careers, and some move on to other paths, but what we see over and over again is the drive and determination to do more, and that is admirable in any facet of life – career or plain existence.

So, as the fundraising has begun for the making of this documentary titled “MURPH: The Movie”, we want you to know that we contributed, we support it, and we think you should, too; because this is the epic story of one persons life, and if one person can have such a profound affect .. we can all learn something in knowing just how.

That’s all for now, guys. Thanks for reading – feel free to leave us comments and feedback – we read each one. Special thanks and shout out to our troops who so selflessly serve each day.
You inspire us.
-Lindsay

To find out more information on the project and how to support the fundraising of “MURPH: The Movie” – click on this link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/MURPH-TheMovie

Current update from Producer and Director Scott Mactavish, Co-Producer Gary Williams, and Producer and Editor Dave Brown: “We’re funding the early stages of the film internally. We will soon move into the production and post-production phases and our expenses will grow exponentially, including but not limited to administration, travel, location shoots, editing, music, titles, effects, etc.”

Video clip provided by United States Navy:

Note: Aolani Catamaran Sailing provides 10% Military Discount on all charters

May snuck up on us early last week and we didn’t hesitate a minute in making sure we were out on the water when it did. Last week we had several charters, but mostly with NAPA Auto Parts. NAPA (National Automotive Parts Association) was created more than 85 years ago, with over 6,000 stores nationwide. The top owners of these stores were invited out to San Diego to relax, recoup, and simply be appreciated. Amongst other adventures, NAPA’s top sellers were invited aboard Aolani Catamaran Cruises for a two hour bay sail. So, over the course of last week, we held several two-hour San Diego harbor sails and because of all the time we spent on the water, we have plenty of pictures to share…

Our first sail last week departed from Fifth Avenue Landing, a 12-slip “boutique San Diego superyacht marina and transient berthing facility” just right across from our San Diego Convention Center downtown. Being that this dock is so convenient to the location of downtown, our guests requested a pickup here so that after exploring the downtown Gaslamp Quarter, they could simply walk across the street and hop aboard for a day sail. Life is good. The picture below was taken just before our first charter that morning, at Fifth Avenue Landing, just as the sky began to clear after we chased them away.

It was perfect timing; after the clouds cleared and our guests jumped aboard, Captain Jesse gave the “Captain’s speech” and then we were ready to go. Right as we got out of our slip, we hoisted the sail then headed north through the bay toward the USS Midway, now a museum for those interested in stepping onboard a different kind of boat – an aircraft carrier. As we passed the San Diego skyline, we noticed a ship headed our way, into the harbor. As it neared, we noticed it was the USS Princeton (CG-59), a guided missile cruiser headed back to its port at 32nd street. This ship is armed with guns and missiles for surface to air, surface to surface, and anti-submarine warfare. There are also two Seahawk helicopters on her deck .. wish we could say the same!

As the ship made its way past us, everyone waved to the sailors on deck.

The USS Princeton was actually out training that day, the same day the Navy’s large-scale training exercise “Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield” occurred. We got to witness the training that day as we sailed along the bay, which included pyrotechnics, explosions and even gunfire – all mock, but still exciting. We spotted the Coast Guard boats out on the water; some of the guys onboard were in full uniform because of a movie shoot scheduled for that day. Due to the recent success of Act of Valor, other movie producers have decided to jump on the bandwagon and therefor have been filming US Navy Seals in action in our bay and off the coast of Point Loma. Throughout last week we witnessed Navy rhib boats come and go throughout the harbor, as filming took place – the same time as their training exercises. It was an exciting time out on the water, as usual, to say the least.

To read more about the Navy’s “Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield” training exercises last week, check out this blog post from the Military Times:
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/scoopdeck/2012/03/23/its-just-a-drill-uss-princeton-target-in-mock-attack/

During the sail, Captain Jesse was posted up in the helm station – not a bad view for an office, right?

It was another awesome week sailing in the San Diego Bay – we couldn’t have kicked off May in a better way. Forget “May gray June gloom” – we know those clouds clear out, it isn’t called “Sun Diego” for nothing!

‘Til next time!
Aloha,
Lindsay