As most who are involved in the sailing community are aware that the 34th America’s Cup San Diego just came to a close about a week ago, it is always exciting to recollect the memories and excitement of such an event; and so we want to share with you some of those great memories we had onboard the Aolani Catamaran.

On the Saturday before the America’s Cup San Diego came to an end, the Match Racing Championships took place, with the races starting at 1pm. We arrived at the start line, there mid-San Diego bay, with a front row seat to all the action. That day, a group from France was onboard with us. They spoke little English, but when they were cheering for the French team boat, Energy, you could tell. We had fun cheering on all the boats that day, but were mostly lucky to be able to capture that excitement thanks to our onboard photographer that day, Drew McGill. Drew and I went to high school together, and I knew I could rely on him to get some great shots of the action. I love that every photographer has his or her own style, and with the way Drew uses the lighting he really captures the intensity of race day.

While the Energy team boat didn’t end up winning that day, we were excited to see that Oracle Racing took this years Match Racing Championship.

If your pockets are full and your schedule is open, head on out to Naples, Italy for the next series of America’s Cup Racing April 7-15,2012. To find out more information, click here: America’s Cup Italy 2012

Note: all photos taken by Drew McGill Photography
To see more of Drew’s photos of the America’s Cup races, check out our Aolani Facebook album.

Hope you enjoy the photos, friends! Happy Sailing!
-Lindsay Schwarz

Wow! Talk about an exciting day on the San Diego Bay! If there are a couple phrases we overuse at “work” when we’re out sailing, one of them is “no complaints here” and another one is “there is always somethin’ going on in this bay!”. Today was a perfect example of the latter, hence I’m writing a blog post about it.

So, we had two charters today, both with a sales company that sells legal paperwork to car companies..pretty unique right? Well, 200 of this companies top employees were given a trip to San Diego as well as different options once they got here. The two sails we had today were with many of those employees, and both groups sure chose a great day to go sail because there were quite a lot of photo opportunities.

By the time our second charter of the day set sail we headed straight to the middle of the bay, where the America’s Cup catamarans were out sailing, getting in their last practice before tomorrow’s San Diego America’s Cup Race begins. It’s quite an exciting time for us here in San Diego, as the long anticipated event will begin tomorrow morning, bright and early.

A little history on the America’s Cup: the prestigious trophy is awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup match races. A match race is a race between two yachts. The Cup trophy was originally awarded way back in 1851 by the schooner America. A fun fact about this race: the America’s Cup is the oldest active trophy in an international sport. True story. What’s so exciting about this race is that it is usually held in waters far from here, while this year it will be hosted in the U-S-of-A, right here in San Diego, California and we couldn’t be more excited.

As we sailed through the bay, Coast Guard came alongside us to inform us of our boundaries while the Cup boats were our practicing. We were sure to keep our distance as we watched as a group of 24, most of us with camera in hand. Now that’s a picture I should have captured. Here are a few shots from their last trial day:

After watching the practice runs, we sailed back, near the aircraft carrier #70, USS Carl Vinson, as they were setting up for this evening’s Carrier Classic. This first ever event has just ended, as I write this post, and the North Carolina Tar Heels have just won this one of a kind event- a first ever college basketball game onboard an aircraft carrier- in celebration of Veteran’s Day. With thousands of troops onboard, model and actress Brooklyn Decker, retired professional point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson, and even our President of the United States, Barack Obama, it was quite a night to celebrate.

After sailing as close as we could get to the USS Carl Vinson, it was just about time for us to be heading back to our home port at the Sheraton Harbor Island Marina. As we pulled in, dockside, our guests began to gather near the stern of the boat as they were preparing for their exit, and a gentleman came up to me. After shaking my hand, he says with wide eyes and a dramatic smirk, “must be nice”, and I thought to myself..you know what..it sure is..but here’s the catch, I don’t take a single day for granted. My family has served this nation and my friends currently serve this nation, and for that I am forever grateful.

With that, Happy Veteran’s Day, folks, and I hope to see you out on the water this weekend for the 34th ever America’s Cup Sailing Races.

-Lindsay

Happy Fall to all! The last time we visited our Aolani Catamaran blog page was early February just after Ashley and Drew had taken their leap of faith, in marriage, on our catamaran on a cool but beautiful winter eve. Fast-forward seven months and though much has changed, much remains the same. And with that, let’s get up to date.
It is now early November in San Diego and with our first day of fall behind us, it’s hard to believe that another summer on the Aolani Catamaran has come to a close. Luckily our summer was warmer than last years, wait..did we even have a San Diego summer last year? Either way, not to worry, we’ve always got blankets on board.

This summer was filled with fun, as summer is when we host mainly families onboard the catamaran whether it’s for a snorkel charter up to La Jolla Cove, searching underwater for the bright orange Ghirabaldi, or for a 25th Wedding Anniversary on the boat where we sailed through Glorietta Bay and over by the Hotel Del Coronado, where the couple had first met just a number of years back. This summer we held meetings onboard, sunset dinner cruises, surprise birthdays and even surprise engagements. We’ve celebrated with Retired Navy Pilots who came to celebrate .. well, the fact that they are now retired. We’ve shared laughs with the kids who jump off the boat and into Glorietta Bay , tears with families who lost a loved one as we help spread ashes out in the Pacific Ocean , and even an occasional karaoke song in our main salon room. Just two weeks ago, we held a beautiful wedding onboard with an Indian family who decked out the catamaran in bright yellows, oranges, and pink. We danced with them to the sounds of their bollywood themed playlist, until our cheeks were sore from laughing. What fun we get to share with all of you, and we remember each one. No charter is the same onboard the Aolani, and we cherish that. As long as you are having a good time, then we are too. That being said, we couldn’t imagine doing anything else in the world. We feel blessed to be the only catamaran in San Diego that charters, and therefore want to share it with all of you. So, come sail with us and we will make sure you have the very best of time as San Diego is full of life, and we couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Even now as I write this post here on my computer, dockside on the Aolani Cat, the Navy’s Blue Angels are flying overhead in acrobatic ease as they welcome citizens to the annual Coronado Speed Fest, where vintage cars from across the country come to race on a spectator friendly 1.7 mile course at Coronado’s Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI). There is always something going on in this great city of ours, and we get to experience so much of it from the very bay we sail through almost daily. Whether it be watching the military train in the San Diego Bay, cruising by the Aircraft Carriers, or making a marine life charter out of it and searching for dolphins in the bay, or blue whales a few miles offshore.. there is always something to see, and we want to show you, so again, we would love if you came and sailed with us.

In closing, keeping in mind that we began this business in late 2001, we feel blessed and fortunate as a family to have had the opportunity to share the Aolani Catamaran with so many wonderful people, and to see so many smiles as you leave the vessel with what seems to us like pure satisfaction. Your happiness is ours, as well, and we look forward to many more years to come of sailing with you.

As I recently graduated college to move home to San Diego, the great city that I grew up in, and work on and for the Aolani Catamaran Charters and with my family, I can certainly say with absolute certainty that it is truly good to be home.
I look forward to seeing you, meeting you, and having a great time with you out on the water.

Live Aloha,
Lindsay Schwarz
Aolani Catamaran Crew and Family member

2010 quickly vanished and it’s hard to believe that 2011 is already here. As the new year approached we had time to reflect over the holidays and enjoy our time with family. It was a whirlwind of a year, with an ever changing economy and even the weather, or at least here in San Diego. We’re used to sunshine, so when we see that temperatures have dropped to 45, we get worried. Despite the cold and despite a down economy, we had a successful year that we are grateful for. We had loads of fun, and wouldn’t have had it any other way. We held clients, families, businesses; couples from all over the world. We had weddings and wine tastings, dinners and divorce parties, birthdays and bachelors.

As January 1st rolled around, we decided to sit down as a family and make some New Years resolutions of our own, the main one being that we want to get even better. We want to expand, grow, and get involved. What are your resolutions? What do you hope to do this year? We hope we can be a part of your New Year and we promise that if we are, we’ll be loads of fun.

What a year 2010 was, we can’t wait for what’s in store in 2011.
Cheers,
The Aolani Team

Bruno leaving the Aolani Catamaran

Apart from the various summer sails we had a chance to be a part of, the 2010 San Diego Boat Show from July 22-25 really kicked off our summer.

Located at our home marina, the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel & Marina, we didn’t have too far to go. If you’ve ever been to a boat show, then you can relate to the excitement of it all; the setting up of tents of various companies from West Marine to hopeful yacht brokers such as Sunseeker Yacht Group, to the building of support docks and beams and overhangs, to the hustle and bustle of people going to and from on the dock.

It was an awesome weekend to hang out on the Aolani Cat, where we got to meet people from all over the U.S. who had traveled to San Diego for this years boat show (and weather, I’m sure). We gave many a tour of the boat that weekend, and even had a few charters in between. But, more about that in our next blog!

As sailboats and multi hulls began to fill up the marina, a unique sailboat drew the attention of many- a 36 ft. sailboat known as the Islander 36. This particular boat, named the Intrepid, has caught the attention of eyes around the globe due to the fact that that is exactly where it has been .. around the globe. Now 19 years old, Zac Sunderland, a California native, took on an adventure that many only dream of, and circumnavigated the worlds oceans .. solo, at only 16 years of age. The journey, documented via his blog (Zac Sunderland Blog), took him 13 months and acquired him two world records: the youngest person to sail around the world, and the first person to sail around the world under 18 years of age. As Zac sailed into the Sheraton Harbor Marina with his friends, he was greeted by sailors and spectators, all pining with questions. I was one of them, and hopped on board Zac’s boat to check it out. I don’t know how he did it, that’s really all I can say. What a small space for 13 months of life! I can only give him props, and hope that he has a little more room next time..

Later on we had a chance to hang out with Zac and his friends when they came by the Aolani Cat and talked to him about his journey. He spoke of how he has been sailing his whole life, and was just pining for adventure. We had a great time with him and his friends at this years boat show, and wish him the best in his future ventures.

Not only did I make new friends and check out the latest designs in multi hulls and motor yachts with friends and family, but I also got the summer off to a great start. I love hanging out on the boat, passing the time dockside, listening to stories like Zac’s about pirates and storms; great food and epic surf spots. The boat show was only the beginning of summer on the Aolani…See you guys at next year’s show!

-Lindsay Schwarz, Aolani Catamaran Crew

Click here to purchase Zac’s amazing documentary

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.

It was nearly 9:00AM and the marine layer sat upon the ocean like a thick layer of vanilla frosting. People moved along the Pacific Beach Boardwalk in running shoes, on skateboards, bikes and rollerblades. You would never know it was only nine in the morning in this beach town, as girls and boys dressed up in red white and blue waited in line to get into any pub or bar to watch USA play in the World Cup game. Although the game was a loss for our country, the day itself was rather productive, and it all began with a beach cleanup…

Three times a month, the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter comes together to cleanup our beaches that become overwhelmed with empty bottles, plastic straws, cigarette butts and more. Aolani has supported the Surfrider Foundation for years now, the non profit organization that is dedicated not only to the protection of our oceans and beaches, but also to the enjoyment of them. Because we have a business on the water doing private sailing charters, it is important to us to keep our ocean playground clean and thriving. At a time when roughly 60,000 barrels of oil are draining into the Gulf of Mexico, it seems like a much more difficult task now then ever, making it that much more important to get involved.

And so.. we did. We started with an empty bag, but soon after scouring the sand, the bushes, the parking lots, we had already collected over 450 cigarette butts, and 3 lbs of miscellaneous trash, most of which was plastic. Although this bag of trash is minor in the scheme of things, every bag of trash that is prevented from ending up in our ocean is accounted for and that is what makes our time at a Surfrider cleanup completely worth every second. As a local San Diego business that works on the water every day, it put things into perspective for us as we prevented plastic cups and six pack rings from entering the underwater world we care about so much. As we walked along the boardwalk we began to get irritated. “Why can’t they just put this in the trash?” Lindsay asked (daughter of Aolani owner, Bruno Schwarz). We noticed all the restaurants lining the boardwalk, plastic straws and lids surrounding their place of business. As we realized how easy it is for many to be careless, it suddenly became crucial for us to become more careful. After all, it would be foolish of us to go on doing the same thing, expecting different results. After two hours we gladly recycled our findings, grabbed a “Hold On To Your Butt” bumper sticker (because “beaches and streets are NOT ashtrays”), and left with a feeling of accomplishment. After leaving Crystal Pier, we had already become more aware of each piece of trash we came across. Every cigarette, every cup, every newspaper amongst the hustle and bustle of surfer and observer alike, was noticed. Our eyes were open, no longer ignorant, and we were watching. And we are still watching today, as a Surfrider Foundation Member and proud local business owner of a sailing catamaran that utilizes the wind instead of diesel at all times possible and a company who recycles the bottles and cans that we go through on a given private charter.

Later this day, we had a sailing charter. We took a family out sailing around San Diego Bay and came across a seal sitting on buoy 19. He winked at us as we passed, and we took it as a Thank You, a thank you for preventing even one marine animal from getting caught in another plastic mess, and that is what makes our time cleaning the beach so worth it.
To get involved in a beach cleanup in San Diego, check out Surfrider’s 2010 Beach Cleanup Schedule.

Aloha,
The Aolani Catamaran Crew

Cindy Schwarz of Aolani Catamaran at Surfrider Beach Cleanup

Buoy 19 Seal, picture taken from Aolani Catamaran

Seal Winks at Aolani Catamaran Crew

After a 3 hour charter out in the San Diego Bay and under the sunshine, we can officially say that our guests had a great time today. The weather did not disappoint and neither did the food. Our guests today came with an appetite and left feeling full, thanks to catering by Terra San Diego. Terra has been a loyal catering partner of ours and has never failed to disappoint. Mike Rossman, owner of Terra Restaurant in Hillcrest, San Diego, has been working with us for the past six years- all of which we are grateful for.
Because this particular client had customers on board, he wanted something that could be easily put together for a large group. We have worked with Terra for a long time, and knew right away that their unique Box Lunch would be perfect for this particular occasion. Terra’s box lunch includes a wrap or sandwich, curried pasta salad, fruit and a cookie. More information can be found on our Catering Page.
Last week, the California Restaurant Association’s San Diego chapter hosted its 26th annual Gold Medallion Awards banquet at the Hilton Hotel here in San Diego. This special banquet recognizes local restaurateurs for their innovative concepts, achievements and applications in over 40 categories. While earlier that day Mike Rossman, owner of Terra Restaurant, had brought his famous box lunches by our boat, it came as no surprise when later that night the most notable award of the evening went to Mike Rossman for Restaurateur of the Year. Over 1,000 people attended the event and over $50,000 was raised for our community, some of which will go to a culinary arts program at Morse, San Diego, Mira Mesa and Garfield high schools.
Congratulations on your award, Mike! Thank you for all your scrumptious sandwiches, beautiful buffets and delectable desserts. We look forward to working with you again soon.

To check out Terra Restaurant, click here.

Aolani Owner Bruno Schwarz with Terra Restaraunt Owner Mike Rossman

Last night our crew heard the news that fellow sailor, Abby Sunderland, was lost at sea somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Our first reaction was to pass on the news and keep Abby in our prayers, but we soon found ourselves in silence and at a loss for words. Although the crew on Aolani Catamaran Cruises has put in their hours, none of us have a story like Abby’s; a story worth writing about.
Abigail Sunderland is a sixteen year old “cleancut, All-American Girl” as her parents describe her. When Abby became a teenager, her goal became her focus. While most teens would be content with their goal of acing an exam, scoring a goal during a soccer match or getting the person of their dreams to ask them to winter formal, Abby was intent on making history as the youngest person, female or male, to circumnavigate the globe…alone.
In January of this year, Abby left Marina del Ray, up the coast from us in California, and embarked on a journey she would never forget. Although there were to be obstacles, Abby had prepared for this trip for months and there was nothing that was going to get in her way…until yesterday.
Rewind to about a week ago and you will find Abby describing her location as “the middle of the Indian ocean”, where 20 foot waves reside and moderate winds of 20-25 knots prevail. It seemed as if Abby knew what was ahead, for she spent most of her day patching up the sail, troubleshooting her Thrane & Thrane Internet system and checking for leaks. Because Abby is set up with the latest equipment, she is constantly monitoring the weather and therefore knew to get ready for stronger winds.
Fast forward to yesterday, June 10, 2010 and you will find a post from Abby’s parents. They had spoken to her that morning while helping troubleshoot her engine so that her systems could be recharged. As the satellite phone went in and out, they lost contact with Abby and were waiting to hear back from her when an unexpected call from Australian Search and Rescue came in, reporting a received signal from Abby’s emergency beacon (EPIRB), a beacon that was first thought to be automatic but with further investigation was found to be manual. Due to this find, Abby’s parents began working with American, French and Australian Search and Rescue authorities to coordinate the use of ships to begin her rescue efforts. As her parents quickly reminded us that Abby has all the equipment she could possibly need to survive, we still cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to go through such an adventure. Although we are not sure what exactly happened out on the seas yesterday somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean , we do know that there were winds of up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. Because Abby wrote in her very first blog post that 8 knots was “nice (and very fun) ”, we can only imagine what she must have felt as gusts reached 60.
1 knot=1.151 mph
Late last night as our thoughts were turned to Abby and her family, we received another update on her blog from her parents that Australian Search and Rescue had arrived on the scene, and that Wild Eyes (her boat) was “upright but her rigging is down”. Abby was able to communicate via radio and reported that she is fine.

As Aolani is about to set sail this morning on yet another great charter, our thoughts will turn to Abby as we comfortably sail through the San Diego Bay and out past the tip of Point Loma, not taking a single moment or gust of wind for granted.

Abby, we wish you all the best. You have seen more and accomplished more than many of us will do in an entire lifetime, that is what makes you worth writing about.

Calm Seas and Warm Winds,
The Aolani Catamaran Crew

Follow Abby and her journey on Wild Eyes (her boat) here.