8 of us climbed aboard this beautiful replica of the World Cup winner sailing schooner under clear blue skies. A Christmas gift for our kids and grandkids, we didn’t know what to expect. Wow, the crew was exceptional (they didn’t introduce themselves by name unfortunately but sans the male captain and his incredible chocolate lab Marie (who alerted us all to whale blow/presence with stellar accuracy), the all women crew made our trip a stunning success. We saw sea lions resting on the naval pier at sunset, chops of cheerful, playful dolphins that came near the boat, leaks, and 3 different kids of whales. It was educational to learn about the ethical approach rules they abide by so as to to interupt migration activity and to respect the whales’ spaces and needs. The sightings of all the animals were a collective effort of crew and passengers, and the sightings were called out for all to see. The ability of the crew to explain terminal dives of the whales set expectations of when to look again for blow and resurfacing.
We learned so much about the harbor activities, navel operations, dolphin training that was done with dolphins who are part of the US Navy, the Naval national cemetery and Mt Carrillo. So much more was seen and experienced than “whales and dolphins”.
The ship is very spacious but there is no padding on the seats provided ( we were given a pad by crew when asked for a family member with back fusion challenges). Water and sodas were provided and later in tour chips, cookies or nutrition bars were handed out. We had packed our lunches and water and enjoyed the very calm waters and brilliant temperatures for 4 hours.
I highly recommend this event with your travels to San Diego. I know you may not get the picture perfect day we had with weather and sightings but I am certain it will be an amazing
Morning or afternoon. Layer and bring jackets to block the wind.