Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
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Experiencing San Diego’s best Whale Watching Charter

Today isn’t the first time I’ve been on a sailboat, but it’s the first time to be on one with such a colorful history. JADA, docked at the Sheraton Marina on Harbor Island, is a 65-foot survivor. The only authentic classic wooden sailing yacht for charter in San Diego, She was built in 1938 as a graduation gift for a not-so-wayward son. $28,000 at that time translates to over $3 million to recreate her today. Greats like John Wayne, Bogart and Bacall (while they were having an affair and barred from the yacht club) walked her decks. She’s no sissy either. Built to race to Hawaii and beyond to Tahiti, she’s not tethered to the Pacific shores of California. She’s even weathered a major hurricane. A sailboat cutting through calm water in the harbor is a weightless experience. Silent. To be on the water, spirited only by the wind is extraordinary. If only the marine layer hadn’t staggered around the horizon and clung to land like a drunk without a jacket, I wouldn’t have needed mine. It dropped the temps to chilly. I sought sunny spots on the deck to stay warm and watch for whales. The crew served snacks, offered sea-sick meds to those in need, sunscreen, beer, water, sodas and white wine. I stayed with water, no need teasing the digestive tempest that a wake-crashing sail boat could awaken. The enthusiastic crew took turns telling the history of Naval operations on Coronado, Top Gun take offs, the whales and dolphins which the military trained near Point Loma. I had wondered why they trained these ocean mammals and would never, ever have guessed they made guards out of these warm-blooded vertebrates. They train them to scour the harbor and detect deep water divers or mobilized intruders that threaten the military installation. I’d never considered an underwater attack approach threat, but divers, submarines and smaller depth craft could be as destructive as the bombers that leveled Pearl Harbor with today’s technology. Once we were on the high seas beyond the bay, our whale watch began in earnest. A marine biologist was aboard as part of the crew and made their migration into an engaging story. Because of her, I saw the white spots on the whale’s back not as psoriasis, but scars left from the barnacles that lived until they died there, to become crumbs along the migration trail’s ocean floor.   It is stirring to hear a whale breathe, see the spray, feel its exhale, watch its fluke wave as it dives deep. Unleashed power on a south bound migration. We passed by several whales and I was proud the crew didn’t turn the boat and chase them.  JADA is a class act. Carole, the owner, visited with us, told stories and topped off a fascinating day aboard a legend of the seas. A day of adventure, interesting people, places and things can be experienced on your own.  Don’t stay at home unless you truly want to.  I didn’t board or disembark JADA with a date, but it was a wonderful experience I enjoyed as JADA herself became my date. Even if dementia melts it away one day, I will have savored the encounter.

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Testimonial: Best Sailing Charter In San Diego

I went aboard the JADA this last Monday for a sailboat charter just before sunset. Knowing that the JADA was the only classic all-wooden yacht available for charter in San Diego, I envisioned being taken back to how it would’ve been to sail on a sailboat in the 1940’s. For being over 70 years old, JADA was in great shape. The crew were all nice and the captain was very informative on the San Diego bay and its history. The JADA has to be one of the best private yacht charters around. I highly recommend trying this! And the best part of all is that you don’t have to do anything on the JADA but eat and drink! All kinds of snacks and beverages are brought to you by the crew so you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. If you like to be catered to this is definitely the right place. The JADA has to be one of the best private yacht charters around. I highly recommend JADA for anyone who is wishing to sail San Diego. The view of San Diego aboard the JADA is unreal. – Oscar, SD

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San Diego Bay Sailing Experience

Here’s a sequential description of what you’ll see on a charter with us. After we leave the dock we raise sails as we motor out of the marina basin. Once the sails are up, we turn off the motor and glide smoothly over the water on our way to the first few sites of interest. First we cruise by the largest bait barges on the west coast where there are always lots of sea lions basking in the sun, along with sea birds including cormorants and gulls. Right after that we sail past the US Navy submarine base and see one or more submarines and sometimes the dolphin training vessels. If we’re real lucky we’ll see some dolphins being trained. Next we turn down the bay and go past any number of military ships (depending upon which ones are in port). Often we see aircraft carriers and destroyers. We’ll cruise across the bay with a great view of the landmark Coronado bridge on our way over to the aircraft carrier Midway, which is now a museum with over a dozen vintage aircraft parked on the deck. Right next to that is the historic maritime waterfront with the San Diego Maritime Museum and a flotilla of historic and famous vessels, including the Surprise from the movie Master and Commander. We are sure to point out all of these sites to guests and share points of interest. *Please note that depending upon wind direction and speed that our route and therefore the sights will vary.

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Sail The Yacht Jada

As a yacht charter company we often get asked for a bullet point list of what we do. Any special occasion, is even better aboard Jada. Corporate groups enjoy sales rewards, executive outings, team building and more. Families often celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other events. Following is an overview of our charter experience and some of the highlights about charters: Comfortably accommodates up to 25 people (seated) Team building events are available Charters include nice snacks of veggie platters & cheese and crackers A variety of catered meal upgrades are available Drinks include Hansens soda, beer and wine The average charter is 3 hours San Diego Bay or Ocean sailing available, depending on conditions

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