Our beloved Yawl JADA has hosted it all this Covid summer from birthday parties and wedding celebrations to family reunions. On a 3 hour tour, our guests decide which course to take. San Diego Bay offers the worlds largest bait barge with marine life encounters, navy ships and home to one of the finest Maritime Museums in the world. A turn around at the Coronado bridge has us tacking our way back to port. Some may want to go beyond the bay, sailing out past Point Loma to the beautiful views of the deep blue Pacific ocean. With downtown at our backs and the Mexico Islands on the horizon, we let you Captain your own ship. Sail Jada for the historic adventure of being a sailor and using the wind and compass as your guide. We are here to share our passion for sailing and welcoming you aboard the magnificent sailing yacht JADA!
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.
We’re about to enter our second full season of whale watching adventures in San Diego. Last year we were able to spot and sail with whales on nearly every charter. There was one outing where we didn’t spot whales, but we did cruise along with a small pod of dolphins. We see a variety of sea life on every charter. The most common are birds and sea lions. We make it a point on most outings to cruise by the bait barges where there are usually dozens of sea lions lounging in the sun. We will be doing whale watching tours every Saturday beginning in January and running through March. Please see our calendar here for all of the dates and times. You can click on the date / time of any outing and get more details about the tour. We hope that you and your friends can join us soon for one of these exciting adventures!
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sail Jada Charters LLC Receives 2016 San Diego Award San Diego Award Program Honors the Achievement SAN DIEGO May 18, 2016 — Sail Jada Charters LLC has been selected for the 2016 San Diego Award in the Tours & Excursions category by the San Diego Award Program. Each year, the San Diego Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the San Diego area a great place to live, work and play. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2016 San Diego Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the San Diego Award Program and data provided by third parties. About San Diego Award Program The San Diego Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the San Diego area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. The San Diego Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy. SOURCE: San Diego Award Program
Last Saturday gave us a break in the previously rainy weather, and was mostly clear and not too chilly. The seas were a bit rough, but everyone stayed dry as we headed out looking for gray whales just off Point Loma. We were not disappointed, as less than an hour into the voyage we spotted three whales only a few miles offshore. We stayed with them for quite awhile and got lots of great pictures. Here you can see much of the back of one of these amazing mammals as he / she (I can’t tell!) blows air and some water vapor, getting ready to take another breath and dive again. This is a very nice picture with the San Diego skyline visible behind the whale. Shortly into the viewing of the first three whales, two more joined the group and traveled in the same direction. Here are a few more pictures from this outing: This whale is preparing to dive a bit deeper into the water. How do we know this? Well, prior to a deeper dive the whales arch their back more and often show their tail as they angle more steeply down. Here’s another whale thoughtfully positioning herself so as to frame downtown in the background. The wind was not real cooperative during the whale watching portion of the tour, but we were able to spend some quiet time sailing on the way back in. see our calendar
It’s been said that a change of perspective can change your life. Life on the water surely affords such a change, and while a three hour champagne sunset cruise on JADA probably won’t change your life (though we’d like to think it would!), it can definitely break you out of your terrestrial ennui. Life on land is boring! Step aboard JADA for a sunset cruise, and leave, literally, the world behind. Well, at least the part that isn’t covered by water. A sailboat like JADA can take you places you’ve never been, literally and figuratively. JADA’s sunset cruise will afford you a perspective on San Diego you never thought possible. Gaze across the bay at a long phalanx of San Diego skyscrapers, a testimony to the inexorable march of progress, and realize that you, suddenly, are not a part of it. You’re on a sailboat, far away. Miles of raw ocean separate you from the hustle and bustle, the traffic jams, the crowds. You can reach out and pinch the One America Plaza between your fingers. Hold out your hand and have a friend take the obligatory picture of you holding the entire city on your palm. Even better, recline on the deck and let one of JADA’s expert hosts serve you what they describe as “light snacks” but in reality could be half a dinner. Gourmet cheeses on a variety of crackers, chicken and apple sausage bites, thin sliced cucumber with a delicate swirl of cured salmon. The champagne, wine and beer are part of the package, as well, and they flow freely. Sail around for a bit and as the sun sets, Captain Dave and his crew will take you on an up-close and personal visit to some of the harbor’s most interesting sites: the USS Midway, the Star of India, the USS Ronald Reagan, the HMS Surprise and the last remaining Swift Boat on the planet (hey, John Kerry! Are you listening!?), are part of the tour. Captain Dave and First Mate Gene have an encyclopedic knowledge of all these things, and their narratives, alone, are worth the price of admission. As you ease back into the dock and rejoin terra firma, there will be a letdown, I assure you. You have to release yourself from the freedom of the sea and return to the struggles of the land. Cars, traffic, crowds. But don’t worry! JADA will always be here to take you away again!
JADA is hands down the BEST sailing charter service in San Diego with a strong reputation for high quality and safety. As a growing company based in Encinitas, we chose sailing as our quarterly team event to celebrate our recent success in “shoring up to set sail” as a team, as well as a company, and to reward everyone with a chance to just relax together while enjoying the unique scenic beauty of San Diego. JADA provided us with the perfect team building experience to help us reconnect as a team and navigate to the next level as a company. And we have the pictures to prove it! After researching the various options for our company’s quarterly team celebration, we chose JADA because they are known for helping companies rejuvenate and forecast success. And they certainly did all of that and more for our team! Carole, the owner of JADA (as well as her team), is warm and inviting, and goes above and beyond to ensure a smooth sailing experience for all. From the very first phone call, she was welcoming to any accommodations we might need, including hectic schedules and staying within our event budget while maintaining a high quality experience for everyone. Each interaction was pleasant and reassured me that the event would be exactly what our team needed. Carole and her team are extremely organized and really allow their guests to de-stress and enjoy a positive feel-good vibe. The entire JADA team treats each guest like family, which is yet one more quality that sets them apart from other charter services. We were so impressed by all the ways that they accommodated us. They even supported our company’s healthy lifestyle with a variety of snacks and beverages, including vegan and gluten-free options. In addition to the world-class treatment we received from the JADA team, our sailing experience in general was absolutely amazing. The day was perfect with sunny skies, calm waters, and the safety of the only Coast Guard approved charter service for groups of our size, which was great for our team of 30 people! They even arranged for team photos, which included a variety of fun hats and props, and sent them to us the very next day. As the captain set sail, he pointed out various attractions and shared insightful history about the different locations throughout the tour. We had a first-hand look at the military dolphin training, which included a few quick “shows” as we waved from the sailboat; and we even saw various animals in the wild throughout our expedition! The overall experience could not have been better for our team, and everyone has already asked to schedule another team sailing event with JADA. So if you’re looking to hit the reset button for yourself or your team, a sailing event with JADA is the perfect way to sail on to success. Your sailing experience will leave everyone happy, joyful, and refreshed. You, too, will create picture perfect memories to keep forever.
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
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.