San Diego Boat Tours

Today was a momentous occasion! Two couples – all friends – chartered the yacht for their weddings. As an ordained minister, I had the pleasure of officiating for both ceremonies. We got underway about 5 p.m., with Capt. Murf at the helm. First up were Coleen and Berdi.

Berdi had served as a nurse on the Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy, which had just days before arrived back into port to San Diego Bay, so we had their ceremony with the ship serving as an amazing backdrop! The weather, which had been gray and overcast much of the day, complied by clearing up for the event – almost miraculously.

Capt. Murf then navigated over to the Coronado Bridge – the backdrop for Ginny and Carolyn’s ceremony. It was a beautiful evening, and the ceremonies brought tears (of happiness!) to all. Our captain blasted the yacht’s horn after each ceremony, announcing the marriages – turning tears to laughter.

We then cruised slowly around the Big Bay; the newlyweds enjoyed champagne and hors d’ouevres while passing San Diego’s amazing landmarks, including the USS Midway and the Embarcadero with the Star of India, the HMS Surprise, and the Maritime Museum. It was truly a beautiful night.

What a day! It began kind of iffy weather-wise, as the skies were overcast. However, being San Diego, the clouds began to break up as we rounded the kelp beds at the end of the channel and headed north. Three dads and a group of enthusiastic kids took the 2 1/2 hour trip up with WC and me. The moms and countless friends were planning to meet us in front of the Beach and Tennis Club … and they did. We anchored as close to shore as we could get, which was surprising close actually.

Parents and kids of all ages seemed to come out in droves … swimming, rowing boats, paddling on surfboards and boogie boards. Everyone was diving and swimming and laughing. Four hours later, the reality of the next day being the first day of school set in, and the party began to head back to shore.

WC and I pulled the anchor up, and headed south by ourselves. As the sun began to set, we experienced a quiet cruise back to the marina.