August 2011 issue features and article all about sailing on the west coast and listed Sail San Diego as favorite charter company in San Diego!

Did you know that 1 knot is equal to about 1.15 mph?

Set Sail (pgs 68-75, Aug. 2011 issue) outlines different kinds of charter boats most often used in sailing charters along the west coast and gives you a primer on the basics of sailing.

Sail San Diego is featured in Sunset’s “Favorite charter companies” section of the article!

So go out and grab a copy of the magazine and get out sailing!

Why not give them a day on the water with Sail San Diego!

When we send a certificate we give them the choice- they don’t need to decide right away.

• Adventure Day Sailing
• Beautiful Sunset Sailing
• Whale Watching

We can also sell certificates for private lessons.

We sail for three-hours on beautiful 40′ Catalina’s.  This boat will comfortably seat up to 12 guests but we only take 6 guests at a time.  Our focus is small intimate groups and if your recipient wanted to combine a certificate, they can add on more people.

We stock the boats with all of the complimentary beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and a variety of snacks to enjoy while under sail.  The boats are stocked with all of the extra jackets, blankets, hats, wind-gear, sunscreens, sunglasses, binoculars and much more!

These certificates do not have an expiration date and are sent out the day they are ordered.

Pricing:  $85.00 per person and $4.95 for shipping and handling.

Gift wrapping  options available .

Study: Happiness Is Experiences, Not Stuff

If you’re trying to buy happiness, you’d be better off putting your money toward a tropical island get-away than a new computer, a new study suggests.

The results show that people’s satisfaction with their life-experience purchases — anything from seeing a movie to going on a vacation — tends to start out high and go up over time. On the other hand, although they might be initially happy with that shiny new iPhone or the latest in fashion, their satisfaction with these items wanes with time.

The findings, based on eight separate studies, agree with previous research showing that experience-related buys lead to more happiness for the consumer. But the current work provides some insight into why.

Among the reasons:

• People are more likely to mull over their material purchases than they are experiential ones, second-guessing themselves about whether they really made the best choice.
• We tend to think of experiences more on their own terms, rather than in comparison with other things.
• It’s easier for us to decide on an experiential purchase than a material one.
• We’re more upset if we learn that someone else got a better deal, or that a better option exists, for a material purchase than for an experience-related one.

Satisfaction with a purchase could also come down to mindset. When participants in one study thought of material purchases, such as a music CD, as an experience (many hours of enjoyable listening), they were more satisfied than those who viewed the purchase as just a material item.

In another study, 142 participants were asked to think about either a material or experience-related purchase they had made that cost at least $50. Then, they answered questions about: how difficult the decision was to make; how concerned they were that they made the right choice; and how satisfied they were with the purchase initially and at present.

The people who thought of a material purchase were significantly more likely to report feeling concerned about the buy and less satisfied with their choice at present than those who had recalled an experiential purchase.

A third study involved 164 participants who were asked how they felt about a hypothetical situation in which they had made a purchase, but later found out that other, superior choices existed. They imagined either buying a material good, such as a wristwatch, laptop, MP3 player or a pair of jeans, or an experience, including a meal at a restaurant, a movie viewing, a New York City show, or an island vacation.

Subjects who imagined a material purchase were more likely to be disturbed by the availability of better options, and in turn, reported diminished satisfaction with the buy, than those who imagined an experiential purchase.

And participants were more likely to be jealous of a rival’s superior purchase if the item in question was a possession rather than an experience.

Since materials are more easily compared with other things than experiences are, material buys bring more concern and less happiness than experiential ones, the researchers from Cornell University say.

The results were published in the January issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Couple on the bow at sunset

I can steer for no other place

a mean gale blowing across my face

High winds save me, I require the breeze

The Sun breaks the clouds, but it’s only a tease

Life could seem so easy on the corporate tack

…But even my 5th hurricane won’t turn me back

It must be a Mexican island, in the distant horizon

But the expansive waters I see, feel like heaven to me

I don’t care when ocean wants to play rough

Just a little, even more, is never enough!

So we start next year hunting  the gray whale

Not for oil or food, But for the sight of her tale

As we slip silently in the ocean, full with sail

We could just continue heading south, sneeking some Ale

alas we can not, with a the sea sick client puking in our pale.

Father’s Day Cruises- June 15^th to 17^th

Give Dad the perfect day on the water!

Sail San Diego has so much fun hosting Father’s on this special weekend!

This year, Sail San Diego will stock the boat with special micro-brews and special snacks for all of our fathers to enjoy!   This is a great gift and a wonderful way to spend time together.  He can sit back and relax or play the role of Captain.

This was one large Gray Whale

This was one you had to see to believe. This Gray whale was all of 44 ft long  and had no trouble lifting this monstrous tail out for a deep deep dive. Moving at around 5-6 knots showing no fear and un-bothered by the crowd around him. Staying down for 7 minutes in between breaths. Quite a sight to see!

Don’t buy Her/Him a present that will be forgotten this time next year. Give them an experience they will appreciate and is thought of fondly as time goes by.

If you’re trying to buy happiness, you would be better off putting your money toward a sailing get-away than jewelery or a material object, a new study suggests.

The results show that people’s satisfaction with their life-experience purchases — anything from seeing a movie to going on a lavish vacation — tends to start out high and go up over time. On the other hand, although they might be initially happy with that shiny new iPhone or the latest in Fashion, their satisfaction with these items wanes with time.

The findings, based on eight separate studies, they agree with previous research showing that experience-related buys lead to more happiness for the gift receiver.And if the receiver is happy then the giver will be happy too. Especially if your joining them on the sail ;-}

The whale uses its snout to forage by dislodging tiny creatures from the seafloor. It then filters these morsels with its baleen (a comb-like strainer of plates) in the upper jaw. A piece of gray whale baleen, also called whalebone, is about 18 inches (46 centimeters) long and has a consistency much like a fingernail. Whalebone was once used to make ladies’ corsets and umbrella ribs.

Like all whales, gray whales surface to breathe, so migrating groups are often spotted from North America’s west coast. These whales were once the target of extensive hunting, and by early in the 20th century they were in serious danger of extinction.

Today gray whales are protected by international law,  their numbers have grown. In 1994, the gray whale was removed from the United States endangered species List.

A special thanks to 2 of our guest(Onno and Cynthia) from January 23rd trip for the very nice images!!

The free event offers a wide variety of interactive and hands on displays to spark the interest and imagination of any child including a walk-through whale, live sea creatures, face painting, art projects and a bounce house. Enjoy onsite music and a “Concert for Whales” featuring Eve Selis and her band from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm.

There will be chances to win free whale watching trips and much more. Come by our booth and say hello!

Don’t miss out on this popular event and all of the festivities on the Big Bay in January.