More Details of your Dennis Conner America’s Cup Experience

Next Level Sailing » More Details of your Dennis Conner America’s Cup Experience

Tips & Details For A Smooth Experience

 

  • Free Museum Admission

Arrive early and enjoy our host facility the ‘Maritime Museum of San Diego’. Your America’s Cup sailing ticket price includes FREE admission to this wonderful  attraction. You may visit as long as you wish before or after your sail. (Day of sailing only) This is a $14 value. We hope you take the extra time to visit. For more information go to:   www.sdmaritime.org

  • Boarding Time

Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure. Unlike a lot of plane flights we do like to depart on time.

  • Parking

Parking is quite close, but please remember to allow adequate time to park, unpack the vehicle, wait for traffic lights at the cross walk, etc. The furtherest you’ll have to walk is 200 yards. See - Directions & Parking

  • Check-in & Boarding Pass

Check-in for your sailing experience is the Ticket / Information Booth on the footpath immediately in front of the Maritime Museum. As we are essentially an attraction at the museum this is the place to check in. The customer service folks at that booth will have your name/s on our manifest and will issue you a boarding pass and further directions. Our yachts are not easily visible from the street as they are behind the larger museum facility, so even if you are going to take us up on our offer of FREE admission to the museum the folks in the booth will give you all details.

  • What To Wear

San Diego has magnificent weather most of the time but there will be cooler days when we suggest you dress in layers for comfort. You may not need that good outdoor jacket in the summer but otherwise we suggest a jacket or sweatshirt be part of your attire. We have adequate space to store these for you if you don’t need to wear them. Basically just dress for the weather on the day. Please wear soft sole shoes so that you won’t slip on the decks. You will not get wet from waves or other spray so make sure you bring the camera to capture these magic moments.

  • Once On Board

Our professional sailing crew of 3 or 4 will welcome you on board and introduce you to the layout of the yacht, some safety features, where the cold drinks are, what sailing jobs you can participate in and some general history of the yacht that you are sailing upon. Coast Guard safety standards and equipment are presented to you.

  • Getting Under Way

After leaving the dock we only need to go 100 yards or so before the crew will request your assistance to help raise those huge sails. The main sail alone is over 2000 square feet (3 times the size of the average roadside billboard), weighs near 400 pounds and cost over $110,000 when new. You do not have to assist with any heavy lifting as our crew can handle it alone if necessary, but it is all part of the experience and the crew appreciate the help. Many hands make light work.

  • Sailing

Sails are raised, the yacht falls off a little, the sails fill, pressure builds and you are on your way, gliding up the bay in Dennis Conner’s famous America’s Cup yacht “Stars & Stripes”. The skipper asks “who’d like to be first at the helm”? This is where you pinch yourself and start to really take in your surroundings. Over the next 2 hours the crew will entertain you with history, with stories and with dialogue about some of the places you are seeing around beautiful San Diego bay.The skipper will do his best to make sure that all interested guests get their fair turn at the helm and other yacht controls. This is not the time to be shy. Put your hand up when the time comes and remember to have that camera handy.

  • Once In A Lifetime

We are in this business to give our guests the rare opportunity to pitch in and participate in the sailing of these awesome 80 Ft America’s Cup race yachts. For a great deal of our guests this is a “bucket list” thing to do. This is about “bragging rights” back home, and as the America’s Cup is now back in the USA with promotion and momentum building to the next 2013 event, those bragging rights become more valuable than ever. We hope you take the opportunity to pitch in, take a great photograph and leave with a smile on your face.

 

Thank you for sailing with us.

–Dennis Conner