From the Pilot House

The Loooooongest Day of the Year

Today, Wednesday June 20, is the summer solstice.  Ok sure, so it’s the longest day of the year.  Big deal.  Why does it matter?

Like most models you may have seen, our solar system actually lies in one flat plane, for the most part.  However, Earth does not rotate on a vertical axis like a top.  Instead the entire planet is tilted at a 23.5° angle towards the Sun, and rotates on an axis that points directly towards the North Star.  This is why the North Star never moves throughout the night sky, and is directly overhead if you’re at the North Pole.

As the Earth travels around the Sun, some parts are more directly exposed to sunlight than other parts.  This is why it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere when the Northern Hemisphere is in the middle of summer.  Today on the Solstice, Earth’s axis points as much toward the sun as it will throughout its orbit, which for us means the most hours of sunlight throughout the year.  People above the Arctic Circle are at a high enough latitude that they will actually experience daytime for a continuous 24 hours, and in Antarctica there is no sunlight at all!

The orbit of Earth, and all of the planets actually, is not a perfect circle but instead is in the shape of an ellipse, or a special type of oval.  The two Solstices occur at the points on the ellipse when the Earth is farthest from the Sun; since the force of gravity is slightly lessened by this increase in distance, the oceans experience noticeably lower low tides than occur at other times during the year. 

So be sure to pack up your sunscreen and your bathing suit and enjoy the sun while it lasts!  Although today may be the first day of summer, the days will only get shorter from here, so be sure to make them last!

In Honor of Father's Day...

I have a special story to share about my Dad. 

In the second semester of my freshmen year in college, I decided to join a fraternity.  My parents were supportive of the idea, and my Dad, who joined a fraternity in college but never told me anything about the experience or even the name of it, was especially excited.

I’ll never forget the phone conversation I had with him that night; after rambling on about how excited I was to be making this decision and that I knew I had found the right house, his reply was short:  “You know that’s the fraternity I joined in college, right?”  My heart immediately jumped straight up into my throat, and I could hear the smile in his words as he said them.  As excited as I had been just moments before to talk to him about my decision, I now knew without a doubt that it was absolutely meant to be.

So the weeks of pledging went by, and towards the end of the semester we had a large chartering ceremony planned, for the fraternity I chose was new to my campus and hadn’t yet been officially established.  After all of the formal ritual business had concluded, we all gathered with our family and friends to have a celebration cruise onboard the California Hornblower.  Ecstasy doesn’t come close to describing the feeling of seeing my Dad for the first time in months and shaking his hand, knowing we had just become closer than ever before, if that was possible.  I feel as though I stood a little taller that day, knowing that I was taking a step in the right direction towards becoming the good, honest type of man that my Dad has always been.

Oh, and to top it off, fireworks went off as we passed AT&T Park that night after the San Francisco Giants won.

Do you have any special memories onboard a Hornblower Cruise?  Share it with us in the comments or on Facebook!

From the Pilot House?

Ever wonder what the title of our blog actually means?  It may seem intuitive, but the pilot house is a room occupied by the ship’s pilot who controls most of the ship’s operations.  The term is interchangeable with wheel house, and in some cases can also be synonymous with the “bridge”.  But when and how did these terms actually develop?

In the old days of sailing ships, the ship’s wheel was located towards the stern (rear of the ship), behind the ship’s main mast.  When paddle steamers were created, the engineers onboard needed tall platforms from which they could inspect the individual paddle wheels, and from which the captain could have an unobstructed view.  An elevated walkway, or bridge, connected the platforms enabling the engineers onboard to inspect the individual paddle wheels more easily; because the bridge was in the ideal location to command the ship, pilot houses were built to shelter the commanding officers from wind and rain.  The wheel became enclosed in a “wheel house” where the helmsman could steer the ship and issue orders, frequently in the same room as the pilot and captain.

Hornblower Cruises and Events’ corporate office is located on the Ferryboat Santa Rosa at Pier 3 in San Francisco.  Much of the ship, including the bridge, has been converted into office and meeting space.  Although it is permanently anchored here, the Santa Rosa acts as the command center for all of Hornblower’s operations—in this way, you know that all posts on our blog are physically and figuratively coming From the Pilot House…

Celebrating 25 Years with Hornblower

Executive Chef and F&B Director Christopher Schlerf first joined the Hornblower Cruises and Events team in 1987, and has been with us ever since.

Born in Los Angeles, Chris developed an early passion for cooking from his family, which led him to attend and graduate from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.  Mr. Schlerf’s participation in local Hornblower leadership has earned the company recognition from the ‪San Diego Business Journal, ‪Meeting Professionals International and the ‪San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, among others.  Two years ago, Mr. Schlerf received the highly esteemed Gold Key Award from the San Diego County Hotel-Motel Association and the local chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International.

Since joining Hornblower as an executive chef, Chris has worked at nearly all of our ports at one time or another.  As the current Food and Beverage Director for Hornblower San Diego, he continues to help our company remain a leader in the charter yacht industry.  Congratulations Chris, and thank you!

Terry MacRae is honored by The California Travel Association

This past Tuesday, The California Travel Association not only honored Antonette as one of the state’s 30 and Under Emerging Leaders, but also Hornblower founder and CEO Terry MacRae. Terry was given the prestigious CalTravel Award for the Promotion and Advancement of Tourism.

The national award recognizes an individual who has worked to protect, preserve and enhance California’s historical and cultural treasures while also promoting tourism to the Golden State. Terry is just the second professional to earn the tourism promotion and advancement honor.

Terry is an advocate for the tourism industry at the local, state and national levels, serving as a commissioner for the California Travel & Tourism Commission and a director-at-large for San Francisco Travel.

Congratulations Terry, we raise a glass to you and all of your accomplishments!

 

Green Energy on the Open Ocean

Here’s an interesting article about new advances in clean energy being applied to the nautical industry.  The Hornblower Hybrid utilizes solar energy as well as wind power, and is the first commercial ferry to use hydrogen fuel cells too!   The Hybrid is in New York, and is the greenest ship in our fleet.  Do you implement green practices in your every-day life?  Share your sustainable methods in the comments!

Nautical Fun!

Everyone needs some nautical accessories and decorations to bring out the sailor with in. Luckily, with sites like etsy.com, coolmaterial.com, and pinterest.com cool and unique nautical pieces are easy to find. 

Not only does Cool Material have some really cool nautical jewelry they also have other accessories. Such as a mermaid bottle opener and a knot keychain that both women and men can enjoy.

Etsy also has tons of nautical themed items, from rings to house decor. They even have save the date invitations and Iphone covers!

So, next time you are at the mall looking for that perfect nautical accessory to bring with you on a Hornblower Cruise just go home and hit the web! 

Administrative Professionals Day is almost here!

Next week, and specifically next Wednesday, April 25, is set aside to recognize and honor the Administrative Professionals of the world. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of Administration Professionals Day. There are more than 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, and 8.9 million people working in various administrative support roles. These people are the glue that help hold organizations together - from being the gate keeper of the company, to helping ensure that jobs get done right, on time and under budget.

Typically Administration Professional day is celebrated by giving gifts such as flowers, candy, trinkets, or lunch at a restaurant. We at Hornblower Cruises & Events think that’s not enough, to really honor and celebrate everything your Administrative Professional does take them on a Hornblower Brunch or Dinner Cruise. It is the perfect way to show you care!

Hornblower Cruises and Events would like to give a very special thanks to all of the Administrative Professionals who are a part of our team. We couldn’t do it with out you! 

 

Friday the 13th!

Today as many of you know is Friday the 13^th. I have always wondered about this unlucky day, so I did some digging and found some interesting facts about Friday the 13^th.

According to this theory on the origin of Friday the 13^th, it is a modern day combination of two previous superstitions; that thirteen is an unlucky number and Friday an unlucky day making Friday the 13^th a double whammy of unluckiness.Thirteen is seen as unlucky because in numerology twelve is a very important number it is considered the number of completeness. This is reflected in several ways such as: twelve months in a year, twelve hours on a clock, and twelve inches in a foot. Thirteen on the other had is considered incomplete and irregular, making it also unlucky. Friday has been seen as unlucky since as far back as the 14^th century many professions considered Friday unlucky to take journeys or begin new projects. 

 The fear of Friday the 13^th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia and is estimated to afflict 17 to 21 million people in the United States. Some people are so paralyzed by their fear they are unable to do normal day to day tasks like get out of bed.

At least we know we are not alone, some other countries also have certain days they consider unlucky. In many Spanish-speaking countries Tuesday the 13^th is considered unlucky and in Italian culture Friday the 17^th is a day of bad luck.

What do you think of Friday the 13th?

 

Creating an Amazing Experience

Earlier this year Hornblower created Quality Quest, a customer service training program for all the members of the Hornblower family. The goal, or Our Voyage, as we call it, is to Create Amazing Experiences. As part of the program, managers share Amazing Experiences with one another and we’re heard tales of bravery, of resolution and exemplary hospitality. Many of the stories come from our guests following their experience. They will write or call with high praise for the individual or team that made their experience memorable. This Amazing Experience was shared at a recent meeting:

At our Alcatraz Cruises operation in San Francisco we frequently allow people who need assistance to board the vessels first, similar to airlines. We ask those individuals to stand to the side so that we can easily escort them down the gangway. One day over the summer, a woman stood in the pre-boarding area and a deckhand struck up a conversation with her while they waited to board. They chatted about San Francisco, the wacky summer weather and the Alcatraz experience. As the deckhand escorted her a seat on the boat she expressed some concern about not being able to walk to cell house. The deckhand explained that there was a tram designed to help people who have mobility challenges and he would assist her there. The deckhand finished his departure duties and returned to talk to the woman during the short ferry ride to the island. Once they arrived he escorted her off the island and to the tram where he wished her an excellent visit and returned to the vessel.

Later that afternoon the woman happened to return to San Francisco on the same deckhand’s vessel where he again helped her to a seat and she shared with him her joy at visiting Alcatraz. Once back in San Francisco he helped her off the vessel and sent her on her way to enjoy the city.

A few weeks ago a different woman arrived at Alcatraz Landing asking for the deckhand by name. She explained that her mother had visited Alcatraz over the summer and that this deckhand had gone out of his way to assist her during her visit. She went on to explain that her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and that visiting Alcatraz was on her bucket list of activities. The woman had shared with her family her joy at visiting Alcatraz and how touched she had been with the kindness shown her by the deckhand and other crew members. The woman went on to say that her mother had recently passed away, but that her story of Alcatraz and the happiness it brought her had given her family members a sense of peace.

This story reminded us that our jobs here are to create amazing experiences for all our guests, regardless of their (or our) expectations. To some an amazing experience would be a carefully choreographed fireworks show to cap off an evening wedding, to others, it’s a kind work and helping hand.

As we enter the holiday season, we give thanks for our families and friends and from the Hornblower family we wish for everyone a happy holiday season.