From the Pilot House

Sweet Summertime

As the temperatures inch higher and higher and the sky is cloudless more often than not, I find myself with a problem; blindness. While the sun is enjoying its time out and about, my eyes are squinting into nothingness and begging for protection. For all of you with this problem, we've cruised (haha get it?!) around to find you the best of the best sunglasses to keep those peepers safe! And the best part is, they not only look great on your face, uping your "mysterious" vibe, but perfectly complement that casual yacht in the background...

I personally love the classic Ray Ban Wayfarer. So mysterious. You celebrity, you.

Speaking of celebrities...for further sunglasses inspiration check out these studs who recently accompanied us on the Emerald Hornblower in San Diego...

For some more real life inspiration, we've also snagged this gorgeous couple for you off another recent cruise...

Happy hunting!

 

On Your Own Turf

There are few things more exciting than travel. Unearthing a city’s secrets or exploring remote areas brings such adventure to our daily lives, as well as a fresh perspective. As a tourist, one is fully susceptible to the magic of a city, its people, its culture, its identity. We find ourselves willing to try risky foods, stay out all night dancing, and spend hour after hour just walking the streets. We open our eyes and our hearts to the splendor of our surroundings and make enjoying life our first priority.

What we forget is that we don’t have to pack a suitcase or hop on a plane to find adventure. Save yourself the stress of all those travel logistics and experience your city like a tourist. Grab your family and friends, visit all the stops, try something new, and fall in love with your hometown all over again.

Here at Hornblower we work to create experiences so that you can create memories. Whether you’re visiting or rediscovering the magic of your city, let us treat you to an adventure between the sea and the sky. 

The Rise of the Internship

Internships are valuable tools for both interns and employers.  Staffing younger, inexperienced individuals offers employers the ability to get more work done while paying little or no wages, and obtain a fresh new perspective.  For the intern, the opportunity means work experience, a resume builder, and the chance to test out whether you actually enjoy working in a particular field.

These days some universities are requiring undergraduates to amass a certain number of internship hours before they receive their degree.  What was once a fun learning experience is becoming a necessity for many college students to find a job after graduation.  While some object to little or no wages, many enjoy the experience and are optimistic about the effects of real on-the-job experience on their chances for the stable, well-paying job they aspire to.  Hornblower is proud to say that all of its interns are paid, and are often rehired when they reapply for employment

One of Hornblower’s summer interns had this to say about his internship: “In the month and a half I’ve been here, I’ve already learned so much.  Everyone in the office is extremely personable and has offered to teach me something new.  I never thought I’d get the chance to work like this while in college, and I’m really looking forward to the next couple months here!”  Another intern commented as well, saying: “I was required to find a full-time internship my last semester of college in order to graduate. I didn’t know what to expect but was excited to get hands on experience. The Hornblower team made me feel welcome, valued my opinions, and they were great mentors throughout my internship.  It was the perfect chance for me to get real work experience and expand my professional network."

If you are interested in an internship or employment with Hornblower you can search for openings and apply here. 

The 4th of July is Coming up!

The 4^th of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. In present day, this federal holiday is celebrated with parades, barbeques, picnics, carnivals, concerts, family reunions, political speeches and my personal favorite, fireworks! Hornblower cruises are the perfect way to enjoy everything the 4^th of July has to offer!

San Diego has several different cruises available, and there is also a nearby 4^th of July Festival with the world’s largest inflatable water slide!

New York has two Fourth of July cruises on their new sleek yachts, the Hornblower Hybrid and Hornblower Infinity. New York also has a Facebook sweepstakes running for the chance to win two free tickets on their Red, White and Cruise event!

San Francisco, Old Sacramento, Marina del Rey and Newport Beach also offer Fourth of July cruises with fireworks! So come out and enjoy your day off on the water! 

 

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!