Great trip with a very friendly crew - safety and comfort conscious…read more We were on the racing yacht, sailing with only the jib (front sail) - while it cruised along pretty well (and smoothly) in good wind with just the one sail, I'd have liked to use the main sail and seen what she could do, but we had a few members who were beginners and worried about getting seasick. So I understand the captain for playing it on the safe side. Not cheap for 3 hours, but then sailing isn't a cheap pastime. Everyone had a very nice time, even the beginners (who didn't get seasick).

Five family members gathered in Sausalito to bid our final farewells to my brother Lanny. His son…read more(my nephew) and I researched the services available for this need, and we feel very lucky to have found Captain Kirk's. Every detail was handled with utmost care and sensitivity. Our captain, Rowan, was personable and pleasant, and gave us space to say goodbye as we needed. I know Captain Kirk's couldn't control the weather, but if they did, it couldn't have been a better day. Beautiful sunshine, the water was sparkling, and our loved one had the send-off he wanted. Many thanks to everyone at Captain Kirk's for a pretty much perfect experience. We highly recommend them for anyone looking for a comfortable and sensitive voyage when scattering a loved one's ashes in the Bay.

Boy did we luck out. This was part of a 40th birthday present for my husband and it was absolutely…read morethe stand out, highlight of our day. First off, the people - Lisa, her husband (the captain) and her steward are some of the kindest, most helpful humans you'll ever meet. They are also incredibly professional. The process, from booking to good byes, was incredible simple. Now the yacht itself. Wow. She was definitely one of the bigger yachts on the harbor which had my family incredibly excited. We got a beautiful yacht, Lisa checking in and serving us, add to that pastries, fruits, an open bar, two outdoor tables (in the back and front) of the yacht, an upscale and large cabin, music, a great captain, a SECOND STORY to the boat...I mean..this kind of felt like highway robbery. And we were the robbers (they are incredibly reasonably priced) Since we're in a time of Covid I should also add that I saw them wiping the boat down several times, they were always in masks and Lisa served the food and drinks with gloves and a mask on. It's clear that they are very conscious of their health and the health of their customers. Lisa's mom is 90 and they're doing their best to take the right precautions to keep their family safe. All in all, I cannot wait to go back. I cant wait to bring friends onto this yacht (when it's safe). I couldn't be happier with this decision. Thank you so much Lisa for making a milestone birthday unforgettable!!!

This overdue review is based on my overall experience with planning my birthday with Lisa at Five…read moreStars Yacht. To summarize, I was constantly trying to work around the restrictions that Lisa failed to disclose at the time of contract. And all of this could've been avoided if it was mentioned on the very first day. I just felt blindsided every time she mentioned something new. If you run a business that hosts events, these should be listed in your contract! She was misleading, had poor communication, was unwilling to work with me, and lied. And this event is a couple $$$$. You would think that I would get better service for paying so much. Save yourself the trouble and book elsewhere! I met Lisa in February, through Sailo.com. While I toured the yacht, Lisa explained what I could expect from booking with them. She said I could decorate the boat however I wanted. She mentioned there were tablecloths in a variety of colors to match any theme. I mentioned I wanted pink tablecloths, and she said she had some light pink shades. She showed me upstairs and said they had tablecloths for the smaller tables as well. I mentioned I would want to decorate upstairs. I asked her if I could bring food onboard, which was okay. We went over bar service, music, and set up. She mentioned the yacht was available to set up in the morning before my event time. Now everything to me sounded great, but little did I know, a lot of what she mentioned was complete BS. I reviewed the contract in March, ready to book with her. The contract had the general cost information. I had questions about bar service, but since the company seemed very accommodating, I didn't have any other questions. Fast forward to July, my event was set for the end of the month. I was already ordering decor. Once I started emailing her details about how I wanted to decorate, many things were not approved. There were restrictions that were not disclosed at the time of contract. For example, no balloons outside, no tape on any surface;only string or ribbon. That is a huge detail you should mention early on, especially when it was clear that I wanted to decorate. After going through multiple options, I had to search for plan b, and just rented marquee numbers, since it was freestanding decor. And even she had some hesitations about that. Then, I asked her multiple times for photos of the pink tablecloths she had mentioned. 2 weeks before the party, she told me she "couldn't find them," and only had white or neutral. Clearly she did not have a variety of tablecloths. I don't even think the pink tablecloths existed. So I told her I would like the white tablecloths for the party. The next issue was food. I asked her if I could use sterno food warmers for one dish. She said no, and that I could only use electric. So, I asked about an electric griddle to set a tray on, and she still didn't approve it..Then, she mentioned a flameless warmer, but refused to send me a photo. She just said, "oh you'll see it online." I sent her an image of one option online, which still wasn't what she was describing, but still approved...all of the back and forth could've been avoided if she just showed me. To make matters worse, 2 days before the event she had the audacity to ask me if I wanted to charge gratuity on my card before the event! So I told her I do not pay gratuity before a service is given. I also asked a week in advance if I could set up starting at 10am, just 2 hours before the event time. I was told 10:30 was the earliest because the crew had to arrive at 10 and set up. On the day of the event, I showed up at 10:20 and the crew was not onboard. They showed up at 10:30 and still needed to set up. So I couldn't start decorating until 10:50, and was scrambling with the little time I had. And when I asked for the white tablecloths, they had no idea that I requested them. They didn't have any ready. They pulled out a DIRTY tablecloth that we just had to fold in half. And the captain didn't even know about any tablecloths for the smaller tables. There was clearly no communication between what I discussed with Lisa and her crew. I asked Lisa if we can bring the smaller table from the front deck inside. She told me the table outside couldn't fold up and had to stay outside, which I later found out was a lie. We had enough space for the food, but I still wanted the table out of the way. The crew told me they could bring the table in. It just shows she was unwilling to work with me and refused to accommodate a simple request. Once we left the dock, things seemed to settle down. The captain and the rest of the crew were great. Unfortunately, the crew service for the day didn't outweigh the stress I went through to plan the event. At the end of the party, I thanked the crew, but made it very clear to the captain that working with Lisa was extremely difficult and stressful.

Ruby sailing is one of the best sailing experiences that I have had. Josh and crew make the whole…read moreexperience memorable for a lifetime so I can't wait to do it again!

500th review. For…read moreour team outing we picked Ruby Sailing for a two hour adventure out to the SF Bay. Getting a hold of Captain Josh was very easy over the phone as he promptly answered all my questions and gave me several slots available for booking. I called him a few times to go over logistics and he was able to get a confirmation quickly once we settled on a day. The Ruby will hold about 28 passengers and we had a little under 20 people which allowed plenty of room to walk around the boat. The captain is a laid back guy and did not have a problem waiting for us while we made our way down to the dock from lunch. Ruby Sail is docked immediately behind The Ramp. Typically they ask for about 15 minutes to get everyone boarded to avoid any departure delays. He had one crew member helping out on the boat. On board you'll find a bartender serving beer, wine, and soft drinks. They were well stocked up with a great selection of drinks to go around which we enjoyed very much. Since we already ate at The Ramp, we didn't opt for the catering option. Otherwise they can provide food for your event as well. You'll get soaked depending on the side that you sit on the boat. I highly recommend that you wear shoes with good traction so you don't slip. I ended up losing my hat as it was so windy in the SF Bay but Captain Josh had a replacement on hand for me as this happens a lot apparently. So if you do happen to bring a hat, keep it snug on your head or it'll end up somewhere in the SF Bay like mine. We ended up with a ton of great pictures of Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, and the SF skyline. I'll totally go sailing again on the Ruby real soon.

Booked Captain John for a sailing trip for Father's Day and had such a spectacular time! The boat…read moreis beautiful, clean, and spacious for the family! We brought our own picnic + drinks, which was really nice as well. Captain John also knew a great deal about SF history and was able to share a ton of information about a plethora of sailing/SF knowledge! We will 100% be booking with him in the future!

Captain John was great- we had an amazing time! He was so personable, it felt like you were sailing…read morewith a friend. He is also very experienced- we felt safe the entire time. We sailed over to Sausalito and next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the most perfect day- zero fog- blue sky & sunny day. We will absolutely sail with him again when we are back in town.

Capt. Rob took great care of us. The wind looked light when we headed out, but we got to the Golden…read moreGate Bridge under engine power, then caught some wind on the return and was able to sail close to Alcatraz and then back across the bay to return to Tiburon. I will be recommending Sail San Fran to visiting friends and family who want to experience sailing on the bay. Also, the Hawk's Nest is beautiful and very comfortable.

We had such an amazing day with Captain Rob. Everything about our sailing was fantastic! If you're…read morelooking for a great day of sailing, you won't be disappointed going with Captain Rob! We will definitely book with him again!

We had such a great time with Captain Chris! He was such a great tour guide and taught us so much…read moreabout the city! Would recommend for any group looking to see SF from the water!

Amazing experience on the bay today! Captain Chris listens to what you want to do on the water and…read morecreates the best plan so you see and do what you want. Would highly recommend I Sail SF!

My husband and I recently married aboard the California Spirit at YCI. Early on we decided to go…read morefor a yacht wedding so we set out exploring our options here in the Bay Area. We first looked at Commodore, Empress, and Hornblower before we found Yacht Connections International. We were a little hesitant to check out YCI simply because their yachts looked so luxurious; we assumed they would be expensive to charter. Well... we were both right and wrong! We toured the California Spirit, their bigger yacht, and it was by far the best looking yacht we toured; very elegant, very contemporary and really no comparison to the competition. So yes, we correctly assumed YCI had the best looking yachts but we were wrong on the price to charter it! We felt YCI's quote for our wedding was quite reasonable. That being said it is still going to cost more to charter the California Spirit than comparable boats at the competition but if you ask us, it was well worth it! The real reason why you should go with YCI is their employees. Yes their yacht was the best looking, but the people who helped make our wedding so special are worth the higher price. My husband and I have received nothing but the highest praise from our guest about the captain, the stewards, the bartender, and the chef - the food was delicious. All our guests raved about the food but we were too busy to really enjoy all the offerings, we completely missed the artisanal cheese and fruit, but we did enjoy the mushroom ravioli - you should definitely work that into your menu! There are lots of options for the menu including gluten free and vegetarian and loads of drink options - my husband's Irish family members had no complaints about the offerings at the bar, nor the bartender! YCI also has excellent vendors. We had Janelle from Green Petal Designs for flowers, Rob from Rob Martel Photography, and Mary Michler from Creative Pastries for the cake. All did a fantastic job with their respective craft and each was very friendly and helpful during the planning process. This review isn't about them but it exemplifies YCI's commitment to providing a high level of service even from their vendors. Lastly we need to make special note of Captain Bill who married us, great officiant and expert at guiding our yacht through the SF Bay, and Stephanie our event coordinator. Stephanie is simply the best! Listen to all her suggestions and definitely ask her to serve as your coordinator the day of. She kept us on schedule, pointed out photo ops, had great suggestions about decor, things to avoid, and everything behind the scenes. She helped me get down the aisle, took care of any special meal requests, had a plate of food ready for us, helped with guests, and I could go on and on with how much assistance Stephanie provided both me and my husband. Thank you very much Stephanie! In short: the yacht was the most luxurious, the crew phenomenal, food amazing, vendors top notch, and a super event coordinator. This adds up to a five star company that made our wedding day oh so special! (And my husband would like to add, all for a competitive and reasonable price!!!)

They made my wedding day a true experience. The food was delicious, the views breath taking and the…read morecrew was delightful. Everything I wanted and more. Dinah was an absolute delight! She was alway available when I needed her. Even giving me her private number if I needed to contact her after business hours. She was god sent and I'm forever grateful to have her on my team during this special time in my life.. Thank You from the bottom if my heart Yacht Connection Crew and Staff! The Bride

Had an absolutely amazing time with Captain Timothy and Shannon on their boat! They were so…read morewelcoming and patient with me as I worked with them when I proposed to my fiancée. I gave them my idea of what I wanted to do and they helped out so much and were very transparent about what they had to offer. I can't thank you both enough for all the help and kindness you gave us!

Fantastic experience! Captain Timothy is an excellent host. My friends and I had a wonderful…read moreexperience. The boat is perfect for the Bay Area and we enjoyed the lounge areas at the front, back, and top. Highly recommend!