As it is as tranquil as life can be, sailing is something I try to expose my son to when traveling. Classic Yacht Sailing (CYS) is a phenomenal experience for young and old alike. The boat is gorgeous, but the experience is punctuated by Captain Tom. He restored the boat and pride of ownership is more than apparent. I love good service, and by that I mean with a smile and passion. This is not white linen yachting. This is a sailor, his boat, and a few bottles of wine. To ask more in San Diego would make you an ingrate. Remember, once you're in the marina parking (not the owners'... park behind the portable offices or across the street), the S/V Vanessa is toward the entrance to the Island (back toward downtown). This is as fun as it gets in San Diego for whale watching, sunset cruises, and even weddings from what I understand. Enjoy. read more

I really struggled on how to rate this experience. I wish there was the option to rate the actual experience vs. the customer service. I purchased this event for my father and his wife for my dad's 65th birthday gift. They came in from out of town and this was one of the activities I had planned for them. I punched the address into my GPS and off we were. Only when we got to the destination according to the GPS we were no where close to the location we were supposed to be. I called the number provided and the lady advised we had gone WAY too far. I told her where I was and she had no clue where I was. All she kept telling me was to look for a Sheraton and Hilton hotel, both of which were no where in site. Then continued to give me the address. UM... I already had the address and this is where GPS took me. Clearly I was in no need of the address! Since she said we had gone to far I doubled back and eventually saw the Hilton and Sheraton hotels. By this time it's 5:30 and the ship should have left already. Finally I find the address. It's an empty building! Looks brand new. Probably why it doesn't register on the GPS correctly. So since the address of the business is empty... where the hell are you supposed to go to check in and find the boat in a marina full of sail boats?????? I call again... and now am told it's on dock H. Well that's perfect. How do I get to dock H when it's a locked entrance?????????? Clearly you need a key to get in!!!!!!!! Luckily a group of guys who'd just came back, let us in. So now I'm searching for dock H.... all the pillars identify the docks but there's no H. By now the boat should be long gone. Finally, my dad realizes the pillar for H is missing and I run down the dock and see the boat has not left yet... THANKFULLY! And my dad and step-mom were able to board the boat and enjoy their experience. About the boat trip itself. They loved it! They had a great time talking to the other couples on the boat. Enjoyed speaking to the captain. Loved the sunset. My recommendation is that they company at least put direction on their website to save some time and serious frustration. It was my understanding that there were 2 other couples who missed the event because they couldn't find the location either. read more

One of the best days ever. Tom treated us to whales, dolphins and an AMAZING sailing experience. The boat is beautiful and Tom is a great captain/'tour guide.' My son and I give Captain Tom a huge thumb's up! read more

Tom was great he is a very nice guy! You can't beat the deal he offers.

If I had only one word to describe my sailing adventure on the S/V Vanessa that word is WOW... I went on a sunset cruise with a few friends recently and it was amazing..! After leaving the dock under motor power once out into the open harbor we headed towards end of Point Loma under full sail about 90 minutes before sunset... Along the way we saw numerous birds and seals plus the other sailing, fishing and motorized vessels taking advantage of a beautiful afternoon... As the yacht cut through the water I watched the wake as it peeled away from the hull and it occurred to me that the primary sounds I heard was that of the splashing water as the yacht sailed forward... After reaching the where the harbor meets the open ocean the captain sailed in a big loop so we could watch the sun as it approached the horizon before headed back into the harbor sailing towards the Coronado Bay Bridge... We sailed south under the bridge as the sun was starting to set; swinging around we head back north... I watched as the last of the sunlight streamed through the bridge's supports as we sailing underneath the bridge... We arrived back at the dock in the twilight about 15 minutes after the sun slipped under the horizon... Since this sunset cruise was in early January it was a bit nippy on the harbor but nothing that a jacket and a few layers of clothing couldn't handle... I highly recommend this sunset cruise to anybody who is looking to do something different than what is offered by the larger cruise operators... read more

We did a sunset cruise and Tom and his first mate were really nice and funny guys. The ship is fairly large and the cruise is very enjoyable. You feel really close to the water and you get some great views of San Diego, Coronado etc. The only downside was that it was too cloudy so we didn't get a sunset. :( It's not something they can control, obviously, but it made for a downer. My only complaint would be that the deck chairs could really use a few cushions. If you plan on going just be aware that, depending on the direction, the wind can be quite strong and it can get pretty chilly. Probably not a problem in the summer months though. We plan on going again in the summer, with our dog too, and hopefully it won't be cloudy. Also, currently, he's at the end of H dock (take F/G gate door though, during construction D/E). It's not that hard to find if you know which dock it is. read more

Tom is a friendly captain and his boat is a classic beauty. We didn't have the pleasure of seeing any whales, but the trip was fun, nonetheless. Tom offered us an extended bay cruise to make up for the lack of actual whale watching, which was nice. If you're looking for a fun sailing adventure, I recommend this. read more

Have you seen Captain Ron? Well, Tom had some similar characteristics, which made our trip a lot of fun. He really knows what he's doing. I really appreciated Vanessa, an old beauty that Tom refurbished himself. His experience made our group feel at ease on the waters of gorgeous San Diego. Thanks for a great day Tom! read more

I had a party of 12 for 11:30-4:30 pm cruise. We really lucked out with picture perfect weather. LOVED this experience. Tom is very friendly and accommodating--he suggested playing some music and let us take pictures on the bow of the boat with the beautiful city skyline in the background and a few of us even jumped into the water at some point near Coronado. Really great time with drinks and friends. Would recommend this to anyone. Just make sure you get specific directions to the boat from his assistants beforehand, because it can be tricky to find the boat. read more

Very very very disappointed with Classic Yacht Sailing. Several weeks ago I called and reserved a spot for a Sunset Cruise for two. I live in Houston, my boyfriend lives in Temecula and I only get to see him every few months. We even got a hotel at the Sheridan right down the street so that we could walk right to the dock. We showed up 15 minutes early as instructed and the Vanessa was no where to be found. I called the company and was informed that yes, they did see my reservation in the system but unfortunately who ever i spoke to was unaware that they were not running sunset cruises that day. The only solution offered to me was to reschedule. Since I flew home the next morning that was not an option. She told me that the only one that could help me was "the captain" and she promised that he would get back to me the next day. I've given them a week with no response. I called the number again, and they tell me that all they can do is page the captain again. Very frustrated. I don't have a lot of money and I don't get a lot of time with my boyfriend and the precious money and time that we spent on the hotel and the cruise was lost and the company has made no attempt to make it better. After writing the above text on facebook, I finally got a response from Captain Tom And the disappointment continued. Captain Tom finally called me back, said that he couldn't help if his scheduling office made mistakes, and that all he could do was reschedule me for the next week ( a lot of help that does since i live in Houston) no attempt was made to make up for my time or money put out for a mistake on THEIR end. He was rude and accused me of trying to take advantage. I planned my precious time and money around promises his business made and I'm taking advantage for wanting some sort of compensation?!?! He didnt even apologize. Very unprofessional. To have my special day ruined and then to be yelled at for trying to get some compensation just seems ridiculous. I actually cried when I got off the phone. (which i'm pretty sure ended with him hanging up on me) read more

Thanks for a great sunset cruise. The weather, boat and cruise atmosphere were perfect! We highly recommend this local excursion. Thank you for a great afternoon! read more

We purchased through Amazon and got a great deal to ride with Captain Tom. Although we were hoping for whale sightings Tom was open and honest that it would be doubtful as season was at end. He was a great host and dealt with the children well. We had a great sail seeing sea lions, dolphins and amazing pelican dives. Great trip and would recommend for all. read more

After reading the other reviews, I'm sure they did not book from Zerve. See the Ad here -http://www.zerve.com/ClassicYacht/Whale. The Ship is in the process of being restored, but is still fun. Capt. Tom is talkative and a nice guy. My complaint is with the Ad. My friend purchased this for me as a Birthday present. She spent $100 each for the pleasure of a yachting whale watching ALL INCLUSIVE 3 hour trip. All inclusive being lunch and drinks. Not so!! After waiting at dock gate B past the time when "your captain will meet you", my friend called Tom. (He said he really needed to update that information, ya think?) He was at gate F, first sign things were not as planned. When we got to S/V Vanessa Capt. Tom told us he needed to stop for fuel. Second warning HE hadn't planned for us. Along the way to the fuel dock I asked about food, just wondering what we would be enjoying. He said he had a couple of beers but no food. So I jumped off at the fuel dock and purchased some snacks. Which we shared with Capt. Tom, as he hadn't eaten yet either. I gave this 3 stars because we did see whales and Capt Tom is a nice guy. Would I sail with him again? Sure, for the $49 the other passengers paid...We were RIPPED OFF. read more

A couple weeks ago I applied to work for Tom zimmerman the owner and captain at classic yacht sailing. He called me up for a Monday working interview, he rescheduled that interview three times that week some what understandable for an business owner. Yet still was very frustrating. My first day of work ended up being that Friday, the next morning I woke up very sick.. I have been sick for quite some time they don't know whats wrong I called and text him to let him know I would have to come in late this morning or just come in tomorrow. I was expecting him to call back and talk to me about coming in later etc. He didn't call or text until a couple hours later only replying with "Bullshit! you suck. your fired..." This was my short experience with captain Tom at classic yacht sailing. read more