To truly experience Santa Cruz–especially the Santa Cruz Harbor, The Chardonnay II Tour is a must.
Enjoying a trip on the Chardonnay was on my Fiancé’s bucket list; both being Santa Cruzians, we decided to check that off the list early. For this particular event, we chose the Brewmaster Charter supported by local brewery, Uncommon Brewers, and pizza supplied by Upper Crust Pizza.
We were lucky to try the exclusive Steamers Lane Lager and the Golden State Ale. As I find myself particularly selective with beers, I thoroughly enjoyed the Lager and especially the Golden State Ale.
Note to Uncommon Brewers: The SLL was fantastic and the GSA was surprisingly good.
Note to Upper Crust: The wonderful variety from Pepperoni, meat-lovers, mushroom, and so other pizzas were fantastic, and extremely delicious.
As for the staff/crew of the Chardonnay II (still curious what happened to the Chardonnay 1…)
Our Captain John was pleasant, fun, and made the trip enjoyable to all the passengers. The staff/crew not only served food and drinks to everyone but handled the duties of the ship as well! Kat and Maggie were hilarious, fun, friendly, and made the trip enjoyable as well.
As far as the route for the ship? We left the santa Cruz harbor, left towards the Santa Cruz Wharf, then we circled around the wharf into Cowell’s. Later we headed up towards Steamer’s Lane (north on West Cliff Drive) and then out toward the Mile Buoy. At the Buoy–seeing the sea lions play about, we headed back towards the harbor, swung out toward the wharf one last time, the turned back towards the harbor for the return.
On the way home with a handful of friends, we all chatted about how we enjoyed every bit of the trip.
Be sure to note: it’s best–regardless of the weather conditions–to bring a jacket, sunglasses, and even a hat that can withstand wind. Be prepared to stay warm; better to have too much clothing than too little in the Monterey Bay.
Thank you to The Chardonnay Charters, Uncommon Brewers, and Upper Crust – Santa Cruz.
We all look forward to another voyage.
– Tyler Stebbins
Tyler is a world traveler covering much of Europe and the US. Count on Tyler for entertainment, hotel, and restaurant reviews.