We have been lugging our kayaks out to San Clemente Island for seven (7) years now with our friends at Islander Charters. During this time we have played witness to some incredible memories being made. The feedback we get sometimes gives us the \’feels\’ knowing that the impact was meaningful to someone and that we played a part in that.

For some reason… this season felt different. I couldn\’t quite explain why, I just had this weird feeling that this year would be different. Whelp… for some weird reason that foresight was highly accurate. This season was different because of the outpouring of support for Fish Village, Islander Charters and these trips.

Despite what people think, we don\’t get to go on every trip. What we do get to do is drive down from the Los Angeles/Orange County border to San Diego to hang out with all of our guests before every trip. It is honestly a highlight for Joe, Sylvia and I. We make a day of it, we pack some Pliny and some water for Sylvia (she keeps us safe) and we hang with our friends. Why do we do this??? Certainly not because we love driving through three counties during the work week… that is for sure. We do it because we love the engagement, we love hearing how excited you are and we love helping people feel comfortable before their journey. This is part of the SCI experience…

We know a lot of you travel distances to make this trip. The drive, the stops along the way, the tailgating, the shit talking and last second meals before rolling your gear down to the boat are all part of the experience. All I know is that we hear a lot of laughs at the docks every time we are down there. This is part of the SCI experience…

Loading the boat, stacking gear on the deck, hauling luggage down to your stateroom, all while most have sampled a few of California\’s beer offerings is another part of this trip that is memorable and creates part of the experience. Everyone is fired up… people are messing around with their gear, drinking, laughing, posting on social media, taking pics as everyone loads their kayaks and gear. There is always that one guy that has to whip out his rod in the harbor and snag a fish real quick before they head out. This is part of the SCI experience.

Once the boat is loaded, Capt. Pete jumps on the horn and makes the announcement to push-off. The sun is starting to set, the magic hour for photography takes over and everyone steps into prep and chill mode. People start getting their gear ready for the morning… others start puffing on cigars and hitting the bourbon, while some just take in the scenic ride out of one of the sexiest harbors in all of America. The crew makes a quick stop and loads piles of live bait onboard exciting the anglers even more. During this time Capt. Pete runs everyone into the galley and walks them through the two (2) day itinerary and boat safety plan. The anticipation grows and people start getting sassy… This is part of the SCI experience.

What we saw and heard this year was that each part of the process IS part of your trip experience. The best part about this is… no one has gone fishing yet. People are having a good time, laughing, making the most of their trip experience before a single cast is made. All of you make up our SCI trip experience. The regulars, the newbies, the friends of a friend… we love and appreciate you all.

Stay tuned for more about the SCI Trip Experience tomorrow… we\’ll focus on the fishing side of things.