Dropping anchor at secluded coves, coming face-to-face with orcas and humpback whales, sailing in synch with hundreds of leaping dolphins—all while ensconced in the comforts of a luxury yacht—are not experiences limited to the likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. They are also options available for incentive groups, executives on retreat and others looking for alternatives to big-ship cruises and crowded resorts.
Yacht cruises tailor-made for small groups are among the offerings at American Safari Cruises, a Seattle-based company with a fleet that plies the waters of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico’s Sea of Cortes, and—starting in December—the Hawaiian Islands.
According to Tim Jacox, vice president of sales and marketing for American Safari Cruises, the upcoming inaugural season in Hawaii on the 36-passenger Safari Explorer, the largest in its fleet, is enabling the company to ramp up its efforts to attract corporate charters.
“This yacht is ideal for corporate charters as all staterooms are above deck and have large windows—everyone in the group gets top-quality accommodations, which is very important for incentives,” he says.
The 145-foot Safari Explorer, like others in the fleet, is equipped with audiovisual features that include a large-screen TV for showing PowerPoint and DVD presentations. In addition to a main salon, the yacht offers a Wine Library and several large suites that can be used for breakout space. Other amenities include a top-deck sauna and Jacuzzi as well as a fleet of kayaks for passenger use.
Offering the only scheduled yacht or small-ship cruises in Hawaii, American Safari is focusing on ports and shore excursions more intimate in nature than what is typically offered. Another difference is that the week-long cruises, which will run through May 2009 and then resume the following November, will include the secluded islands of Lanai and Molokai in their itineraries. The yacht will also call at ports in Maui and the Big Island.
“Ships have not gone to Molokai and Lanai because these islands don’t have the infrastructure to support 2,500 passengers off-loaded into port,” Jacox says. “We won’t have that kind of impact. We can get to the heart of the island and work with what’s there.”
He adds that shore excursions will have a strong focus on nature and local culture, including visits with a Maui taro farmer and walks through Big Island lava fields etched with petroglyphs. Local performers and motivational speakers, including National Geographic photographer and Molokai resident DeWitt Jones, can be brought on board.
“We’re making local connections so people can experience an authentic Hawaii that people don’t normally see,” Jacox says.
Off-the-beaten path experiences are in keeping with the company’s itineraries in other places, such as Mexico, where excursions include visiting a tiny island in the Sea of Cortes populated by a fishing village of 18 people and dropping anchor near a remote rookery so passengers can swim with a colony of sea lions.
In Alaska, experiences include skiff rides for up-close views of whale pods and bald eagles perched on rocky islets. With the ability to drop anchor in places far too small for large cruise ships, the yachts call at places such as Admiralty Island, where bears are frequently spotted on the shoreline, and Petersburg, a historic fishing village founded by Norwegian immigrants.
In all cases, group charters have the option of following the scheduled itineraries or working out customized cruises of their own. The main limitation is that the itineraries must begin and end in the same ports as the scheduled cruises.
For More Info
Admiral Yacht Chaters 949.646.7800
www.admiralyachtchaters.com
American Safari Cruises 206.284.0300
www.amsafari.com
Argosy Cruises 206.623.1445
www.argosycruises.com
Empress Events 415.332.3291
www.empressevents.com
Harbour Cruises & Events > 604.632.9697
www.boatcruises.com
Hornblower Cruises & Events 888.467.6256
www.hornblower.com
Southwood Yacht Charters 949.200.7717
www.southwoodyachtcharters.com
