Royal Delphin 3 hrs Catamaran Cruise in the Morning

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009.  The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn.  East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

The Beast operates every hour on the hour from 10.00 - 18.00 out of Pier 83 at 42nd Street and 12th Avenue. Throughout the ride, the captain and crew keep the passengers excited with upbeat rock and roll music and New York-style humor. They’ll have the whole family laughing and screaming with rollercoaster-like twists and turns, pulsating music and a touch of comedy, squirting the kids just for fun. No food or drink is allowed on board.  Tour Length  Approximately 30 minutes. Please note that the Beast does not run when it’s raining.  The BEAST Speedboat is a thrill ride that zooms down the Hudson at up to 45 mph.  Screeches to a halt within 100 feet of the Statue of Liberty for photo ops. Panoramic views of midtown and lower Manhattan as you speed by.  Rockin’ soundtrack.  Fun, interactive BEAST Handlers (captain and crew).  Be aware - you may get wet! Due to the fast, bumpy, and extreme nature of the BEAST ride, you must observe the following Absolutely no pregnant women on board THE BEAST.  Absolutely no people with heart conditions, back injuries, or those susceptible to back injury! All passengers must stay seated while the boat is in motion. Keep your hands and head in the boat while docking. Hold on to hats and sunglasses, they may fly away when THE BEAST gets up to full speed. We are not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged personal items including: cameras, video cameras, cell phones, watches, glasses, or any other electronic devices. RULES AND REGULATIONS  All School & Camp Groups MUST be accompanied by at least 1 adult chaperone (18 years of age or older) for every 10 students/children. Running is not permitted anywhere in the attraction. Food and beverage can be purchased on site. Outside food and beverages are strictly prohibited with the exception of special dietary needs. Security and First Aid may be obtained by contacting any staff personnel. Buses are not allowed to park and wait by the entrance once the group has been dropped off. (Please see bus parking information below.) Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises reserves the right to remove any individual or group that does not comply to these guidelines

Upon takeoff enjoy full panoramic views of the Sydney skyline, Pacific Ocean and the historic Port Botany. Within 5 minutes your professional pilot will have you over the beautiful Sydney Harbour flying past icons such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House then heading along the famous Northern beaches and over the Ku Ring Gai National Park before landing at an authentic working sheep station. Once you arrive your real outback adventure begins with authentic Billy tea and fresh damper. Get an insight into the station and learn how the working dogs muster the sheep before witnessing a real shearing demonstration. Relax with a sumptuous outback BBQ lunch before trying your hand at throwing boomerangs and cracking whips like a real stockman. Your outback adventure comes to an end with a relaxing scenic flight back to civilisation.

Brooklyn Tour Hop aboard a double-decker bus for Gray Line CitySightseeing NY’s Brooklyn Tour, a hop on/hop off journey through the city’s most populated borough. Many people who visit the city never set foot outside of Manhattan. But that would mean you’d miss some wonderful treasures so close by. And this newly expanded tour includes many wonders, allowing you to get off at any stop and grab a bite or see the sites in person. You’ll start in downtown Manhattan, crossing the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, where you’ll see the first parkway for cars ever built in the U.S., the majesty of Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Museum (a Beaux-Arts building with a vast art and Egyptian antiquities collection), along with the graceful mansions, intriguing shops and restaurants and a wide array of cultures. Your licensed guide will also take you past the gloriously designed Prospect Park with its zoo and the Brooklyn Public Library. And of course, you’ll see the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge.​ Tours Now Offered in 11 Languages! Now, Gray Line CitySightseeing NY is giving you even more flexibility in enjoying their tours by offering multilingual audio tracks in 11 different languages on all of the popular hop on/hop off bus tours. You can experience the journey in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Hebrew. Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 24 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket. 

Your helicopter flight experience begins with a greeting and check-in from friendly operations staff, followed by a thorough safety briefing in the comfort of the modern and spacious guest lounge. After the safety briefing, we will head out to the helicopter and use your own camera for some photos in front of your helicopter before boarding. Cameras and video recorders can be taken with you on the helicopter for more fantastic memories of your flight over picturesque Sydney Harbour and beyond. Upon take-off enjoy full panoramic views of the Sydney skyline, Pacific Ocean and the historic port of Botany Bay. Within minutes of departure your experienced and skilled pilot will have you above the glistening waters of Maroubra Beach and tracking north along the coast at 500 feet. You will contour fly the picturesque coastline of the Eastern Suburbs beaches including Coogee, Clovelly and also the world famous Bondi Beach, the aquamarine waters sparkling against the Sydney sun. Admire the spectacular houses of Dover Heights and Vaucluse perched on the chiselled sandstone cliffs as you continue northbound to Sydney Heads. From the entrance to Sydney Harbour your flight path will continue north passing the golden sands of Manly and Dee Why Beaches past Longreef and onto Palm Beach; the northern most point of Sydney. From Palm Beach you will then track inland following the tranquil waters of the Hawkesbury River all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. The scenery in the North West of Sydney is stunning. To the west you will see the foothills of the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park, to the east the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, and to the south the Sydney Olympic park, the home of the 2000 Olympic Games. From the Sydney Olympic site your pilot will then follow the Parramatta River at 500ft passing ferries and yachts on the way to the spectacular Sydney Harbour. Flying low over the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it is so close you can almost touch it, before climbing up over the white sails of the Sydney Harbour Opera House and historic Fort Denison. Take in the aerial views of the ever changing Sydney Harbour as you make for the heliport you will fly past some of Sydney’s great sporting arenas including the Sydney Football Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground, as well as Randwick Racecourse. Throughout the flight your pilot will be providing you with informative commentary via Bose voice activated headsets, you will also be able to talk with the pilot and your other passengers whilst on the helicopter.

Your entire experience will be approximately 1 hour which includes check-in, safety briefing, and 15 – 17 minute helicopter flight. The customer experience center includes; a Chicago history exhibit, flight simulator, helipad viewing lounge, interactive games, and snacks & refreshments available for purchase.  Chicago Helicopter Experience operates a fleet of Airbus AStar helicopters. The aircraft accommodates up to 6 guests plus a pilot per flight and is climate controlled. You will enjoy unobstructed views of the sights with spacious seating and listen to the live tour narration through Bose noise cancelling headsets.  All tours depart and return to Chicago Helicopter Experience Downtown Heliport; 2420 South Halsted St. Free Parking on site. Roundtrip shuttle service is available from downtown hotels for an additional charge. Ticket Terms Maximum weight per passenger is 250 lbs (113kg) Children 3 years old and above Check-in time is 30 minutes prior to schedule tour departure time Passengers under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be permitted to fly – no refund will be given for the cancellation All flight times are approximate and are susceptible to current weather conditions. In the event your flight is cancelled due to inclement weather, your ticket can be rescheduled or refunded for the full amount