IMG Worlds of Adventure

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.

Volendam, Marken and Windmills + Amsterdam Guided City Tour + Canal Cruise Highlights 8 hour Guided Tour in Amsterdam, Volendam & Marken  1½ Hour Canal Cruise Entrance to a Windmill  Visit a Clogmaker Visit to a diamond factory Cheese Factory visit Ticket Includes Deluxe coach Boat between Marken and Volendam Live Guide in English & Spanish GPS guide in 16 languages   Ticket Excludes Food And Drinks Hotel Pick Up Full Description Amsterdam is famous for it's canals, however the city is much more to offer. The guide will show you amazing sights inside and outside the city center and you will receive an overview of the history of this eccentric city. The views you will encounter vary from the suburban town to the architecture of beautiful mansions. The Tour will show you the famous Museum Square, where you can see the  Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum A visit to Amsterdam is not complete without a photo stop at a traditional Dutch windmill. And to top the tour off, you have the opportunity to visit a Diamond Factory.  After the visit in Amsterdam, the Tour will continue in Volendam with a visit to a local cheese factory (with free samples included). A cruise across the Ijselmeer lake will take you to the former island of Marken. During your visit of this traditional Dutch village you will have the opportunity to visit a clogmaker.  The canal Cruise will show you Amsterdam's world-famous Canal District.The historic houses are preserved by UNESCO and the cruise will give you an opportunity to see the merchants’ houses that are typical to Holland and the medieval bridges that connect Amsterdam together.

Madam Tussauds Amsterdam Enjoy the glitter and glamour of Madame Tussauds Amsterdam. With 10 interactive zones and an amazing television studio, you will have the opportunity to meet and greet your heroes. From the Dutch Royal Family, world famous DJ’s Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren, artists like Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt van Rijn and of course your real Marvel superheroes. Dive into the studio and sing a duet with Adele, take a picture with your favourite actors such as Michiel Huisman and Ryan Gosling or project your face on Zayn Malik’s chest. Step in front of the camera in the brand new television studio and create your own talk show. The autocue is ready for you. Time for action! Time for superstars! Time for Madame Tussauds Amsterdam! The Amsterdam Dungeon Do you have a great sense of humour and nerves of steel? Then you are at the right place in the Amsterdam Dungeon. Come face to face with over 500 years of Amsterdam’s darkest history. The chillingly amusing characters of the ‘bad old days’ come to life before you in all their glory. You will be able to see and sense them during the thrilling attraction The Gallows Fields The place where the bodies would be put on display for the people; a reminder of your fate if you were ever to commit a crime. The dangling corpses were the hallmark for an “effectively functioning” legal system. You would think this place would be avoided by everyone, however, the contrary was true, it was an attraction. Murder on the Zeedijk Immerse yourself into this ghost story and meet the ravishing Dina and her less refined sister Helena, in the oldest streets of Amsterdam with it's haunting history Hell on the Batavia Feel the fear creep up on you aboard the 17th century VOC ship, the Batavia

Take to the streets of New York with a local expert guide to explore neighborhoods once home to notorious criminals, learn how the city was ruled in waves by various immigrant crime rings and finding out what modern crime looks like in the city. On the Lower East Side, you’ll see tenement buildings where Irish immigrants lived in subhuman conditions. The most notorious area here was the ‘Five Points’ - a junction so infamous for its gang crime (rumor has it some even lived in burrows under the streets!) that Charles Dickens came to check it out himself on a trip to NYC, not believing it could live up to its reputation. It did, of course, as your guide will tell you. Irish gangs weren’t the only group to terrorise the Lower East Side however. Throughout the 1900s the Italian mafia kept Little Italy in a choke hold, while the 1970s and 1980s were dominated by Chinese turf wars that were so bloody you’ll hardly believe the stories. From the city’s earliest rag-tag gangs to the mafia empires of the 20th century, you’ll separate the truth from from  myths popularized by movies like Gangs of New York and TV shows like The Sopranos. You’ll also learn about the city’s most notorious criminals; from Captain Kidd and Boss Tweed, to John Gotti and Leona Helmsley. The neighborhoods you visit are much nicer today than they were in the past but has NYC really cleaned up its act? As part of your tour, you’ll visit lower Manhattan, in particular Wall Street and the Financial District, to learn about modern, white collar crime (and the going rate for a get-out-of-jail-free card). New York City crime tours don’t get any better than when they are developed with the help of NYPD police officers and detectives. Lifetimes of studying NYC’s criminals are synthesized into a truly unique experience that will teach you how crime is inseparable from the history of this great city.  Inclusions: Guided tour of the Lower East Side & Wall Street Expert tour guide Small groups of 15 people or fewer Exclusions: Gratuities Hotel pick-up/drop-off Sites Visited: Wall Street Lower East Side The old “Five Points” neighborhood Chinatown Little Italy Important Notes: Gratuities to guides are appreciated but never obligatory.  This tour may not be suitable for young children, as subject matter may be graphic and disturbing. Comfortable shoes are recommended. Please note, this tour is in English only.  

Character dinner experience with Disney’s biggest superstars:  Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, to name a few!   Includes 5-star limousine service, champagne & bottled water included. Stop by Disney Springs to soak up sights and sounds.   MENU:   Roast chicken, carved beef, pasta, savory sides, and kids' favorites like Mac n Cheese Full children’s menu Desserts you have to see to believe!  Delight in the sundae bar, where you can customize your own decadent dessert.    **Guests DO NOT get to choose their seating times; this depends on the locations where people are staying. Vehicle and table occupancy is maximized on each trip.   **Pickups are from the guest’s accommodation, providing they are staying within the central zoned area.  Guests staying in Villas that are out of our pickup zone may be asked to meet at a central meeting point, most Villas are located in the central Kissimmee, Davenport or Clermont area and we will collect from these locations.  

Parks & Beach Tour  See Golden Gate Park and the Pacific Ocean! This one hour tour takes you through one of the largest urban parks in the world to the stunning Ocean Beach. Some of the tour highlights include: California Academy of Sciences, the De Young Museum, Japanese Tea Gardens, the Conservatory of Flowers, Lincoln Park, Ocean Beach, the historic ruins of the Sutro Baths, Lands End hiking trails, the Cliff House. Official City Tour (blue route) This tour departs from Fisherman’s Wharf, taking you along Ghirardelli Square, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Marina District, before visiting the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. At South Vista Point you can hop off the bus to walk across the 1.7 mile span of bridge, or you can explore the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and the Presidio. The tour continues into Golden Gate Park, one of the world’s largest man-made havens, ranging over more than 50 city blocks and home to 10 lakes, making it one of the most popular places to see in San Francisco. With several stops throughout the park, you can visit the California Academy of Sciences, the De Young Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden, or the Botanical Gardens. Continuing the tour through Haight Ashbury, you will experience the so called “Hippie District”, before we head into the Civic Center area with many architectural landmarks, such as our impressive City Hall, the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the Asian Art Museum and the Public Library. From there, the tour continues to the central shopping district of San Francisco – Union Square, where you can find Macy’s Department store and hundreds of other major department stores and high end retailers. After about two hours we return towards Fisherman’s Wharf, stopping at various waterfront locations, including Pier 39 with its world-famous sea lions as well as restaurants, shopping opportunities and many attractions for more fun in San Francisco. Sausalito Tour Take this tour from South Vista Point to have the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge while driving across the bridge to North Vista Point. From there you have breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay (weather permitting), and on a nice day you can see the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz Island and the Bay Bridge, making it a great photo stop for every visitor. The tour continues into Marin County and stops in charming Sausalito where you can hop off the bus, stroll around, shop, dine, visit various art galleries and enjoy a relaxing lunch by the waterfront. San Francisco Night Tour This live narrated 90 minute tour of San Francisco shows you the most vibrant neighborhoods of the city! With spectacular views from the top of an open top Double Decker bus, the tour covers all major sites of San Francisco and visits the most popular areas, such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square, Financial District, the Embarcadero, Chinatown, North Beach, and Nob Hill with its impressive Grace Cathedral. The tour includes two brief walking tours around Nob Hill and the Embarcadero for even more photo opportunities.