Volendam, Marken and Windmills: GPS Tour

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.

Dutch Wine & Cheese Cruise Highlights Enjoy a cosy Cheese & Wine Cruise with the amazing views of the illuminated canals Indulge in a sumptuous cheese platter and a choice of carefully selected wines Please note: The minimum age for this cruise is 18.   Ticket includes: 2 hour Cruise Luxury Cheese Plate Delicious Wines Multilingual Guide All Canal boats offer full toilet facilities on board   Ticket excludes: Hotel Pick-up

Please note :  Depending on the season, this excursion could be partly operated by daylight Moulin Rouge :  Children are accepted from 6 years old The show starts at 23.00 pm and ends at 1.00 am Formal dress required. Gentlemen are required to wear tie and jacket.  Dinne cruise information : Boarding from : 18.15 Departure : 18.45 Return : 20.00 Individual table guaranteed Menu "Decouverte"* Starters Assortment: Mozarella and basil cream, parmesan crisps, small fresh tomatoes Duck foie gras with salt crystals, mango-pineapple compote Verrine of quinoa, yuzu flavoured butterfly shrimp  Crusty bread with black tapenade, fillet of red mullet, vegetable sprouts ** Main course at choice: Poultry leg, baby roast potatoes, mini new vegetables Steamed hake steak, artichoke cream and slow-cooked yellow carrots  Rump steak, pan-fried mixed vegetables, potato rosette (+7€) ** Desserts Assortment: Banana-salted butter caramel tart Vanilla custard and candied apricot Dark chocolate macaroon, crisp mikado Variety of strawberries, whipped cream and mini marshmallows ** Drinks: One glass of wine (16 cl) at choice :  Touraine AOC Sauvignon Luc Poulain (blanc) or Touraine AOC Domaine des Echardières (rosé) or Bordeaux AOC les Mercadières (rouge) OR A glass of soft (water or cola cola ou fruit juice).  Vegetarian Menu: Tomato gaspacho with basil and pine kernels, tender shoots in balsamic vinegar  ** Baby roast potatoes, pan-fried mixed vegetables, artichoke cream ** Seasonal tutti frutti, pear purée, dark chocolate biscuit Child Menu: Seasonal starter  ** Menu choice of main course ** Chocolate mud cake ** Orange juice; Coca-Cola or water * Example of menu, subject to modification

Important information before your arrival at The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience Manchester:   Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the time shown on your tickets. Latecomers may not be admitted to the attraction. Your ticket is non refundable, non exchangable and non-transferrable. For the safety of all visitors, The Experience reserves the right refuse admission, or may on occasion conduct security searches. The Experience reserves the right to alter or vary the content or timing of the whole or part of the show due to circumstance beyond their reasonable control without being obliged to refund or exchange tickets. Visitors will not be allowed to join The Experience without a ticket, please ensure you have this ticket on either a phone or print out on the day of your visit. No filming or photography is allowed in the maze. Phones are not allowed in the maze. You must be 13 years old and above 1.2meters in height to play the maze. All 13 -17 year olds must be accompanied by a playing and paying adults. If you have a disability or a pre existing injury please contact the guest services team prior to your visit. Pregnancy strictly prohibits participation or entrance to the maze. Open-toed shoes or high heels are not permitted. Trainers or pumps are recommended. Alcohol must not be consumed prior to the maze experience. If you are found to be under the influence of alcohol you will not be permitted to the maze.

Highlights: A day of fun in the sun on the Gulf Coast of Mexico at Clearwater Beach  Enjoy a relaxing day at the beach Café lunch to enjoy at your leisure Free time to enjoy the beach, walk along the pier, take a swim etc  MENU   SANDWICHES (served with French fries & coleslaw)-Hot & Cold varieties   SALADS Greek-Caesar-Chef-Chicken or Tuna   PASTAS-Choice of Spaghetti-Ziti (Variety of sauces)   PIZZAS-Various toppings   GREEK SPECIALS-Chicken Souvlaki-Gyros   SEAFOOD (served with French fries & coleslaw)-Fish & Chips-Grilled Grouper Sandwich   KIDS-Burgers-Hot Dog-Chicken-Fingers-Fish & Chips     Pirate Cruise (Duration 2 hours) Go back in time and travel around the way the seafaring seadogs did. Board the famous Captain Memo’s pirate ship and join his crew of pirates for and adventure you won’t forget.  Listen to the cool sounds of island reggae as you sail through the open waters keeping an eye out for dolphins.  Every guest will get their choice of a soft drink, beer or wine whilst on the ship   

FUN AND EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES TO DISCOVER FRENCH WINE The French Wine Experience was created by people who think wine culture needs to be fun and relaxed. They transformed an 18th century Royal wine cellar into a maze of rooms that will surprise, enchant and stimulate you. The French Wine Experience is truly unique and possibly a little crazy. NEW IN PARIS – 1 mn walk from the Louvre Museum DISCOVER EVERYTHING ABOUT FRENCH WINE  SENSORIAL EXPERIENCE IN AN HISTORICAL VENUE  GUIDED VISIT including GAMES, QUIZZES, VIDEOS etc... FRENCH WINE TASTING WITH A SOMMELIER at the end of the visit TERROIRS ROOM The idea here is to start at the beginning. Visitors will discover the most sought after slices of earth in all of France, and learn how this soil nourishes the vine, which in turn, gives the grapes their unique taste... This room is about discovering the very genesis of wine, where the grape-grower works the soil and the vine in effort to produce magnificent grapes. AROMAS ROOM Wine is a sensory adventure and here, they would like to propose that you stimulate a sense often overlooked: the sense of smell. Take the wood cork and bring it to your nose. The game begins: can you name the aromas in each cork? Do you have the stuto be a great taster? Do you enjoy discovering the great families of wine aromas (fruity, mineral, empyreumatic...) as well as identifying the classic defects in wine ?? Off to the corks ! THE LABORATORY In this new, majestic room, the adventure continues and this time, it is taste we are going to stimulate. Can you name the primary types of taste (salty, sweet, bitter, acidic... and also umami) ? In order to progress in wine, take the opportunity to taste the solutions marked withterms such as 'woody', 'round' or 'fresh'. SOUNDS OF WINE Sounds in the world of wine The pop of a cork as the bottle opens, the cling of glasses being toasted, the soft murmur of Champagne bubbles...Can you recognize the different elements in the soundtrack of this room? The sounds of wine invite us to learn about different types of bottles and corks.  LABELS ROOM This magnificent room is dedicated to sight. Sight is the  initial contact with a wine: the color of a wine itself colors a new story for us each time. But it's also the label, sometimes legendary, sometimes complicated, and sometimes amusing. Learn here how to better interpret wine labels! CHEERS! Well, that's it! Your five senses have been stimulated - who knew learning could be so fun! You are now ready for the grand finale: the tasting! Our jolly and joyful sommelier is at your service not only to serve you, but also to answer any questions! While tasting, continue to learn and to have fun and above all, do not forget to take a detour into the  photobooth inside the big barrel...