What a great summer this has been! With warm sunny days and beautiful evenings, our yachts have been booked pretty much day and night.
Parties and weddings. Reunions and networking events. You name it. It’s probably been celebrated on the Gypsy Spirit or Free Spirit this summer.
Still, the bulk of our business is corporate charters. And more and more businesses have discovered that yachts are a perfect venue for meetings, entertaining clients, and hosting company outings.
Who’s been cruising with us this summer? More like who hasn’t?
Here are some of the companies that sailed with us in August: Yahoo, Google, Hulu, University of Chicago, the French Pastry School (yum!), Best Buy, Target, JP Morgan, Leo Burnett, and Draft FCB….to name a few.
And we still have two more months before the season ends. So if you’ve been thinking about an office party, you’ve still got time before summer ends.
Over 50 people enjoyed a scrumptious Middle Eastern buffet from Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, decadently delish cupcakes from The Goddess & Grocer and icy cold drinks.
There was music and dancing and door prizes from places you’ve always wanted to go. And as the cruise ended, each guest left with an “OMG! Look what’s in here!” goody bag filled with coupons for Cubs tickets and pizza tours and restaurant specials and more.
If you missed it, you missed a great time on Lake Michigan. But we just might have another tweetup cruise before the summer ends. So you’ll get another chance. In the meantime, here’s a video from JenChicago.
Thanks to the Bui Brothers and Zacuto for creating and sharing this time-lapse video. This video was shot in May on an evening Lake Michigan and Chicago River cruise aboard the Gypsy Spirit.
Very cool shots of going through the Chicago locks, cruising the Chicago river, amazing sunset and our world famous Chicago skyline. Check it out.
We don’t normally do this kind of well, blatant, horn tooting. But this email from a client almost made me cry.So I want to share it….
August 25, 2009
Joe and Angela-
I wanted to drop you guys a line and say thank you for another great year. We will certainly be back next year for number 5!
Here is a quote you can use for your publications:
“Free Spirit Cruises is a first class organization. If someone is looking to host a memorable event, Free Sprit does it right. Every detail is taken care of and the experience of sailing on the lake is one that lingers for days afterwards. Everyone in my group looks forward to this day all year, and afterwards that is all we talk about.
We have been using Joe and Angela for 4 years now, and every year it gets better. They are continually improving the yacht and the way in which they deal with their clients. It is a pleasure to work with a company that is so professional. However, it is a disservice to call them a company, because after you get to know them, it is almost like they become family. We will be setting up events with them for years to come.”
Thanks again,
Luke
Now you see why I had to share this? Joe and I feel so blessed to have wonderful clients like this. Not to mention that Luke will be hosting another event tomorrow. Or as he said, “Fresh off of our annual event, I am looking to host a very important business event for my work. I thought I would do something different this year, and I thought of you.”
Off to the harbor for a busy week of corporate charters….
Once you’ve been on one of our Lake Michigan or Chicago River luxury charters, you want to come back for more. We totally understand.
Captain Joe and I could be out here every day….and would be if it weren’t for winter.
That’s why we see a lot of clients book multiple charters. Like Best Buy. They had one charter this past Monday. They have another next Monday. And a third the first week in October. The groups are from different districts, but they’re all Best Buy employees. And they all heard about us from one person in the company who loved a charter she was on.
Last night, a group from Topco cruised on the Gypsy Spirit (their second charter this year). And tonight, ZS Associates will be out on the Free Spirit. The latter has been doing two charters a season since 2006.
The repeat bookings make us happy, cause that means we’re doing a good job of making sure your events are successful and your parties memorable. We want you and your friends to have wonderful times on our yachts.
So even though Free Spirit Yacht Charters are kind of addictive, it’s in a good way.
Happy weekend, Everyone. Enjoy this beautiful weather.
If you could pick a better place to work than here at Free Spirit Yacht Cruises, Google might be it (btw….they have some positions open here in Chicago).
We’ve all heard about how great it is to work at Google: casual atmosphere, smart fun people, free lunches and all the other amazing perks they offer employees.
So naturally, when it was time for a summer staff outing, what better place to have it than on a Free Spirit yacht cruise. Which is just what the Chicago Googlers did!
Here’s feedback and a photo from their charter, August 12, 2008 aboard the Gypsy Spirit:
“We had a fabulous time! The experience was totally turnkey – we just had to show up. The boat is really well suited for entertaining clients – intimate & comfortable, yet spacious. The food & hospitality was perfecto! We’ll definitely come back!!”
Still, the bulk of our business is corporate charters. And more and more businesses have discovered that yachts are a perfect venue for meetings, entertaining clients, and hosting company outings.