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.
The Parade of Tall Ships is coming to Chicago on August 24th. This is one of those “take your breath away…WOW! how awesome is this!” sights.
Twenty (yes, 20!) historic ships from around the world will parade into Chicago with their huge white sales billowing over Lake Michigan. All framed against our spectacular Chicago skyline.
We’ve got the best viewing spots on the lake to see the Tall Ships Parade as it sails into Navy Pier — the decks of our Free Spirit and Gypsy Spirit luxury yachts.
Now if you’re thinking, “Oh no. I’m busy on the 24th”, fear not. The ships will be in Chicago, docked at Navy Pier, through August 29th. That means you’ll have four other days when you can see them from a lakeside vantage point (and one of Captain Joe’s primo spots).
So if you’ve been talking about booking a private brunch, lunch, after-work or dinner charter, now you’ve got the best reason ever. Cause you can bet that this will be a memory your guests or clients will talk about for years to come!
To book your private charter, call 708.361.2220.
For more info or to watch a video of the Tall Ships as they paraded into Toronto last month, visit our website: freespiritcruises.com
When the city announced that after 52 years, it was cancelling Chicago’s Venetian Night celebration, Joe and I were SO disappointed. It’s always been one of our favorite summer celebrations – one we looked forward to all year.
Then we talked to our friend Theresa Carter, aka The Local Tourist (who’s hosted a chef’s cruise and networking parties on our yachts this summer). She loved Venetian Night too (although she’s a red-haired Irish lass). The upshot? Together we came up with this amazing idea…to host a Bringing Back Venetian Night cruise.
Get ready to party –Italian style. We’re Bringing Back Venetian Night!
Come cruise on our Free Spirit luxury yacht (far more comfy than a gondola). Lake Michigan will be our canal. The magnificent Chicago skyline our Venice (but not sinking into the sea).
You’ll dine on a delectably decadent Italian buffet and enjoy a premium open bar. And there WILL be fireworks…from Navy Pier…..but fireworks nonetheless.
Head Gondolier, Captain Joe Donofrio (yes, we ARE Italian) will make sure you have the best viewing spot on Lake Michigan.
Sound like a dreamy way to spend a summer evening? Yep. That’s what we thought!
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.
What a difference from last year at this time. That’s when Joe and I ran out to buy extra blankets cause it was SO cold on the lake….even though our yachts are heated!
We dug up a picture of some of the guests on Theresa Carter’s (The Local Tourist) charter last June that she won in our drawing. You’ll see that her guests are celebrating decked out in red fleece. Yes, it was summer in Chicago! They still had a great time on her birthday cruise…. but how much nicer to be cruising Lake Michigan when the weather is warm and beautiful.
Speaking of beautiful….the forecast is looking really fabulous for cruises. Mid 70s, a few 80s and a lot of those little sun icons we love so much.
If you’ve been thinking how much fun it would be to round up a group of friends and spend three hours on a luxury yacht cruising Lake Michigan, this is the perfect time. You don’t need a large group. Our smaller yacht, the Gypsy Spirit, holds up to 50 people, the perfect size for an intimate gathering. The Free Spirit is our larger luxury yacht that can accommodate up to 120 guests. But you don’t need that size group to book a cruise.
And you don’t need a special occasion to enjoy the spectacular Chicago skyline from a yacht on Lake Michigan. Although we do lots of parties and weddings and meetings, we also do “no special reason we just love to be on a yacht” charters.
All you need is some nice weather and some friends you like to be with. We’ll take care of the menu and drinks and make sure you and your friends are happy campers sailors.
Our Saturdays are pretty booked (although we do get periodic cancellations so if you have a special date in mind, always give us a call). But we’ve got some Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons (talk about a super way to relax on a Sunday!) and some weekdays here and there that are open.
To see some more of our happy sailors (most out on deck without blankets!), check out our photo gallery.
Celebrate the start of Summer on our first Fireworks Cruise of the 2010 season.
Join us on the luxurious Gypsy Spirit for three hours of relaxing fun on Lake Michigan.
Enjoy a mouthwatering American Style Buffet and icy cold drinks as you take in Chicago’s spectacular fireworks!
The forecast is looking fabulous for the weekend. So round up some friends, and don’t wait too long to sign up. The Gypsy is an intimate yacht and spots go fast.
For tickets, information and to buy now, click here.
Over the past two years, we’ve started doing a considerable amount of networking.
Off-season, of course. During season, we’re way too busy with Free Spirit Yacht Cruises charters to do much else (no, we’re not complaining about being busy!)
Lately, it’s become clear to us that networking goes far beyond simply meeting new people. It’s about making connections and building relationships….hopefully with people you’d like to work with in one way or another.
For example, we’re really excited about our upcoming Merlot and Massages cruise on May 18th.So are most of the people we’ve talked to who have signed up already.
But back to where I was heading about the networking…..the interesting part is that this cruise is the result of our getting out and meeting new people. It’s about connecting.
The massages are being offered by Lincoln Park Massage Spa, a fellow Lincoln Park Chamber member. The wines are courtesy of PRP Wines International, a company we met at a Navy Pier event. And our marketing person is also in LPCC. So if we hadn’t become active enough to actually get out and meet people, we might not be putting together this awesome event.
In case you missed the blog post or newsletter or Facebook post or tweet about the cruise, here’s info: Merlot & Massage Cruise.
Last Sunday’s Chicago Tribune had an article on how parents should start talking to their kids now about prom plans. “Listening, not lecturing….”was mentioned as a smart way to communicate with your teen (assuming communicating with teens is possible!)
We’ve got another smart idea if you want to keep track of where your prom partygoers are on their special night. A charter cruise….on a Free Spirit Yacht, of course.
Our Free Spirit luxury yacht can accommodate groups of up to 120 people. The best part?It’s your own private charter.
Three hours cruising Lake Michigan, taking in our spectacular Chicago skyline, and being with friends. Your prom goers will have a fabulous party they’ll remember for years to come.
Your prom cruise options include a private yacht charter:
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.
Twenty (yes, 20!) historic ships from around the world will parade into Chicago with their huge white sales billowing over Lake Michigan. All framed against our spectacular Chicago skyline.
We dug up a picture of some of the guests on Theresa Carter’s (
