PRIVATE YACHT CHARTER: Our Signature Offering
We offer private sailing charters for groups up to six aboard our classic yacht S/V MAIA, a 1963 Allied Seawind thirty-foot ketch.
When the time for your charter arrives, we’ll greet you at the dock at the foot of Market Street in historic downtown Wilmington to welcome you aboard. After a brief safety discussion, we’ll cast off the lines and raise canvas for a two hour sail on the still-wild Cape Fear River. Depending on wind and current conditions, we may head south, passing beneath the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to the wide waters near the State Port, observing globetrotting ships visiting from around the world. Or we may head north, where the river narrows in the main branch and history is steeped into the muddy banks. We’ll pass hand-dug rice canals that once drove Wilmington’s economy, and sail the same tea-colored waters that led settlers inland to the foothills of the Appalachians.
Wherever we go, we’ll keep a sharp lookout for local wildlife: ospreys, eagles, egrets and herons; sturgeon, gar, American Alligators; and the occasional bottlenose dolphin. Your knowledgeable captain will be happy to answer any questions about the nature and history of the region, and perhaps entertain you with a sea story or two.
What you do is up to you. Help us steer the boat and handle the sails, or leave it to the pros and relax with a cold drink in hand. When we return to the dock, you’ll have a new appreciation for our Port City. Wilmington is best seen from the water. $400/group, beverage service and light snacks included.
SUNSET SAILS: Celebrate the end of the day in elegance and style
Another popular offering, this is a two hour private sunset sail for groups up to six that departs in the evening (times vary as sunset times change). Includes complementary champagne service, as well as the option of having the captain open the bottle with the ship’s sabre. This is a relaxed, low key sail and, in our opinion, the best way to cap off a perfect day. $450/group, champagne included.
ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSHOOTS and COUPLE’S CRUISES: All Aboard the Love Boat
We love love aboard S/V MAIA – in fact, Capt. John popped the question to Claudia on the boat! We have experience hosting photoshoots for your engagement or elopement, and would love to work with the photographer of your choosing or would be happy to recommend one we’ve worked with in the past. We have even hosted weddings aboard – Capt. John is an ordained minister – so if your dream is to get married by an actual sea captain, we can make that happen.
We’ve also started offering a Couple’s Cruise, a slightly more affordable way for two people to celebrate a date night in elegance and style. A 1.5 hour sail during golden hour, we take you out on the river and drop you off in time for dinner anywhere downtown (depending on which restaurant you choose, we can even dock and dine). Includes complementary champagne, with sabrage service available at no additional cost. $250/couple, limited availability.
SAILING LESSONS: Gain the confidence to take the helm!
Always wanted to learn to sail, but didn’t know where to begin? Have your own boat, but need to sharpen existing skills or add more to your repertoire? Take a sailing lesson with us aboard S/V MAIA, under the tutelage of a master captain with thousands of sea miles under his keel. We’ll teach you basic sailing terminology, rules of the road, boat systems, docking and undocking techniques, and maneuvering under sail and power in a way that’s easy for anyone to grasp. No experience required. Please call for availability. $100/hour, three hour minimum for first lesson.
The WILMINGTON SAILING Co. 