Yorktown Romantic Sunset Sails

My husband and I, our 11 year old granddaughter and her best friend took your sunset cruise on the York River. It was a marvelous experience for everyone of us. The captain and the crew were a delight and the schooner was a true work of art. We would take the opportunity to repeat this adventure, if given the chance.

My wife and I were trying to cram as much overview of the Virginina peninsula as we could into a 3 day mini-vacation. Trying to see Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, several museums, the Naval shipyards, and 2 theme parks into that time space is a bit much. We were forced to prioritize, but we knew we wanted to get on the water at some point. We found the pamphlet for the Schooner Alliance at our hotel. During a tour of the Norfolk/VaBeach area, another tourist recommended the cruise. Later at dinner, a local waitress advised it was well worth it as well.We decided to do Jamestown late morning/early afternoon on Sunday and scheduled the "Sunset Cruise" to end our day. The crew of the boat were extremely polite, very knowledgable - both about acclimating guests who'd never sailed before to the experience of sailing and about the area and its history. They made everyone feel welcome and comfortable. We even got to help raise and lower sails! The cruise was not a sight-seeing adventure. It was designed - and stated by the crew - to be a relaxing sail to just enjoy the area, the water, and the boat. Personally, I've been on alot of boats - some for business, some for pleasure. None ever had sails and none were this big with sails -- I had a blast. The quiet enjoyment of the wind and water were fantastic! The "Sunset" part was spot-on. Absolutely gorgeous, perfect sailing with a magnificent sunset -- as promised. Really recommend this cruise as a part of anyone's visit to the area!

Having never done any traditional sailing I wanted to experience it first hand and talked the wife into a sunset trip on the Alliance. What a beautiful ship! Captain Greg was a gentleman and the crew (Mike and Olivia) were fantastic, explaining to us the different functions of parts of the ship (what many of the various lines were for, what purpose the different types of sails had, etc.), as well as telling us some interesting stories about past trips out. Olivia particulary was a wealth of humorous stories about past sails and taught my wife and I much about sailing we didn't know before. Thanks to this experience I'm half tempted to purchase a small sailboat and learn how to sail myself. We cruised out on the river for 2 hours at about 10 knots and we were amazed at how totally quiet it was, save for the sound of wind in our ears. The ship is centrally located out on the riverfront, so there's plenty of other activites to partake in if you've got the time. Daytime parking is pretty hectic in the area but in the late afternoon the parking lots start to clear out. My strong recommendation would be to show up 30 minutes early in case parking is an issue, or even better, call a cab. I must definitely recommend this excursion for folks looking to experience something that most landlocked people never will: a quiet sail on a *real* schooner, watching the sun settle on the horizon on sparkling whitecaps. An experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. Definitely worth the price!

I have enjoyed visiting Yorktown my whole life. So I was excited to see the schooner activity come to town. The start of the tour was fun with the two young men asking for volunteers to help raise the sails. But after that it fell flat. Winds were at about 20 knots so it took forever to get away from the shore. It would have been a bit more interesting to have at least a history speech of the area or knot tying demonstration or SOMETHING. It was a sunset tour so it was a good time to get shots of the shoreline and the interior of the ship as well. The two young men were very friendly and engageing. I am sure you could improve this tour with a bit more entertainment and not just silence because near the end I was ready to get off of the boat. thank you

The Captain was vey knowledgeable and considerate. The sail was very interesting. All of my party agreed that it was a great excursion and all would do it again.

The Alliance is a well-equipped sailing vessel with state of the art navigation and quiet diesel backup power for times when the wind is not cooperative. She is stunningly beautiful. Admiral Greg and crew made us feel right at home. We enjoyed talk about the river, area landmarks, and their excursions further south on the Alliance. I'm looking forward to an opportunity to spend a week with them.

The crew was very friendly and helpful. The boat was gorgeous, clean and well-kept. The sunset was incredible. The bar didn't overcharge. Much. :) It was a really nice evening but it may be hard for younger children to be entertained for two hours.

Was an amazing experience. The crew knows about the history of the area. They gave participation to the people on the boat duties.

THE TRIP WAS FUN THOUGH TOO SHORT. IF YOUR LOOKING TO MAKE THIS A SURPRISE FOR A BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY OR SOME OTHER SPECIAL OCCASSION, DON'T COUNT ON THE CREW TO HELP HELP YOU OUT BY DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU JUST ON THE MERE MENTION THAT IT'S A BIRTHDAY OR .... WOULD HAVE TO THINK TWICE BEFORE SPENDING THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY HERE AGAIN...

We did this for her birthday surprise. It was amazing. When the engine gets turned off and the the boat is sailing, it is amazingly relaxing. They serve drinks onboard. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to enjoy some time on the water. We did the 6 to 8 cruise. Went to the Yorktown pub when we got back and had an amazing fresh seafood dinner. Highly recommend both.