In early June 2021 we took a 10-day cruise on the Gyrfalcon, including to Glacier Bay National…read morePark. It was the trip of a lifetime, both for the sights -- glaciers, whales, bears, sea lions, seals, mountain goats, porpoises, and sea otters, most of them too numerous to count--and for the atmosphere and company. The Gyr itself is a treasure: an 88' wooden boat built in the early 1940s to conduct marine surveys of the Alaskan Coast for the US Government. Nancy and Peter, the Gyr's loving owners, have carefully and thoughtfully restored what can be restored and updated other facilities to adapt them to 21st century travel. Nancy and Peter have equipped the Gyr with everything one could want for an Alaskan expedition: kayaks, zodiacs, fishing equipment, crab and shrimp traps and binoculars and spotting scopes. The Gyr's leisurely pace allows for close examination of wildlife and quiet contemplation of the majesty of Alaska's mountain ranges; her size allows Captain Nancy to take her into stunning anchorages that crown the day's cruising and delight the eye in the morning. Chief Engineer Peter (who styles himself CEE, or Chief of Everything Else) not only keeps the Gyr's engines, winches, generators and hydraulics functioning, but is an excellent chef. Creative and delicious dinners are shared at the large table in the Pilot House, surrounded by views of the Alaskan wilderness. The staterooms and visitors' bath are comfortable, as is the salon on the main deck. But most time is spent in the Pilot House, in comfortable chairs, viewing the wonders of Alaska as Nancy or Peter steers the boat on her course. The fantail--the rear deck of the boat--is a perfect spot for dropping a fishing line or just sitting with a glass of wine to enjoy the evening. Most of all, Nancy and Peter are perfect hosts. They know this is your cruise and they do everything to exceed your expectations.

Ever since we traveled to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Denali, we had been talking…read moreabout going to southern Alaska's Inland Passage. The choices were numerous - we could take a cruise aboard a big ship, take the inland ferry, or perhaps a small boat. The advantages of a small boat were clear: we could get close to the animals and stop when we see them and travel close to shore. The question was, how small? After reading about the various options, we narrowed in on smaller boats and eventually chose the TFI's MV Gyrfalcon, a 3 cabin + 2 crew, 88-foot historic wooden vessel. The Gyrfalcon is owned and piloted by Captain and wildlife photographer Nancy Everds and CEE (Chief of Everything Else: Engineer, chef, expert birder, and itinerary planner)Peter Mann. As we quickly learned, we could not have made a better choice. Our 7-day trip from Juneau to Sitka was amazing in every possible way. Peter and Nancy were incredible at spotting wildlife. They were also wonderful to get to know! Peter is also a skilled chef; every meal was a gourmet delight. The accommodations were confortable; the trip was smooth. If you have any questions about why we chose the Gyrfalcon or this trip, feel free to message me!

Filthy boat, unpainted and splintery rails, captain(?) was sleazy, and unkempt., tiny space with…read morelarge dog in the way. Cabin was so dirty you were afraid to touch the cushions, dirty silverware on table, uneaten food spread in the area, all day, not a bite, no food or water available for guests. Only area for "fishing" was in the middle of bloody mess from cutting bait, no clean-up. Just disgusting and very expensive for terrible experience. NOT truely a "Charter"..looks like a liveaboard trying for an excuse to deduct expenses. avoid at all costs and save the money. Note all good reviews are long ago...NOT what it is today!!

If you want to catch fish this isn't the place now if you want a nice boat ride for the small price…read moreof $350 well this would be perfect for you. OTHERWISE THIS IS A BIG SCAM

To the business owners, I recommend that you suggest people who review the business on TripAdvisor…read morealso review it here! Wow, this excursion was so worth it! I booked this trip as a fun thing for my husband and I to do. We went out on a Sunday morning with Captain Curtis and Julian, the deckhand. There were a few other passengers on the boat because we booked a shared charter. Communication was great - I got directions and information about the outing all the way up to getting a text in the morning of our trip confirming that we will see the captain soon. We drove out to various spots in the Sound. It was really cool to hear about the different types of fish that are in the water and what's in season etc. Someone who knows nothing about fishing - I enjoyed looking at the monitors that show aquatic life under the water surface and learning about the fishing boats parts and what they all do. This isn't really an informational tour, but any questions or things that you want to know, the team will be happy To answer. Our deckhand did a really awesome job of checking on a different fishing poles and when there was a potential bite, he made sure everything was set up so that someone can hop on and reel in the fish. I noticed that some people were saying that it's not really fishing because you're not doing the set up and what have you but if you don't have any of the equipment or a vessel to go out on the water, a fishing charter solves all of that. I had no fishing experience but other passengers on the boat did and they also had an equally fun time trying to fight those fish who did not want to come in! Also nowhere on the website does it say that you're guaranteed to catch fish so people should keep that in mind -- We just happened to have a lucky day and every passenger on the boat was able to take home the legal limit. Our captain gave us the best opportunities to catch fish and when we returned to the marina, the team cut and filleted our fish so they were in a bag ready to take home. We live close by so we weren't worried about chilling but if you live further away, I might recommend having a cooler bag and getting some ice after the trip to keep your fish chilled. The best part for me was seeing all the harbor seals come into the marina who were waiting for leftover fish parts - It was so cute to see them come up and eat all the Nom Noms! I will say this is definitely a more expensive excursion and I booked it for a special occasion, but it was definitely worth it and we would recommend our fishing charter team to anyone looking for a fun fishing experience. I've heard you are more likely to catch fish in the morning compared to the afternoon charters and I would check to see what fish are in season and how many you're allowed to catch before you book your trip so you know what to expect. Also remember to bring cash to tip your boat's deckhand!

Great day on the water! Curtis and Eric worked hard to give us a great experience! Super…read moreprofessional and a lot of fun- and we caught some great Ling Cod!

Great experience and even better people. Very professional service and flexible scheduling. Will…read morefor sure be using this company again.

My family and I highly recommend Sangria Maria Charters. Captain Andrew was informative and great…read morewith our twin boys. He is very patient and knowledgeable. We can't say enough about our amazing experience. Don't think twice about it, just book it. You will not regret it.

Lovely afternoon spent cruising Gig Harbor with a visitor from Hungary. Ed & Margaux are amazing…read morehosts, we felt right at home in their company. Lots of room to bring snacks and cruise in style, admiring the scenery and learning about the history of this special place.

Cruise Gig Harbor is the perfect family outing, couples adventure, or girls outing. Captain Ed and…read morethe Dragon Lady are a the ultimate Gig Harbor Cruise experience. Not only is Captain Ed an amazing and professional host he also cares about giving back to the local community and supports youth soccer. A big thank you for his support of The Norpoint Soccer Club for helping provide youth with new equipment and uniforms. Experience the beautiful Harbor on Captain Ed's Duffy Boat and you won't regret it.

Professional, accommodating, and an all around enjoyable experience from beginning to end. I…read morecontacted the company 6 months prior to planning a proposal on their beautiful boat and Janaea (one of the owners) made the process so painless it almost had me worried. You could instantly tell this was not their first time entertaining on this boat and it was obvious from the moment you step aboard. I opted for the food package (highly recommended) which Janaea procured from the absolute best local vendors which included locally made salami, artisan bread, smoked salmon, baked brie, and this was all accompanied by a rose. Captain John and Janaea had many stories and always made sure we were having the best experience possible. Words from this review cannot express how wonderful and truly special this made our engagement and i would recommend this experience to everyone!

My family and I have been sailing with Blue Whale Sail twice now. We just took our second trip…read morethis weekend and it was wonderful! My two and a half year old daughter came along for the sail this time and had a grand old time, hair blowing in the wind, fascinated when the sails went up and down. John and Janaea had everything we needed on board to make her safe and comfortable like a child size life jacket and cozy quilts. John told us lots of amazing sailing stories and we all laughed a lot and had a great time. Would recommend a sail with John and Janaea any day!

Harry sailed with us around Bainbridge Is and it was a very enjoyable 7 hr trip! We enjoyed…read morelearning so much about the Island, Puget Sound, and the vistas were beautiful. Most importantl, we love to sail and Oh Joy!! is a lovely craft and fun to help Harry sailing.

Great day on the water with Captain Harry. Fun and low key sail with great views and a chance to…read morelearn a little bit about sailing.

Captain Trig's yacht (the Viaggio) is most certainly luxurious, and the experience you can expect…read morewould be very difficult to surpass. Clients are pampered, fed three gourmet meals each day, and taken on beautiful excursions. We saw an abundance of whales, dall porpoises, sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions, bald eagles, deer, and bears. Fishing was a delightful success(we shipped 43 pounds of salmon and halibut home). After our cruise, we explored Alaska by land, and although still scenic, the whole land experience was anticlimactic. Any future visits we make to Alaska will center on this kind of cruise, and I can't imagine anyone doing it better than Viaggio Luxury. Floyd Hale

Never been to Alaska. Never been overnight on a boat. Now we want to do both again for future…read morevacations and we will choose Viaggio for our Alaska tours. Only 6 guests allowed, so the boat is quiet and not over crowded. Only 2-3 crew members who take care of everything and with a smile. They emphasize making the trip as stress-free as possible-and it was. Spacious boat, nice, clean rooms, delicious food, friendly crew. Watch and learn from the chef (who will cater to your likes/dislikes, food allergies and preferences), hang out in the wheelhouse and talk with the captain while looking for wildlife, and drive the boat. Great for all ages-fellow travelers ranged from teen to senior. Lots to do on the boat like movies and local books and plenty more off the boat- kayaking, whaler for easier sight-seeing, 27' sport boat so we could fish as often as we wanted (fishing licenses included-so one less thing we had to deal with). Caught crab and fish and had it for our meals the same day and beyond! We even had some to take home. We saw so much wildlife and other special sites without the cost of extra excursion fares. We rarely saw other boats (besides fishermen) so we were out in Alaska's natural element to take in the scenery with privacy-no big cruise ships or 1000s of people-just a small boat and nature. We were able to get close to wildlife without disturbing them or they followed our boat for up-close and personal experiences-from whales to porpoises, bears to porcupines. You spend a lot of time at sea but in a good way-taking in the surroundings you normally wouldn't see with other tours (large cruises) or traveling on your own. But you can make stops in town for a night depending on what tour you book. With never being on a private charter tour before, we really didn't know what to expect, but we were blown away with the experience and being spoiled. PS - They were great about getting back to us when we had additional questions before booking the trip. Also, they will work to pick you up at your hotel or airport.