What an amazing whale watching cruise!! We saw 6 Humpbacks (Dross, Handstand, unidentified…read morejuvenile, and an association consisting of Touchdown, Crinkle, and Tanzania), a Mola Mola, and a huge pod of Atlantic White Sided Dolphins!! The crew was amazing, especially Tina who was our guide and biologist. You can tell the expertise in the crew and how they train their interns. This was such an amazing experience and I would definitely do it again!!

My Grammy and I's favorite annual activity is going on a Cape Ann Whale Watch once a summer. We've…read moregone on one almost every summer since I graduated high school eight years ago. The marine biologist on board is knowledgeable and clearly loves her job! It's awesome that the captain is part of the team searching for the whales and is more than willing to change course if we find out there are whales in a different area than planned. Also, the parking lot staff is surprisingly efficient given how many people are coming in and out with such limited space. We have seen multiple whales every trip, and sometimes other sea animals too! My grandmother is 92 (she acts more like she's 75 to be honest) and whenever we go, the staff and other patrons have always been courteous and kind to her without being infantilizing. I am so grateful to Cape Ann Whale Watch for being a part of this special tradition with my Grammy. Fingers crossed that next year we win the raffle for the free tickets! It hasn't happened yet lol.

I was looking for something a little different for my rehearsal dinner. I thought a sunset sail on…read moreGloucester Harbor would be a treat for out of town guests as well as locals. Captain Burnham and his crew gave us an adventure no one will soon forget. The Ardelle is a beautiful schooner built from scratch by the captain himself, so he knows how to handle her very well. Everyone, through out the sail, felt comfortable during the journey. Gloucester Harbor Is beautiful and the views were spectacular. Captain Burnham and his crew were very friendly and were happy to chat about The Ardelle and the area. They even fired a small cannon with a toast. They provided Drinks (beer and soft drinks) and snacks for purchase. However, they also could have worked with us to have catered food from a local restaurant. Our wedding was year ago, and people can not stop talking about what a great time they had on the Ardelle with Captain Burnham and his crew. We had such a good time that we celebrated our Anniversary on the Ardelle again. It was as much fun the 2nd time as the first. I would highly recommend taking and adventure on the Ardelle.

My girlfriend and I went for an outing on the Ardelle during our week-long trip to Gloucester and…read morehad an amazing time. My gf is nervous on bigger, rockier boats, but felt this outing was very relaxing and enjoyable. Captain Harold and crew were very Knowles about the history of maritime Gloucester and shared interesting anecdotes whilst out on the water. Overall, we had a great time and would love to come back for a sunset outing!

The tour was great! The captain and his son were fun and knowledgeable, and very patient with our…read morenine year old's many questions. The boat was very comfortable and I appreciate that there was a roof covering the seating area to keep us out of the sun. Highly recommend this for ages 9-89.

This IS the thing to do when visiting Gloucester! Caught the first boat out Saturday, about 9 of…read moreus onboard. Owner pointed out boats, historical spots, points of interest, lively old salt with lots of stories. $10 paid onboard with 3 stops, hop on/hop off all day. What a way to see the harbor, learn some history of the port, brush up on nautical terms, points of interest on shore, and be entertained!! Such a value! Very fun & don't forget to get a picture with Cathy. Captain Patrick was entertaining with stories and landmarks, slowed down so we could see Wicked Tuna taping a show. Talked about fishermen bringing in their catch to the auction, very informative. First mate, Decklin did a poetry reading, very dramatic, well done. Well worth the $10!!

There are a lot of choices out there for fishing in the Gloucester area, but I'm sure glad we chose…read moreGloucester Fleet. We found them through the internet on my iPhone and when I called them Carolann arranged a great trip for all 25 of us. (Originally I thought there was only 15 - but no problem). We all had been to my Cousin's wedding on Saturday in Manchester By The Sea, and many of us just wanted to keep the fun and party going, Mike is a fantastic Captain, and Booty, (the father) manages logistics and ticket sales Turns out Carolann is Booty's wife so it's a real nice family run operation. Everything Capt'n Mike suggested was wonderful, his local knowledge of fishing spots was fantastic. But the real highlight was just about everybody catching fish. At the end of the 1/2 day afternoon trip we starting landing really big keeper Cods, and he stayed right with it even though we ran over time. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l ! I would HIGHLY recommend Gloucester Fleet Deep Sea Fishing for anyone considering fishing in the area. Their equipment was top shelf in excellent condition, and well maintained, and every time somebody hooked a fish the mates immediately showed up out of nowhere to help as if on queue. I've done all kinds of fishing all over the place on many different boats with many guides and outfitters.Thanks Captain Mike for a great afternoon of fishing! You run a first class operation!

Great to go back deep sea fishing, great staff, friendly and funny and very helpful to all on…read moreboard. Just a tad difficult to get to (blaming google maps for this) but a call to their office rectified the situation. This time I want to catch a fish!

I took my family out for a few hours on a boat we rented from Gloucester Boat Rental, and we had a…read moregreat time exploring the outer harbor and the Anissquam River. Highlight for my kids (and me too) was a seal that popped up and hung around for a few minutes. The boat was in fine shape, clean, and easy to operate, and while boating is never going to be cheap, the rates are fair. I hope to do it again in a few weeks, and explore some more of the area.

Great experience! Super easy to rent a boat. We had a great trip around Gloucester. Definitely will…read morerent again.

We caught 700 pound bluefin tuna and wasn't able to get even a pound of the fish. I have been doing…read moretrips with my brothers for years all over the USA, and we always got the choice to keep our fish. I even asked other Captains in the area and all told me the same thing "the customer is not allowed to profit from the catch" WTH but they do??? I spent $5,000.00 for the charter including 20% tip and we get zero fish? I could write a short story on this trip but I will just say we had great experience catching the fish of a lifetime but the bs we encountered after that was a stain on a beautiful moment. This trip happened two months ago and it took me a long time to write this. I am not the type of person that feels pleasure in bad mouthing others but the boat owners in Boston waters need to rethink their policy. I will give the captain and his mate props for a job well done, they will be remembered for the rest of the four of us brother's lifetime but it would have been a little sweeter story if not for the greed. I know they see it differently and that's their prerogative. But seriously, a 707 pound bluefin tuna and we didn't even get a slice of bluefin tuna to eat or take home. I guess their argument is they're providing us with the experience of a lifetime if we were fortunate enough to catch one, for which we did so there is that. The flipside is we probably could've ended up catching nothing then we would've had a whole different story. So at the end of the day, still feel blessed for the experience and wish those captains and their mates Godspeed and blessings as well. Update: 11/9/25 I stand corrected as pointed out by the captain for which I didn't know it's apparently a federal law that anything over 73" must be sold to a market and cannot be kept for personal consumption. I am a fair person and didn't want anyone to read my review and be discouraged from fishing with Collin and his mate. To be fair I also raised my rating. The experience my brothers and I had will be talked about forever. We are still riding that high as you could imagine. The whole town was amazing as well worth every penny.

I've gone on many fishing charters for striper and I've got to say, this was by far the worst one…read moreI've been on. It's ok that the fish aren't biting, that's the nature of fishing. But on every other charter I've been on the captain actively searched for fish, running to multiple areas looking to find them. The captain here took us to an area and moored to a ball. There was some action, but it died off. He took us to another location about 300 yards away and moored again. With no luck there, he took us to a dock to fish next to while he left the boat to wax another one. If you don't mind a charter where the captain phones it in, by all means, try your luck. But if you want a captain that is willing to work and spend the gas for your money, try someone else. At least the weather was great and in all other respects it was a great time on the water. That's the only reason I graded it a 2.

We stayed here overnight for 4th of July weekend (Friday to Saturday) and it was a pretty good…read moreexperience. When we arrived, there was no clear direction as to where we needed to dock, although we made a reservation and there was no one in sight to direct us. According to my mother, the woman in the office was very nice, but overwhelmed. Docking was a bit treacherous, as the layout of the docks are a bit tricky to navigate depending on which boats are where, but if you're skilled, you can manage without any on-deck help. The showers are decent, but not super fresh and clean. It's nice that they have them ! (Make sure you turn the lights on all the way for however long you'll be in the shower, as they are timed and will go out on you otherwise!) Not an awesome place to stay, but fine if you're traveling through for a night or two.

Everybody there is kind and helpful. Nice blend of boats & boat owners. Totally down-to-earth…read moreenvironment. We've been happy floaters for several years. We feel like part of the family at BPM.

What a perfect day! Gloucester was pulsing with the Fiesta vibe. The boat was spotless and…read morelooked very well-maintained. The crew (Captains Birch and Stephanie) were congenial. The wind was on the beam. Both sails filled and we sailed to Magnolia and then back for a harbor tour. My friend and I were happy to be on the ocean. Can't think how it could have been any better.

From the owner: Sunset Sails and Private Cruisesread more

a buddy grew up in these parts and his family longtime members. was only too happy to join up for a…read moresail aboard a New England-made Rhodes 19 (club fleet) from Rockport Harbor toThacher Island, a 50 acre wildlife refuge on Cape Ann with the only operating twin lighthouses remaining in America. it was an easy cruise on the way, then picked up sporting wind and speed back...awesome memorial day on the water. http://www.lighthouse.cc/thacher/history.html