We brought our own food on board, and the entire experience was amazing. Captain Rob was incredibly…read morehumble and friendly, and Gillian, one of the crew members, was so kind and made our yacht ride incredibly smooth. The sail boat had a great kitchen setup with utensils available for us to use, which made everything super convenient. We cruised along the Hudson River and got to witness a breathtaking sunset--it was honestly the best experience I've had. The crew was not only warm and welcoming but also knowledgeable about the local history of the towns along the river and the different boats we passed. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and great value for money. Highly recommended

Had the best time sailing with Black Swan Sailing! The boat is super comfortable and the views of…read morethe Hudson and Catskills were gorgeous. Captain Rob is a great guy -- really easygoing and knows his stuff. It was such a relaxing and fun experience.

We had a great three days taking ASA 101 with Kris while on vacation in the Hudson Valley. His love…read morefor the sport of sailing and for teaching is evident. He's great company and has endless stories about sailing and life, in general. The marina is conveniently located in the Hudson Valley and is welcoming to beginners. We feel very fortunate to have learned how to sail which such a highly experienced instructor who is also a lot of fun.

Thanks to Captain Kris, I went from never hoisting a sail to understanding the basics of sailing in…read morejust 2 days. His ASA101 course is packed full of wisdom that goes far beyond the textbook. The experiential learning on the Hudson is both challenging and inspirational. And, we did manage a few laughs along the way. His class was a life changing experience for me. Captain K, I owe you a nice Cuban! ;) Thank you for this great class. I highly recommend it!

Our family had the pleasure of enjoying a 2 hour sunset cruise over Labor Day weekend 2020. There…read morewere 4 adults in our group and the captain and one crew member, but the boat could have easily handled another 2 adults. The views of the Hudson were beautiful and Dan, the Captain, was a trove of information about the area and the other boats. The boat is spotless and the Hudson very calm. Best of all, it was a safe, fun, relaxing experience during a pandemic. We are hoping to make this a regular summer event!

Hubby and I had a great cruise. The staff were amazing. Bird was such an impressive young man…read more Captain was great. He warned us that it was going to be cool and very windy coming back and he was right! Brrrr!!

10/21/24: Afternoon Cruise upon the Rip Van Winkle! A lovely and relaxing fall foliage cruise. The…read morecrew was welcoming and very accommodating. It was nice to see a crew member asking people if they wanted their photo taken. At the beginning of the cruise, the captain explained all the safety rules (included Life jackets, no smoking and more) along with the upcoming wonderful views. Lots of history along the Hudson River. The Ogden Mills House was one of the historic homes along the Hudson. Hope you enjoy the photo. We viewed other historic homes, ships and lighthouses. Viewing the fall foliage on the cruise was magical experience. Great bar aboard the Rip Van Winkle. The friendly bartender served me up a super delicious Strawberry Daiquiri. My friend had a Von Trapp Beer. Hot dogs, chips and big pretzels were sold too. Looks like the pretzels were a big hit because they were sold out very quickly. Restrooms are located on the lower level of the ship. There's a small parking lot available. However, there's lots of metered parking within steps of the cruise line. Best bet is to arrive to ensure your parking spot!

Absolutely delightful 2 hr cruise from Newburgh NY down the Hudson to West Point and back. A…read morenumber of interesting national regional and local historical sites long the way made the time pass quickly. Normally there are 75 to 90 people on board, we had a total of 14 and had the boat pretty much to ourselves. The crew on board were fantastic able to mingle with guests providing additional local information along the the way. This was a wonderful experience and delightful way to spend the afternoon drinking Spaten Oktoberfest and Kölsch while cruising down the Hudson. Thank you Diane for the inspiration!!!

Recommend having guests be able to use headphones so we can actually hear the narrator. All I heard…read morewere kids screaming while their intoxicated parents stood by and watched.

I HAD to go back to this because it's such an amazing experience. I'm sure they do more than "Fall…read moreFoliage" trips but that's when I visited in the past. Despite my best efforts in the past to do Fall train rides, which turned out to be disappointing only because there was never any good colors on trees, this by far is the very best fall foliage experience I've ever had in my life. You get great views of the tree color transitions and just great photo opportunities. It does get cold on the water so bring a jacket. Experience is as excellent as last time with beverages and snacks for purchase. If you enjoy fall colors, great scenery and boats then you have to do this at least once.

A peaceful Hudson River cruise from Peekskill to Bear Mountain. Beautiful views and a truly…read morerelaxing experience! Such a wonderful way to spend the day. Very pleased with this cruise!

Hands down the best thing to do on the North Fork. Erick, Hannah and Christian took 8 of us out…read moresailing for several hours on the schooner Bonnie Lynn, and it made for the most memorable, vibrant and relaxing time. Bonnie Lynn is an incredible boat, with Erick and Hannah the perfect hosts. I can't think of a better way to introduce people to, and share with them, the beauty of the North Fork. We cannot wait for next time, and neither should you.

Great experience. We had fun, very enjoyable sail. Our hosts were very kind and welcoming. Will go…read moreagain.

We had the most incredible experience aboard the Nirvana with Captain Rick. Prior to the event,…read morecommunication was wonderful. The booking process was very easy. We were enthusiastically welcomed on board the beautiful vessel. The day was pristine and the water was calm and peaceful. We were regaled with tales of Captain Rick's adventures as we took a pleasurable journey to Long Island to Louie's Seafood restaurant, also amazing but that's for another review. I could not recommend this more. Captain Rick is knowledgable, engaging, funny and a fine captain and human being. We are definitely going to do this again!

Incredible time sailing on Nirvana! We had a group of 9 + Captain Rick and it was perfect. Rick was…read moreaccommodating, knowledgeable and the group loved him. We were able to bring all the food and drinks on board and we were even able to grill after we anchored in Oyster Bay. Would recommend Nirvana & Captain Rick to any group for any occasion. At 100$ per person you can not go wrong.