Blount Small Ship Adventures

About

Go where the big ships cannot!

Story

Blount Small Ship Adventures, the original small ship adventure cruise-line, is celebrating 50 years in business in 2016 and was voted 10 Best in River Cruising by USA Today. Headquartered in Warren, RI, BSSA has long prided itself on offering a casual cruising environment for travelers who want to go where the big ships cannot. Built on a tradition of adventure, the company’s founder Luther Blount, a prolific inventor and shipbuilder, began building boats in 1947 and then personally delivered them around the globe discovering adventure along the way. In 1966, Luther decided that he wanted to show his friends and family all of the incredible destinations he’d been exploring, so he began building passenger boats.

With the mind of an engineer and the heart of an explorer, Luther built unique boats with patented features such as retractable pilothouses and bow ramps that allowed passengers to go from ship to shore. He later coined the term “small ship cruising”. His ships were built for the purpose of taking travelers through the nooks and crannies of a place, going where the other couldn’t. He created itineraries for explorers, for those who wanted to tread lightly, going beyond the usual tourist meccas finding experiences you can only have when you get to know a place through its people.

Today, Luther’s daughter Nancy is at the helm of Blount Small Ship Adventures, as President of the company. His two other daughters Marcia and Julie are President and Vice President of Blount Boats. BSSA owns two 83-passenger vessels and takes travelers through unique waterways to destinations throughout the US, Canada, and the Eastern Caribbean. Sailing with Blount means navigating the waters less traveled in a personal, uncrowded way. It’s going places that are inaccessible to larger cruise ships, docking where private yachts dock, and getting away from manufactured experiences. On a Blount cruise, you’ll never stand in line or feel lost in the crowd. With only 83 passengers, every cruise experience feels exclusive and personal.

Mission

Blount Small Ship Adventures takes travelers away to places they cannot get to on large ships and motorcoach tours. Ships with bow ramps and retractable pilot houses mean you go deep into the nooks and crannies of the world, and along the way, discovered adventure in the places you otherwise would not see. As a ship builder, Luther Blount often personally delivered new ships to a port. It’s how he found “away”. And, often he’d take a look around and think “This is a beautiful place. Other people should experience it, too.” So when it came time for Blount Small Ship Adventures to begin cruising, many of the first destinations were the ports Luther loved the most. Today, Blount still cruises to the places that captured Luther's heart. Unique destinations you won't visit on other small ships. Like Guatemala’s Rio Dulce, a shallow river bordered by rain forest, and filled with amazing wildlife. Or the unspoiled corners of the tropics, like Mayaguana, one of the most remote islands in the Bahamas, and home to beautiful reefs and historic shipwrecks. When adventure is calling, and you want a personal, uncrowded experience, Blount Small Ship Adventures will take you there.

Products

Small Ship Cruising through the United States, Canada, Belize & Cuba