What better way to see the world than by boat? The folks at San Francisco-based GetMyBoat would agree. Launched at the start of 2013, they’ve got the largest boat rental and water experience site in the world, offering boating excursions in 184 countries covering 9,300 destinations — over 130,000 options to choose from!
Think of GetMyBoat as the Airbnb of boat rental. Categories include powerboats, pontoons, jet skis, personal watercraft, fishing boats, sailboats, tours, lessons, diving, luxury yachts, houseboats, sleepaboards, boards and paddles, ferries, taxis and cruises.
For each selected category, the app will find both Listings Near Me and Best Listings Worldwide. You can choose to either have a captain or be the captain of your own vessel! And remember, any day on a boat is a good day 🤗
You can book outings from Chicago to Cartagena, from Monaco to Montenegro. In Vancouver, there’s several choices to suit every nautical adventure, from catamaran birthday parties to family reunions, or just a special occasion to take to the seas, which is precisely what we did last week.
We downloaded and searched the free GetMyBoat app (iOS and Android) for a local rental and discovered Captain Maj’s sweet 38-foot Meridian yacht, moored near Edgewater Casino in False Creek.
Once we sent through the initial booking request, we were put in touch with the captain who let us know that the trip would depend on current tidal charts. Our three-hour morning slot was confirmed and we met Maj at the dock on the morning of our booking.
The Meridian can accommodate up to 12 people and rates start at USD $230 per hour (not including gas; minimum two hour rental per booking). With a seven-hour rental, you’ll get a 10% discount off the $1,404 rental price). Captain Maj is a Super Owner; for the past three years he’s been top-rated by customers and was voted one of GetMyBoat’s Best of 2019.
You bring the food, drinks (alcohol OK) and friends; Maj takes care of the rest.
As we board the Meridian, our eyes are drawn to a flat screen TV, two berths (one with a queen bed, the other with a double), a two-gas pit stove, fridge, microwave, tea kettle and dining space, plus a bathroom with shower. If you and your group are properly qualified, you can charter this vessel on your own for up to three days (Captain Maj will test you in local waters before you finalize the booking. If you pass, you’re good to go).
Once our safety briefing is done, we pair our phone’s Spotify app via the onboard Bluetooth stereo system (tunes throughout the cruise!).
As we depart False Creek and head west into English Bay and beyond, fellow boaters wave as we pass by. Out towards Stanley Park, we continue to enjoy views from the upper deck. It’s just the two us on board with lots of room to spread out, but we wind up chatting with the personable Maj, swapping travel tips and stories.
If you’re lucky, you may just spot a seal, porpoise or Orca. We encountered none but did watch an attempted man overboard rescue underway by RCMP, Vancouver Police and the Canadian Coast Guard, near Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Pilatus Venture.
From families looking to drop anchor and have a leisurely lunch to a swim at Indian Arm to parties, Maj caters to them all. The yacht is lawfully allowed to stop at Granville Island Public Market if passengers wish to load up on provisions for their journey.
As for the app, it offers 24/7 live support. If you’re a boat owner, you can also list on GetMyBoat (the site walks you through steps to create an account). This is ideal for charter companies and rental shops looking to increase bookings, especially since foreign tourism has come to a grinding halt and most of us are enjoying local getaways post-COVID-19 lockdown.
This post produced in partnership with GetMyBoat.
