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= Blount Small Ship Adventures = Blount Small Ship Adventures is a small ship cruise line headquartered in Warren, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1966, by Captain Luther H. Blount, the company is family owned and operated with two innovative, expedition-style ships that travel the waterways of the U.S., Canada and Caribbean. Each vessel comfortably carries up to 84 guests. An avid adventurer and ship builder by trade, the company’s founder Captain Luther H. Blount was the first in the U.S. to provide small ship cruises to remote destinations, an alternative to the overcrowded and often impersonal cruises of the big ships. Blount Small Ship Adventures offers a winning combination: travel in small numbers to unique destinations, with a personal approach. The ships were built with unique designs. A shallow draft (6’6”) and patented bow ramp allow passengers to land on areas of the world that larger ships cannot. Another feature, the retractable pilot house, allows their ships to pass under the low bridges of the Erie Canal, currently the only overnight cruise line on this historic waterway. "Guests who are often well-traveled, enjoy the casual, friendly atmosphere that Blount’s small ships offer. “Our size has allowed us to deliver unique experiences such as sailing through the Erie Canal during fall foliage,” President Nancy Blount explains. “And the adventures continue off the vessel.'"Blount’s small ship cruises cater to nature-lovers, adventurers, historians– essentially destination-oriented travelers. Ranging from 7 to 16 days in length, Blount offers cruises through North America’s greatest waterways including the Great Lakes, Erie Canal, Saint Lawrence River, New England coast and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

History
In 1910 E.B. Blount & Sons Oyster Company in Warren, Rhode Island was a thriving family business. In coastal Rhode Island, the oyster beds were bountiful and every morning fresh oysters went out by the crate to eager buyers around the state. But in 1938 the Great New England Hurricane changed everything. The devastation caused by the hurricane lasted for decades. Blount’s once thriving oyster beds, were left in shambles. Luther Blount became VP of E.B. Blount & Sons and was determined to keep the family business alive. In 1947, the young engineering graduate got to work on a series of innovations. By creating a new method of steaming clams, Blount shellfish made its way into Campbell’s soups clam chowder. And as a result, into homes across New England.

Two years later Luther Blount trans-formed the family business from oysters to shipbuilding. He took the once bustling oyster processing plant and turned it into a workspace for constructing a new oyster boat. In doing so he found a new calling in shipbuilding. By 1962 Blount had built 100 vessels includ-ing New York’s Circle Line ferries and introduced the concept of dinner boats in ports around the U.S. Luther found inspiration for future cruise itineraries by personally delivering the vessels he built. For the years that followed, the Blounts combined business and plea-sure by spending their vacations aboard the family boat; sailing, fishing, and enjoying time together on the water. Soon friends and family asked to join their trips and a vision began to take shape in Luther’s mind. With his signature sense of determination, this vision soon became American Canadian Caribbean Line, a new small ship cruise line, offering voyages unlike any others avail-able. By 1970 the inventor in Luther blended with his adventurous side and he began to patent unique features of his boats. These patents would one day become the signature of Blount Small Ship Adventures, including a retractable pilot-house and a bow ramp.

Luther’s patented bow ramp made it possible to step into the waters of secluded coves and shallow riverbanks; glass bottom boats provided passengers with a diver’s eye; and his patented retractable pilot house – combined with the shallow draft of the ships – made previously inaccessible routes possible. Blount continued to create interesting cruise itineraries from the 1970’s-1990’s, taking passengers beyond the U.S. to places like Panama, Belize and Canada. A reputation for adventurous cruising was built.

From the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean to the lush hills of Central America; from the serene waters of the Great Lakes to the rich history of the Northeast, Blount continued to seek out new unexplored destinations and waterways only Blount boats could access. He even built one boat specifically to go under the bridges of the Erie Canal.

Back on land, Luther continued to revive his family legacy. He worked tirelessly to bring oysters back to Rhode Island, in the waters of his beloved Narragansett Bay. He even bought an island refuge to help the cause. His major donation to a local university created a program that taught students about marine wildlife, and challenged them with cultivating new oyster beds. The goal remained simple and clear: rebuild what Rhode Island had lost back in 1938.

Luther passed the reins of the cruise business to his daughter Nancy in 2006 and his boat building business is now led by daughters Marcia and Julie. In 2010, after a complete retrofit of the fleet, what was once American Canadian Caribbean Line was rebranded to honor the legacy of the man who started it all. Blount Small Ship Adventures was born.

Fleet
The Grande Mariner

Length: 184'

Beam: 40'

Draft: 6' 6"

Passenger Capacity: 84

Commissioned: 1998

Refurbished: 2010

Flag: U.S.

Built by: Blount Industries, Inc.

The Grande Caribe

Length: 184'

Beam: 40'

Draft: 6' 6"

Passenger Capacity: 83

Commissioned: 1997

Refurbished: 2009

Flag: U.S.

Built by: Blount Industries, Inc.

Signature River Cruises
Great American Waterways (Chicago to NYC or NYC to Chicago), 16 Days

Four stunning Great Lakes and the historic Erie Canal merge to create one amazing adventure along some of America’s most picturesque waterways. Witness the unique feat of lowering the ship’s retractable pilots house, designed in order to traverse the narrow locks and low bridges of the Erie Canal along this signature itinerary.

Locks, Legends & Canals: Fall Foliage (NYC to Montreal or Montreal to NYC), 14 Days

Only Blount passengers can experience the chromatic splendor of fall in full regalia along the shores of the Hudson, the Erie and Oswego Canals, and the St. Lawrence River. The Blount ships’ unique design allows our passengers to cruise miles of natural and man-made waterways lined with spectacular fall foliage between modern Manhattan and colonial Quebec City before arriving in the multicultural city of Montreal.