Lake Union Charters & Adventures

What a blast. Easy to book, on time schedule. Captain Ron was fun and knew a lot about the lake and history. Great time.

The crew aboard was delightful and ensured a fantastic time on one of my first charters ever. It started off with a gracious warm welcome and made me feel right at home, chasing away any anxiety I had about being on the water (*cough* I’m not the greatest swimmer *cough*). They answered every question I had (even some of the painfully simple ones) and even got me involved during the sail. Aside from being out on the water in the sun and the breeze, I learned a ton. I got to tie knots, hoist sails and even took the helm which was awesome! Got to see Seattle from a completely different angle and even got a history lesson!

Booked a private sunset sail for a Saturday. Susan and Zack were very friendly, easy going, and more than willing to show us the sailing basics. They were also professional and gave us space to enjoy the occasion while keeping us topped off and well-​equipped with blankets, seating pads and hand warmers. They really helped make it an evening to remember, and I’d highly recommend Lake Union Charters.

We had a fantastic sailing experience with Lake Union Charters. My in-​laws were in town and we wanted to show them the city in a fun way, especially on such a beautiful (90 °F degree+) day! Lake Union Charters definitely delivered. We arrived at the dock and the boat was ready to go and the smiling captain, Patrick, helped us on board and was incredibly friendly, engaging and in-​control of our experience. He zipped us around Lake Union and over to Lake Washington, pointing out different Seattle landmarks and teaching us about the sailboat (even letting us help here and there). We left with great tans, smiles on our faces and a memory for a lifetime.

We had a great trip out on Lake Union on Mocha yesterday for part of some bachelorette festivities. Such a great, friendly captain, who showed great hospitality to our group. I think everyone on the boat would gladly jump aboard a Lake Union Charter boat again soon!

We had our first charter experience last night with the July 4^th Cruise. I was excited for the trip — I’d never watched the fireworks by boat. It seemed like a fun idea for a reasonable price.
We had no trouble finding the terminal, although it might’ve been nice to have clearer instructions to get to the boat. What we got was a GPS link for the location, but it took some trial & error to figure out we had to walk all the way around to a different dock.
The boat set off on schedule. It was a beautiful evening to be on the water, and we found ourselves next to a friendly group of passengers offering to share their drinks with us. I was a bit surprised that a «family-​friendly» event was sponsored by Rainier beer.
The DJ took requests and played until the show started. As promised, everyone had plenty of space for picnicking and dancing and a great view of the fireworks (and the enormous crowd at Gasworks).
Unfortunately, once the show was over the party soured — in large part because the Fremont bridge refused to let us pass. We were told that there would be a delay due to the heavy traffic crossing the bridge, which seemed reasonable. However, the delay lasted far longer than the traffic — we could all see that the bridge was no longer jammed with cars, yet our boat still wasn’t moving.
Although the bridge situation may have been beyond the Captain’s control, a number of us grew increasingly frustrated that there was NO communication from Captain or crew regarding the continued delay. I eventually tracked down a crew member and asked for an update. I was told the bridge would let us through «some time after midnight.» That was around 11:30pm, and we didn’t get through the bridge until almost 12:30am — 90 minutes later than the expected itinerary, and we were concerned that we wouldn’t be arrive back at the dock in time to get a bus home.
At the same time, the party had started to resemble something more like a drunken frat house than a «family-​friendly» cruise. Unless you are a parent who takes your kids to adult music & dance venues with a lot of bumping & grinding, I would not suggest you bring them on this cruise. Around midnight it was announced that the Seattle Police had ordered the music to stop.
With luck, we got back to the dock just in time for us to catch the last bus. I would consider doing a July 4^th Fireworks cruise again, but next time I might look for one that won’t get stranded waiting for a drawbridge.
Edit: I just received an email from Captain Geoff about the bridge trouble with a discount voucher for our next booking. Thanks, Captain!

My girlfriend and I went on a beautiful sunset cruise. It was the perfect night for it and the staff was very friendly. We had never been to seattle before so it was really cool to see it from the water. Make sure you bring jackets if you’re doing it in the evening because it gets a little chilly! They’ll bring blankets out though so that is really nice!

Sailed with Greg Lewis and his crew mate Anna on Greg’s fifty foot sail boat. They took us across the Puget Sound from Shilshole Bay. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We even saw a dolphin! A bunch of us are prone to sea sickness but none of us got sick. Greg and Anna were gracious hosts, pointed out the sights to us, and were enjoyable company. We only paid for a two hour trip but Greg asked us if we had anything planned afterward that we couldn’t be late to. We didn’t have dinner reservations until much later in the evening so he extended the sail trip to about three hours. I highly recommend!

Excellent time. Friend bought us a «intro to sailing» class as a gift. Completely forgot about it and technically the voucher expired a couple months ago! I emailed Lake Union Charters and they were happy to continue accepting the voucher. They also accommodated MY schedule which I was ecstatic about. Thinking that I was pretty much at the mercy to Lake Union Charters for accepting and expired voucher, I didn’t expect them to be very kind to me. I was sooo wrong.
Anyways, had a great time. Learned a lot of things and really just wanted to praise this company for excellent customer service.
Thanks a bunch Lake Union Charters!!!

Boffo guys on crew who seemed to enjoy taking an Alabama family out on a sunset sail. Personable, knowledgeable, and seemed to genuinely enjoy chatting with us, giving us more than our allotted hours. The tacks and linework was done smartly and with élan.
My only quibble (And a minor one at that) is that the boat could use a little tidying up. However, we recommend this charter without reservation.

Took my boyfriend on a surprise sail around lake union for his 30^th birthday. Although his birthday was a month prior, I had to reschedule because he made plans of his own. So anyways, it was really great, the weather was amazing, and we had some entertainment while out on the water (there was a boat with a band playing, quite the musicians). He got a chance to sail it a little bit with the guidance of our captain, and overall we enjoyed the experience. They were also very helpful, at first I wanted to go on the Lavengro (if thats how you spell it) but instead we took the solana and it was great. Prompt responses via email. Oh! And I forgot to pay by the 48 hr deadline and they put my reservation back up when I emailed them with my forgetfulness. Brought our own little mason jars of wine, and we had a great time. Definitely recommend.

Great sail with spectacular views of Seattle skyline accompanied with a fun guide made this trip a memorable one. Was a short 1 hour trip but it was gorgeous. Wish we could have booked longer. And also make sure to check the weather before u book it.

Captain Geoff is an awesomely fun-​loving guide who has adopted an incredible teaching style that really resonated with me. I’m a fairly anxious person and I had so much fun onboard largely because of the laid-​back way he approached teaching me how to maneuver the giant sailboat. He is a great coach with an obvious love for what he does and a total knack for anticipating his guests’ needs. It was an amazing day full of laughter on the water!

I was so excited to book 6 of our friends for a 4 hour Sunset Sail for my husbands birthday but it was really bad. We did not have Geoff as a Captain although that is who responded to my inquiries and reservations. I was told i could bring dinner on in advance and we had quite an organized picnic.
When we arrived at the Lavengol, there were 5 crew on a relatively small boat. I did not want a party with crew members I wanted for my friends to be together and the 5 crew just hung out, we had to talk with and over them, they were volunteers and were not needed. also the boat kitchen was HORRIBLE, a mess impossible to use for food, smelled like oil, dirty was not «under renovation» it had been a disaster for ages. The captain was rude after I asked to get some of the” crew” off the boat, so it was bad, and we opted to end the «tour» early so we could eat our lovely picnic at home.
The owner was very cooperative and refunded our money which was more than i expected but simply did not make up for ruining my husbands 50^th Bday, to this day it is not yet a funny story.

We chartered Solana in August for a sunset cruise for my husband’s birthday. There were 5 of us (including a toddler). It was a beautiful, fun sail with Captain Jordy. Solana is electric and so very quiet and peaceful. Captain Jordy was very warm, fun and quite talkative. We brought our own food and drinks and enjoyed sailing around Lake Union and taking in the sites. Captain Jordy was a wealth of information. This is a very personal boating experience that you can make your own.
I didn’t find the boat as «spic and span» as I’m used to, but the captain I’ve sailed with previously is particularly finicky about that, so my standards may be high. In general it was a clean, fun boat, with the added interest of an electric motor. Captain Jordy is a genuine and happy person to hang out with.

Every time my husband and I go on vacation, we find any excuse to be on the water whether it’s a kayak, catamaran or, in this case, a sail boat. After some research, I booked a sail through Lake Union Charters and Adventures. The company has great reviews and I liked the fact that we could book a sail for just the two of us and our captain for a reasonable price, as opposed to a group sail with a lot of other people. I called and spoke with Geoff. He was very nice and responsive when I asked him about a possible dinner location around Lake Union. The evening of our sail, we got to the dock and met our Skipper, Alex. He was so great. Very personable and he had a wealth of great information. We really enjoyed sailing with him. He even let me steer the boat and taught us some sailing basics. It was such a wonderful experience! I have to say the best part was probably when he had me dock the boat under sail. That was awesome. The thought was scary at first, but he gave such great direction that I felt pretty confident. Definitely something I’m proud of, thanks to Captain Alex. We love Seattle so much and have told all of our friends about the great experience we had. We will definitely plan on sailing with Lake Union Charters again when we return.

My husband took me on a date night. Geoff was great and the boat was fun. The sunset through the clouds was beautiful and after living in Seattle for 10 years I had never seen a more beautiful sun set. I highly recommend using this service. We all can’t afford to buy a boat but we can afford to rent one for a special evening.

Lake Union Charters & Adventures always has great ideas for fun nights on the water! I’ve been out several times with Captain Geoff, once when we all dressed as a pirates; another time when we took the small electric boat over to a local restaurant; and a couple times to watch the sunset opposite the glowing Seattle skyline. Capt Geoff is a very creative and attentive guide, and I would highly recommend his trips to others, whether you’re visiting or live in the Seattle area!

Looking for something special and personal to do for my water loving husband’s 36^th birthday I contacted Lake Union Charters with some specific questions about their date night package. Captain Geoff responded within hours of my initial email and continued to field my questions and offer suggestions to tailor the perfect evening even when my schedule and budget were constantly evolving! I was impressed from the get go with his enthusiasm and prompt correspondence.
The day of our sail the weather turned but Geoff’s sunny disposition and positive outlook more than made up for it! From the moment we set foot onboard it was like we were sailing with a buddy. We bundled up in the cold weather gear Geoff provides (complete with a «toasty buns» warmer to sit on) and just moseyed around the lake. The conversation flowed and the hubs enjoyed soaking up Geoff’s sailing knowledge while driving the boat himself. I appreciated that Geoff managed not to mention the rest of the surprise evening he had helped me to line up for the birthday boy. Kudos. And of course we ate every last bite of the chocolate and raspberries he put out for us. =)
The evening finished with a short walk to dinner at Pasta Freska (reservation made by Captain Geoff) and a very special excursion to Banya 5. Although I had recently heard wonderful things about Banya 5 it would not have even been on my radar to include it in the hub’s birthday festivities had it not been mentioned on the Lake Union Charters website and come so highly recommended by Captain Geoff. Although my husband thanked me profusely for such a special night I can honestly credit Geoff for the ideas and inspiration!
All in all, the best date we have had since we got married 5 years ago and an AHHH-​MAAAZING retreat from the hustle and bustle of work, kids and the daily grind. THANK YOU, CAPTAIN GEOFF AND LAKE UNION CHARTERS! We will be back!

Captain Geoff was great. Got back to me quickly and everything went perfect, he even got us some chocolates for our «sunset cruise.» He showed us some great views of the city and when the sails weren’t up, his electric engine was super quiet which made for a peaceful ride.
Would recommend to everyone, very reasonable and safe.
5+ stars.