Blount Small Ship Adventures

General information

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.