Blount Small Ship Adventures has two cruise ships, the Grande Mariner and the Grand Caribe, and they have been everywhere.
They’ve skirted the coasts of New England, explored Chesapeake Bay, and squeezed through the locks of the Erie Canal. They’ve journeyed from Chicago to Montreal, dropped anchor in Saguenay Fjord, and – most surprisingly – floated down the shores of Honduras and through the Panama Canal. Their passengers have enjoyed lobster bakes on the beach and hiked in the Darien jungle. They have snorkled with naturalists. They’ve partied in Roatán. They have sailed by the gleam of Maine’s lighthouses.
And of all the seaside towns in the world, their home port is Warren, Rhode Island.
“The name was hard,” says Nancy Blount. “We had this cumbersome name, the American Canadian Caribbean Line, and we needed to rebrand. We did a lot of research on it.”
Like her father, Nancy has lived an unusual life. She was raised in Warren, in a house that has since been replaced by the Blount offices. As a youth, Nancy worked on her father’s ships, as a stewardess and assistant chef. Later, she would spend some time as a welder in the Blount shipyard. She left Rhode Island for a few years, then returned in 1979. She watched the business grow and evolve, then took over as president in 2001.
When Luther passed away in 2006, he left five children, who each had a stake in the company. Nancy spearheaded a series of updates, including the name Blount Small Ship Adventures, and had both ships refurbished. The many itineraries are more far-flung than ever, with journeys to New Brunswick, Chicago, Savannah, and Belize. The company still reflects Luther Blount’s original vision – putting a premium on individualized experience and high-end dining – yet the ships are equipped with modern conveniences like Wi-Fi and stair lifts between decks.
Nancy is right, of course: Small ships aren’t for everybody. Most routes hug the shore, far from mid-ocean swells, but motion sickness can still be an issue. Some cruisers prefer the anonymous crowds of a Carnival ship to the close-quartered familiarity of the Grand Mariner. But for that intrepid minority, the Blount experience can be life-changing. Nancy says that passengers have returned a dozen times, and one fan sailed on 30 separate trips.
After all these years of fostering her father’s legacy, Nancy still relishes the magic of those ships. “I love leaving my phone in my cabin,” she remarks. “I love not having any use for it.”
Her favorite destination is Maine. “It’s just so rugged and beautiful,” says Nancy. Then she adds, “Also Belize.”
To learn more about Blount’s 2019 itineraries, visit their website.
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