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Loose Cannon Tours - Cruising Kingston Harbour in style

Published:Thursday | December 6, 2018 | 12:00 AMKajamba Fitz-Henley

If you like shimmering water, cool ocean air, and the freedom of rocking on open water, all while enjoying the protection of a 69-foot yacht, you might be interested in booking a tour with Loose Cannon Tours.

The Loose Cannon company started as an investment in Jamaica that could provide a legitimate attraction with added tourist appeal. The company's managing director, Andrew Gillmore, informed Automotives of some of the details regarding the start-up process. "This is something that has been very successful on the north coast. I did a lot of research and studies looking at what was taking place on the north coast, and when the time was right, I decided to do it here in Kingston."

The Kingston attraction was established in March 2017 and is centred in the well-known town of Port Royal. However, the attraction features two primary tour locations: a Friday night tour leaving from Ribbiz at Victoria Pier in downtown Kingston, and a Sunday tour from the Grand Port Royal Hotel in the port town. Fridays offer a cruise of the harbour, which, according to Gallimore, "allows you to see the city from a very different perspective". He gave further details: "We sail the harbour in between the big ships. We have a live DJ on board, and food and drink are included in the cover charge, so there's a lot to see, and everybody tends to enjoy themselves quite a bit." This is what Loose Cannon customers get to experience from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday nights.

The Sunday morning tours provide a similarly rare but authentically enjoyable experience "that goes out to Maiden Cay from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. You sail out to the cay, we dock, we have the music, the food and the drinks. Who wants to stay on the boat stays on. who wants go in the water goes in, and who to go on the beach goes. It's a very festive sort of ambience and everybody enjoys themselves."

 

An attraction for everyone

 

In addition to the two main tours, Loose Cannon offers chartering services for various events to various people. "We do a lot of charters, so people use that for their special events. We do birthday parties, office parties - any special occasion. When someone charters the boat for their occasion, they determine the time that they want it, and we just try and make it as pleasurable an experience for them as possible."

Gillmore said that the enjoyable experience of Loose Cannon caters to local residents as well as tourists. "We get a lot of local customers. We give our local residents a discounted price. there's a different price as opposed to non-residents. we are targeting both. There are approximately 300,000 visitors that come to Kingston annually, and we are targeting them. We've had tremendous local support. This is something that has been lacking in the market for a long time.

"A great number of people, not only in Jamaica but worldwide, don't really get the opportunity to go out on the sea in a manner that they feel safe and comfortable."

The variety in customers might just be matched by the variety in food as the tours offer a spread of chicken pasta, seafood pasta, jerk chicken, jerk pork, grilled sausage, as well as Red Stripe, Heineken, white rum, Appleton Special, vodka, apple vodka, Campari, rum cream, cranberry juice, Pepsi and other sodas - all-inclusive.

Gillmore also shared some details on the accommodating interior featured in the yachts: "this is a 69-foot power Catamaran that has been totally redesigned to carry people in comfort. It's an air-conditioned cabin with four bathrooms, a full-service bar, hot food on demand. it's a total level of comfort and an experience that most people wouldn't normally get to have."

Value for safety is also keenly addressed on the Power Catamarans: "All our staff are properly trained and certified. In most instances, when we go out, we have more than one captain on board. we have anywhere between four and seven lifeguards, in excess of 150 life vests, and life rafts. We fulfil all the requirements to make it a very, very safe and enjoyable pastime," Gallimore said.

 

Expanding Loose Cannon Tours?

 

While Gillmore said that it is somewhat premature to solidify any plans for expansion, Loose Cannon Tours is operated with the unmistakable intention for growth. "I don't rule anything out. We're trying to do it and do it well, and when we've mastered every aspect of it, which we're well on our way to doing, then we can look at whichever other opportunities present themselves."

Tours and charters can be booked online at loosecannontours.com. The attractions can also easily be found on Facebook and Instagram by typing in 'Loose Cannon Tours'.