Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours — Local services in Traverse City

If you’re on vacation and looking for a sailing opportunity in Grand Traverse Bay Michigan or a local looking for a different perspective. Check out The Wind Dancer boat and her crew. Captain Nate, Captain Chris, and “Coyote Chris” were all excellent. We were scheduled for a sail earlier in the day but weather changed our plans for us. We had good communication with the business ahead of time and they were able to reschedule us for the dinner cruise. We met at the pier and Captain Nate introduced the crew and told us a little about the boat, the surrounding land and water. She is a 63’ long Thomas Colvin designed schooner. Hope I got that right. Sign your liability form, which you can and should do ahead of time on the website. Board the Wind Dancer, receive a 5-10 minute brief and power out to open water. After a few minutes, sails go up with the help of the passengers if they so chose, which I did so I could say that I’ve done it. Engine off and voila! Your sailing. Crew gave us a brief education on maritime history, terminology, and proper maneuvering techniques and the how and why behind it. We enjoyed local cuisine. Cheese, dried cherries, and crackers for snack along with a glass of white wine. There are other drink options. For us white wine and sailing seemed to pair well. For dinner, chicken sandwich, Great Lakes chips, and a fudge sample all served in reusable and resealable tin containers that just seemed very nautical themed and frankly cool. Everyone on our tour were accomplished conversationalists, so we all got along great and had many good interactions and laughs. Bring sunglasses, sunscreen for the face, and dress in layers. The crew did offer up warm blankets cause it did get kinda cool out there. We Alabamians were not used to the cooler Michigan temps + being out on the open water. Suggestion would be a windbreaker jacket and appropriate shoes for walking on uneven and occasionally wet surfaces. which we did thankfully have. Scenery is gorgeous. Crew maneuvered the boat for great photo ops of the sunset. At the end they gave us the option to keep our Wind Dancer wine glasses as a souvenir, which we did. Thanks guys! Such a great way to experience our great country. Feel very grateful to be able to do these trips. Overall, great experience! Don’t hesitate if you are in fact...

Our tour on Wind Dancer provided us with a wonderful experience on our final day visiting Traverse City. They had some fantastic help from Mother Nature as we had a bright sunny sky with warm breezes on the clear blue Grand Traverse Bay. The crew was very attentive while masterfully sailing around the bay. The Wind Dancer is a beautiful boat that easily accommodated the 14 passengers on board. The only on-board issue was sitting comfortably on the sides of the boat. The captain informed us that it would tilt at angle of 10 degrees to either side while under full sail. As we looked back to the stern from our seat on the port side, it seemed like it was a lot more than 10 degrees. Luckily, I could reach the rail of the ship with my feet to brace myself, but my wife couldn’t. She was finally able to get comfortable and we enjoyed the rest of the trip. It also helped that they lowered sails to stabilize the boat so we could enjoy a tasty lunch. We found one advantage of sailing vs a motor-propelled craft as there wasn’t any engine noise or fuel fumes to spoil the ambiance of our leisurely cruise. We were able to enjoy conversations with other passengers and the crew as we could talk with them in a normal speaking voice.

In addition to the friendliness of the crew, the office staff was very helpful. We had an issue with the date of our booking through Travel Advisor / Viator. I'm not sure if it was them or me that had us scheduled a day after our departure date, but we also booked a kayaking trip through them and that was an issue as well. We called the Wind Dancer office early that morning and they found a way to accommodate us. They really saved the day for us!

We highly recommend a sailing experience on the Wind Dancer. On our next visit to Traverse City, we look forward to sailing on their sunset cruise. We also highly recommend that you book your trip through Wind...

Wife and I went day after Memorial Day and it was GREAT. Great crew. Ship is beautiful and was a fun sail. We had good wind (20's) and Cpt kept the speed down to a nice clip. Boat is very stable and no bobbing (like on our pontoon), which my wife appreciated. Sandwich was good with a creamy avocado spread and local chicken. It came in a fun practical metal Bento Box, and was prepared by the kitchen at the Aritisan Rest. @ the Delmar. I really liked the cold califlower side salad and side salad of assorted greens, nuts and dried cherries of course. Desserts were prepared by Morsals, a great local shop. I booked a Tuesday as it focuses on 'Mammoth Distilling'. We have enjoyed many of Mammoths specialty cocktails at the TC location. We began the adventure with Champagne from Mawby's and plunged onward into the four featured cocktails using Mammoth spirits. They also have wines from Bonobo and assorted beers which we didn't sample. Sail was perfect for a fun afternoon and the weather cooperated. There is a head (toilet) if nature calls. The crew of three were informative, friendly and fun. Cpt Jason, 1st Mate Derek and 2nd mate John with the food & beverages, all made it a memorably great outing.

We'll do it again when couples from downstate and OH join us for...