Need a break from the office or conference activities for your corporate event? Want to surprise your business guests when pirates attack your cruise?

How about a unique sunset sailing cruise with your family and friends?

A historical yacht cruise with James Sidney Lanier, a descendant of the man our lake is named for?

Or a romantic Lake Lanier cruise for your anniversary, Atlanta wedding venue, or engagement proposal?

Join us for an invigorating breath of fresh air…and discover the ageless appeal of sailing!

We offer half day and full day charters as well as sunset cruises scheduled at your convenience. Sailing, swimming and sunbathing are always options of the day when you charter your own sailboat and captain.

Join us for the experience of a lifetime as our captains offer you the opportunity to hoist sail, take the helm or just kick back and enjoy the ride. Celebrate an anniversary. Make your Atlanta wedding venue a sailboat on Lake Lanier or on a deserted lake island. Reward your faithful corporate staff.

What better way to mark any occasion than a memorable outing of wind, waves and sunshine sailing the sparkling waters of Lake Lanier!

Prices start at:

• $449 - Half Day Charters “with Captain” (6 passengers) Add passengers $39 each
• $749 – Full Day Charters “with Captain” (6 passengers) Add passengers $59 each
• $299 – Private 2.5 hour Sunset Sail with up to 6 guests. Additional passengers are $40 each
• $40 per person for “3 hour” Sunset Sail, (private “with minimum of 10 passengers”)

Buford Dam, Lake Lanier, Georgia

Learn Lake Lanier History As You Cruise

Who better to take you on a guided yacht cruise of Lake Lanier than Mr. James Sidney Lanier, a direct descendant of Sidney Lanier, the beloved Georgia poet the lake is named for? As your guide, Mr. Lanier will explain the intriguing history of Lake Sidney Lanier and the building of Buford Dam. You will enjoy Mr. Lanier’s knowledge of the past inhabitants of the area that became the lake, and little known anecdotes about the building of Lake Lanier.

Lake Lanier Construction in 1950

Lake Lanier History

In 1946 the U.S. Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct Buford Dam for purposes of river navigation, flood control, electric production, and water supply. $750,000 was budgeted in 1949 to construct the Buford Dam, and on March 1, 1950 a ground breaking ceremony was held. Over 700 families had to be relocated, at a cost of 19 million dollars, to acquire the 56,000 acres needed for Lake Lanier, which when full covers 38,000 acres with water. Lake Lanier’s shoreline is 692 miles long.

Seven years and 45 million dollars later, the Buford Dam gates were closed on February 1, 1956. It wasn’t until May 25, 1959, that Lake Lanier reached full capacity with the water’s surface at 1070 feet above sea level.

Sidney Lanier, namesake of Lake Lanier. 1842-1881

Poet Sidney Clopton Lanier

Lake Sidney Lanier was named for the famous poet who wrote “The Song of The Chattahoochee” about the river that was damned to form Lake Lanier.

Sidney Lanier was born in Macon, Georgia on February 3, 1842. Sidney loved music taught himself to play the piano, organ, flute, and guitar. He attended Oglethorpe College when he was 14 and in 1860 was graduated at the top of his class. He soon was marching in the Confederate Army and fought in many battles in Virginia. He was captured while aboard a blockade runner, “Lucy,” and put into a Union prison at Point Lookout, Maryland, where he became ill with tuberculosis. The disease is a reason he died at the age of 39.

Following the war, he was married and raised children in and near Baltimore, Maryland, but his failing health in 1881 led him on his doctor’s advice to seek cleaner air in the mountains around Asheville, North Carolina. He died in Lynn, North Carolina, on September 7, 1881.

In 1972, the U.S. Postal Service issued an 8-cent stamp featuring Sidney Lanier’s picture.

The Song of The Chattahoochee

by Sidney Clopton Lanier, 1842-1881

Out of the hills of Habersham,
Down the valleys of Hall,
I hurry amain to reach the plain,
Run the rapid and leap the fall,
Split at the rock and together again,
Accept my bed, or narrow or wide,
And flee from folly on every side
With a lover’s pain to attain the plain
Far from the hills of Habersham,
Far from the valleys of Hall.

All down the hills of Habersham,
All through the valleys of Hall,
The rushes cried Abide, abide,
The wilful waterweeds held me thrall,
The laving laurel turned my tide,
The ferns and the fondling grass said Stay,
The dewberry dipped for to work delay,
And the little reeds sighed Abide, abide,
Here in the hills of Habersham,
Here in the valleys of Hall.

High o’er the hills of Habersham,
Veiling the valleys of Hall,
The hickory told me manifold
Fair tales of shade, the poplar tall
Wrought me her shadowy self to hold,
The chestnut, the oak, the walnut, the pine,
Overleaning with flickering meaning and sign,
Said, Pass not, so cold, these manifold
Deep shades of the hills of Habersham,
These glades in the valleys of Hall.

And oft in the hills of Habersham,
And oft in the valleys of Hall,
The white quartz shone, and the smooth brook-stone
Did bar me of passage with friendly brawl,
And many a luminous jewel lone
-Crystals clear or a-cloud with mist,
Ruby, garnet, and amethyst-
Made lures with the lights of streaming stone
In the clefts of the hills of Habersham,
In the beds of the valleys of Hall.

But oh, not the hills of Habersham,
And oh, not the valleys of Hall
Avail: I am fain for to water the plain.
Downward the voices of Duty call-
Downward, to toil and be mixed with the main,
The dry fields burn, and the mills are to turn,
And a myriad flowers mortally yearn,
And the lordly main from beyond the plain
Calls o’er the hills of Habersham,
Calls through the valleys of Hall. ]]> http://www.lordnelsoncharters.com/2010/06/lake-lanier-lake-cruise/feed/ 0 http://www.lordnelsoncharters.com/2010/06/lake-lanier-charter-sailboat-sunset-cruise/ http://www.lordnelsoncharters.com/2010/06/lake-lanier-charter-sailboat-sunset-cruise/#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 15:59:58 +0000 Lord Nelson Charters http://www.lordnelsoncharters.com/?p=515

Nothing’s more relaxing than sailing at sunset on Lake Lanier

Relax as our captain takes you on an adventure. Enjoy the quiet, soothing sounds of the wind flapping our sails and waves washing our sailboat as we seek the beauty of the sun setting on Lake Lanier, Georgia.

Your sailboat cruise departs from the beautiful Lake Lanier Islands Resort, where you may enjoy fine dining at the resort restaurants following your cruise, unless you prefer to bring your own picnic aboard the sailboat.

Lake Lanier Sunset Charter Sailing Cruises

We have sailboat charters of various sizes to accomodate couples and small and large groups. You may enjoy your own private sailing cruise for your loved one or family, or for your corporate or organization group. Or call us to see if we may partner you with other sailors who wish to share a sailboat charter with others, or attend our Saturday night public cruises.

• $40 per person for “3 hour” Sunset Sailboat Cruise, (private “with minimum of 10 passengers”)
• $299 – Private 2.5 hour Sunset Sail with up to 6 guests. Additional passengers are $40 each

We can also offer sunset sailing cruises on pontoon boats, call for details.

Lake Lanier Summer Camp for kids 8 to 13 is happening again with the Lake Lanier Sailing School at Lord Nelson Charters. Our adventure based summer day camp sails from beautiful Lake Lanier Islands Resort and serves kids from Gwinnett County, North Fulton (Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek), Hall County, and Atlanta.

The Lake Lanier Sailing Camp offers day campers the following sailing experience:

• Learn sailing terms and sailboat parts
• Learn to rig and sail their own sailboat
• Capsize sailboats (lots of fun!) and practice boater safety
• There is always lots of swimming, outdoor games and tons of water fun
• Sailing a three legged course and participate in sailboat races!
• Have fun sailing to and exploring deserted islands on Lake Lanier
• Learn some really cool knots
• Meet new friends and have a great time at Lake Lanier Islands Resort!

Summer Day Camp Sessions

Our Summer Day Camp sessions are 1 week long sessions and run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dates available for the 2011 camp are;

•  July 25 through July 29



Summer camp enrollment is limited to 10 day campers per session with 1 sailing instructor and 1 assistant camp instructor. Summer Camp kids will sail 12 ft Sunfish sailboat with 2 kids per boat. One camper functions as the helmsman who steers the boat while the second camper  is the Trimmer who trims the sails. Instructors supervise and coach from a motorized dinghy.

Summer camp kids must be capable swimmers and should bring a sack lunch. Afternoon snacks and drinks will be provided By Lord Nelson Charters.

Cost for Summer Camp for Kids from Alpharetta, Gwinnett, Atlanta and Hall County

Cost is $399.00 for the Kids Summer Camp Sailing from Lake Lanier Islands Resort.

Call 770-271-1888 for more information or to request your enrollment form for our Summer Camp. Don’t delay, this camp is very popular and space is limited!

Whether you want to learn to sail or dream of chartering your own yacht in exotic locations, you’ll find the right sailing lessons for you in our sailing class list.

We are an American Sailing Association certified training school using Coast Guard licensed Captains, American Sailing Association certified instructors and are the only authorized sailing school located on beautiful Lake Lanier Islands Resort on Lake Lanier.

Sailing lessons start with the fun and challenging Basic Keelboat 101 Sailing Lessons, advance to the Coastal Cruising 103 Sailing Lessons and Bareboat Chartering 104 Sailing Lessons and then beyond to what ever satisfies your sailing dreams!

Want The Best Metro Atlanta Sailing Lessons?

Fact #1: We have the Best-Qualified Sailing Instructors!

Your sailing lessons are taught by our sailing instructors who are U.S. Coast Guard licensed captains and have been certified to teach sailing by the American Sailing Association. We are one of the few sailing schools in the country qualified to teach ALL ASA Advanced Sailing Classes including 105 Coastal Navigation, 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising, 107 Celestial Navigation, 108 Offshore Passagemaking, and 114 Cruising Catamaran. There is no substitute for experience.

Fact #2: Our sailing classes have the Best Student to Instructor Ratio!

We put no more than 3 students per sailboat with 1 sailing instructor. Many sailing classes will have only 2 students per sailboat. This allows for one-on-one with the sailing instructor and no time sitting around a cramped cockpit watching others sail the boat!

Fact #3: Our sailing lessons use experiential “On the Sailboat” training!

We have found that “On the Sailboat” training is far more effective than sitting in a classroom discussing sailing theory. The best way to learn sailing is practical application with your hands on the tiller of the sailboat under the guidance of our sailing instructors. All sailing instruction is done dockside and on the sailboats. The Result? Certification can be accomplished in a specified amount of course time instead of endless classes awaiting certification.

Fact #4: We are the only Lake Lanier sailing school located on a major resort!

Why spend your sailing time and dollars at an ordinary marina when you can enjoy the luxury of Lake Lanier Islands resort complete with hotels, dining, water park, golf and much more. Bring the whole family if you like.

Let them play while you take sailing lessons!

To reserve your Lake Lanier boat rental phone 770-271-1888 or email

* Sailing Resume and experience documentation required.

PIRATE ATTACK!

Imagine your company outing, a peaceful cruise aboard a luxurious group sailboat enjoying the beauty and serenity of Lake Lanier…when suddenly…a cannon blast!

You scarcely believe your eyes as the wooden Pirate ship pulls along side with shouts of “Avast ye scurvy dogs, Prepare to be boarded!” Suddenly you come face to face with the fearsome ‘Legendary Pirates of Lanier’ intent upon pressing you into their piratin’ service.

Pirate training follows as participants learn the finer points of becoming a pirate complete with hilarious antics, costumes and photos of the fun. A treasure hunt, sea chantey sing-along and sailing make this adventure cruise an exciting and memorable company event or family outing!

Come on a fun sailing cruise at Lake Lanier Islands!

Tired of the same old Team Building Programs?

Let us provide you with an exhilarating Team Building Adventure featuring unique Nautical and Land Based Programs!

Our exceptional corporate events provide an adventure-based platform designed for participants of all ages and physical abilities to develop better communication skills and discover new strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. All while building stronger relationships and having fun enjoying the beautiful lake setting at Lake Lanier Islands Resort.

• Over 10 years experience designing one-of-a-kind and custom Corporate Team Building programs.
• Hundreds of Fortune 500 companies have “set sail for success” with us. Review our list of corporate team building clients.
• Our corporate events are conducted at The Legacy Lodge and Conference Center, the expansive grounds of Lake Lanier Islands Resort and on pristine Lake Lanier featuring sailboats, pontoon boats and Excursion Yachts from Harbor Landing.

If Captain Blith had known about our programs… there might never have been a Mutiny On The Bounty!

More About Our Metro Atlanta Team Building Adventures…

Lake Lanier Treasure Hunt Team Building

Fun Run Team Building Activity

Fun Run Orientation

All American Scavenger Hunt

Lanier Challenge Team Building

Ultimate Quest Team Building Activities

Lord Nelson Charters delivers the ultimate real-world metaphor for teamwork with a series of off-the-beaten-path Team-Building Adventures: For ages the sea has brought people together. Now, the staff at Lord Nelson Charters uses the same principles to bring you a full slate of Corporate Team Building events designed to build confidence and cooperation among team members while creating an exhilarating experience that your staff will be talking about for years to come. These dynamic events utilize the stunning beauty of Lake Lanier and include Team N’ Ship Sailing, a “Learn to Sail” program featuring exciting regattas aboard sailing yachts, The Islands Treasure Hunt a Pontoon Boat Adventure where teams of Pirates’ explore deserted islands and secluded beaches in search of ”Treasure” and Fun Run Pontoon Adventure featuring a “road rally” on the water with participants locating destinations and gathering information to earn valuable points and prizes.

Our newest activity is The Lanier Challenge, which not only is a great team building program but also involves a Lake Lanier cruise on The Island Queen or The Island Princess. While we are out on the lake, your teams learn navigation skills and must use their new tools to devleop a strategy and solve problems. The program involves uncovering new facts about Lake Lanier and your own company.

For guests who prefer dry land, we offer a variety of land based programs which include The All American Scavenger Hunt, a smorgasbord of popular and lively team building exercises  involving exploration and discovery. Variations of this program include  Adventure Course, a low impact initiatives course designed to get folks to know each other better and discover essential team values in a series of challenging and physical initiatives, Improv Workshop, a brain stimulating program that will get participants thinking “outside the box” while exploring creativity and communication skills and Survivor On Lanier, a more physical, rowdy variation requiring mutual support and trust to succeed in completing a series of challenging “tribal initiatives and competitions.

For larger groups we offer The Ultimate Quest which gives participants an opportunity to experience the best of both land and water events in one action packed quest requiring teams to collaborate on objectives, complete missions and accumulate points for awards.

Looking for a “one of a kind” event? No problem! Lord Nelson Charters has the experience to create and execute custom, individual programs for corporate clients and civic organizations. These adventure themed programs can be designed around the specific needs of your group and can include advanced facilitation featuring Myers Briggs or HBDI assessment tools as an additional option. Lord Nelson Charters has more than 10 years of proven success in crafting events to suit the individual needs of teams and groups, and their roster of clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as local companies of all sizes.

Combine your team building adventure with a picnic and pavilion option for a full day of camaraderie and away from the office productivity! Ask us for details 

1. Fun Run Pontoon Boat Challenge
2. Lanier Challenge
3. Team N Ship Sailing
4. Islands Treasure Hunt
5. All American Scavenger Hunt
6. The Ultimate Quest

Included in our sailing classes:

1. Sailing Fundamentals Official ASA text book.



2. American Sailing Association official Log Book to keep a record of certification and sailing.
3. American Sailing Association membership enrollment with benefits.
4. Free sail boat rental following completion of class.
5. Certification Award suitable for framing.
6. Admittance in one of our sailing clubs designed to “keep you sailing”.

Saturday Sailing Class – $589
Sailing class meets 3 consecutive Saturdays. New classes start the first Saturday of each month March through November. Basic Keelboat 101 Sailing Classes are taught at our Lord Nelson Charters Sailing School on the Lake Lanier Islands Resort at Harbor Landing. Location map of sailing lessons.

Private Sailing Class – Call or email for pricing
Scheduled at your convenience. Ask about our Sailing Buddy discount.

Whether you simply want to learn to sail, take up an exhilarating new sport or charter big sailboats in exotic locations…our sailing lessons are the place to start!

Sailing Class curriculum includes:

• Gear and Equipment – featuring roller furling and wheel steering
• Safety – including the safety harness and first aid
• Rules of the Road and Navigation Lights
• Duties of the Skipper and Crew
• Weather
• Seamanship – including nautical charts and anchorages. More knots!

Sailing Lessons are offered as the following options;

• 2 sessions or 1 weekend at our Lake Lanier Islands Resort sailing school with sailing lessons on Lake Lanier.
  Call for pricing and schedule.
• 3 day week-end class at Charlotte Harbor, Florida. 
  Call or email for pricing

Sailing Lessons can be scheduled privately and can be included with Bareboat Chartering 104 in Charlotte Harbor, Florida or the British Virgin Islands. Call for pricing.