Proposing or Celebrating an Anniversary on a Private Boat in Cinque Terre
Every season I get a few messages that begin the same way. We are coming to Monterosso in June, and I would like to ask her on the boat. Or: it is our tenth anniversary and we want to spend it on the water instead of in a restaurant. After forty years on this coast I can tell you these trips are not complicated to arrange. They need the right boat, and a little warning beforehand.
Why a private boat is the right setting
The part that matters most is simple. Nobody else is on board. Our private trips take a maximum of six guests, and the price is for the whole boat, not per person. The deck is yours, the pace is yours, and there is no group of strangers waiting their turn at the rail while you are looking for the right moment.
It also means I can adjust. If you want the engine off in a quiet cove for ten minutes, we stop. If you want more distance from the other boats, I know where to go and when. Inside the Cinque Terre marine protected area we run at five knots near the shore anyway, so the boat is slow and quiet and you can talk without raising your voice.
Which trip fits which moment
The Five Villages is two hours, 400 euro for the boat, leaving at 10 in the morning. It is the classic run along Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The sea is usually calmest early, which makes it a good anniversary morning.
Coast & Coves is three hours, 550 euro for the boat, leaving at 14, with about an hour anchored for swimming and snorkelling. For a proposal this is the one I suggest most often. The swimming stop gives you a natural pause in a quiet place, and by the end of the trip the light has softened over the water.
Portovenere is around five hours, 850 euro for the boat. We go down past Byron's grotto and the blue grotto at Palmaria, and you have time ashore in Portovenere itself. If you want a whole day rather than a single moment, that is the one.
The Sunset Aperitivo is a different thing. It is a shared trip, two and a half hours, 100 euro per guest, up to seventeen people, with wine on board. The light is the best of the day, but you will be sharing the boat with others. For a proposal I would not recommend it. For an anniversary evening where you are happy to have company around you, it works well.
What I can do, and what I cannot
Send me a message on WhatsApp before the trip and tell me what you are planning. I will pick a calm cove, hold the boat steady, cut the engine if you want silence, and stay out of the way at the right moment. It helps to know in advance so I can plan the route around it rather than improvise.
What I do not offer, and will not pretend to offer: there is no photographer, no flowers, no catering package. This is a working Ligurian fishing boat, not an events company. You are welcome to bring your own bottle, your own food and anything else you want on board. Snorkel masks and life jackets are there for everyone.
There is no prepayment, and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before. If the sea turns, I will say so honestly and we will move the trip rather than spoil it.
We leave from Molo dei Pescatori in Monterosso al Mare, five minutes on foot from the train station, before the tunnel. Message me on WhatsApp at +39 338 445 7488 with your dates and what you have in mind, and we will find the right afternoon for it.