Thars She Blows… Whale Watch Social – August 29, Rye NH

Join the GSA Social Committee for a Whale Watch in Rye for our August Social Event. We hope you can join us. These are unofficial events.  We pay our own way, and all GSAs are welcome. It is a great way to see some friends, make new ones and have fun. Plus, it gives us a chance to get to know NH businesses and for them to learn about us.

• Date: Thursday, August 29th, 2024 Rain or Shine
• Place: Granite State Whale Watch, 1870 Ocean Blvd, Rye, NH 03870
• Time: 10:30 am in the parking lot. Boat leaves at 11 am (don’t be late!).
• Duration: 4-5 hours – Each whale watch depends on the location of the whales that day.
• Price: This reflects a 10% discount. 

Adults: $45.00

Senior (60+): $38.70

• Maximum Number of GSAs: Limited by tickets available.
• Food & Drink: Feel free to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages. Also available on board. See below.
• Parking: On site. $5 fee
• Accessibility: There are a few steps to board the boat. The crew will help. See below.
• Uniform: Green shirts and GSA name badge encouraged. It makes it easy to approach GSAs we don’t know.
• Sign Up: Read this entire page first. CLICK THE SIGN UP BUTTON and fill out our form BEFORE you buy tickets so we know who is planning to attend. After you fill out our form, you will be brought to Granite State Whale Watch’s schedule page. Please buy your ticket(s) directly from Granite State Whale Watch. See details below.
  NOTE: You are not officially registered to attend until you have purchased your tickets. 
• Website: https://granitestatewhalewatch.com

Any questions, reach out to socialcommittee@nhgsa.com

We hope you can join us!!

The details…

Reservations:

*** You must make your own reservation with Granite State Whale Watch either by phone or online. This cruise can take a maximum of 80 but it is open to the public. All GSAs are welcome and feel free to bring a friend or family member, perhaps someone interested in becoming a GSA.

To reservation by phone:

• Fill out our form by clicking the Sign Up button below so we know who to expect.
• Call 800-964-5545, let them know you are a GSA to get the discount.

To reserve online:

• Click the SIGN UP button
  
• Fill out our form so we know who to expect.
• Click FINISH and it will bring you to https://granitestatewhalewatch.com/schedules/
• Press Book Button.
• Select the August 29^th and enter your number of tickets.
• Press 11:00 am Button.
• Enter your information…
• Press Next Button
• Press the Enter Code Button and use GSA as the code to get the discount.
• You should see a 10% discount.
• Enter your credit card information and agree to the terms.
• Press the Pay Now button.

We strongly recommend reservations. The trips often sell out and it is not just GSAs, so calling ahead or booking online is a very good idea. And when you make a reservation, they take your phone number so that if they have to cancel your trip due to poor weather, they will let you know as soon as that decision has been made.

The Boat:

They have a 99% sighting record. On the rare occasion that they do not sight any whales or dolphins, a free pass for a future trip will be issued.

The trips will be narrated by one of their staff naturalists who are affiliates of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation.

There are two bathrooms and the boat hold 130 people.

There are handicapped parking spaces near the dock at the harbor, and there is a long ramp to access the dock. In order to board the actual boat, there is a small staircase of five steps up, then it’s another two steps down to the deck (so the boat itself can’t be accessed via a ramp). The staircase has a railing on one side and their crew is happy to assist you. Once on board, there is an open area on the lower deck at the stern of the boat that is partially covered and has side-to-side access with room for a wheelchair or walker.

What to Bring:   

Feel free to bring food and drinks along.  They do have a galley onboard serving hot dogs, soft pretzels, candy, chips, soda, soups and beer.  Since they do have an alcohol license, you cannot bring any alcoholic beverages onboard. 

It is usually at least 10-15 degrees cooler offshore than it is on land, so it is better to dress in layers, and bring one more layer than you think you need. Even on a hot summer’s day on land, people are glad they brought along a sweatshirt or fleece jacket once we’re offshore.

If you are prone to motion sickness it is best to take medication before departure.  The boat does move even on calm days, so soft soled shoes are a good idea, heels are not.

Other things that you might want to bring are a camera, sunscreen, and binoculars.

Directions:

Rt 101 East. Take Exit 12. Left onto Rt 111 East, follow 6.4 miles to Rt 1-A. Left onto Rt 1-A North. 3 miles to Rye Harbor.

 

Website: https://granitestatewhalewatch.com/

Phone: 800-964-5545