Cruise-Ireland, Ireland's largest river Shannon Cruise hire charter company is expanding its 115–boat fleet with the addition of five Dutch built boats over the next few seasons. The first of these new steel yachts are already in build and will be delivered to Ireland's inland waterway in stages between April and July 2017.

Cruise-Ireland placed an order at Linssen Yachts for five new yachts, which involves a turnover of more than €1m. The aim of this long-term collaboration is to extend the Cruise-Ireland fleet with several new Linssen Yachts every one or two years.

New boats will go into the Cruise-Ireland bases in Banagher, two in Carrick and one on the Shannon One-way route.

For more than forty years, they have been offering sailing holidays on the popular Irish inland waterways, which are almost 500 km in length. Cruise-Ireland is a combination of two of the oldest yacht charter companies in Ireland: Carrickcraft and Waveline Cruisers.

“We were looking for a third brand within Cruise-Ireland. In addition to Carrickcraft and Waveline Cruisers, we were keen to add a line of luxury yachts to our fleet. At Linssen Yachts, we not only found the right type of luxury yacht, but also the Linssen Boating Holidays international charter network, which immediately gives us international exposure for ‘our Linssens’”, says John Morton of Cruise-Ireland.

The Linssen Grand Sturdy 35.0 AC (10.70 x 3.40 m) is a splendid asset for the Cruise-Ireland fleet, says Morton. The comfortable saloon and galley are on the same level. Both the fore and aft cabins have a double bed, their own toilets and separate showers. The external helmsman’s position on the aft deck provides excellent all-round vision to enjoy the Irish landscape.

The quality finishing and sailing characteristics of a Linssen steel water displacement yacht guarantee a marvellous experience in Ireland.

Linssen Yachts has been constructing steel motor yachts in the Netherlands since 1949 and has become the market leader in building steel yachts between 8 and 15 metres, thanks to continuous product and process innovation. Linssen Yachts has also been active for many years in the yacht charter business. Various yachts have been developed for the charter market and the trends in this market are followed closely.

“We are very proud of the fact that Cruise-Ireland has selected our yachts to extend their 115 yacht fleet. Our experience in developing sustainable charter yachts is likely to have played a part”, says Yvonne Linssen of Linssen Yachts.

The popular sailing regions, which includes the rivers Shannon and Erne that wind through the splendid Irish countryside, are perfectly suited to experiencing the relaxed lifestyle that is part and parcel of rural Ireland. The many towns and villages along the banks offer plenty of typical Irish traditions and culture.
“When it came to finding a suitable partner who was willing to work with us, Ireland had been on our wish list for some time. We were therefore delighted to hear that Cruise-Ireland was happy to join our network. We can now meet the increasing demand to charter a Linssen in Ireland too”, says Wendy Linssen of Linssen Boating Holidays®.

You can charter a Linssen Grand Sturdy 35.0 AC at Cruise-Ireland from the start of the 2017 season.