Photo: Will Van Dorp

Will Van Dorp, host of the Tugster blog, recently saw an odd craft on the Hudson River, heading up into the Morris Canal Big Basin toward Liberty Landing Marina. It appeared to be a catamaran with a rather blocky deckhouse aft and two raised hatches forward. On closer examination, the hatches with their raised coamings turned out to be two large hot tubs. Yes, hot tubs.

Sea the City, a New York harbor jet ski tour company, has broadened its menu of services to include a “hot tub boat tour” which they describe on their website as “a unique and luxurious way to enjoy NY Harbor. Bring your favorite wine or beer and get ready for the most instagramable moment of your life. You will sit in a beautiful, commercial spa while taking in amazing views of the Hudson River and Lady Liberty.”

The tours are 90 minutes long. The boat can accommodate 16, 8 in each of the two hot tubs. (On one website page, the number quoted is 20.) The 40-foot boat is USCG-licensed and inspected and operated by a USCG-licensed captain and experienced deckhand.

If this sounds in the slightest bit appealing, the hot tub boat is operating now until the end of the year, taking off for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Brrr. Shutting down for two months, they plan on starting up again in the beginning of March. 

I enjoy kayaking and sailing in New York harbor. I would prefer not to think about the sloshing that may take place when a 40′ catamaran with two large hot tubs gets hit by the harbor chop as the ebb current flows against the prevailing southwesterly winds. It could make for a wild ride, even in the summer months.