Captain’s Log 240926 – Private Charter or Shared Trip?
24/09/2026
People looking at a day on the Ébrié often weigh the same thing: take the boat as their own, or share it with others.
It is a fair question — and it follows Captain's Log 110926, Why We Don't Price by the Head. That piece was about the price. This one is about the day itself. The answer is not about which boat is bigger. On this lagoon the difference is privacy, pace, and who the day is built around.
What "shared" usually means
On many lagoons and coasts, a group trip is a set departure, a set route, a set playlist, and as many seats filled as the boat will take. You pay a lower price. You also accept the plan that was written for everyone.
That works if you only want a first look at the water, you are happy in company, and you do not mind the day belonging to the timetable.
What "private" means with us
The boat is yours for that slot. Couple, family, friends, a small celebration — the group is the one you arrived with.
Before you leave the dock we already know what you want to eat and drink. On board, the route is discussed with you: quiet mangrove channels, open water and city light, a fishing hour, or a longer run down toward Jacqueville. Music comes from your phone. We stop the engine when the light is right, not when a schedule says so.
That is the same idea I worked with for years on private yachts. The boats here are practical pontoons, not a restored classic. The principle is the same: the day is built around the people on board.
Who each is for
Shared can suit a first visit if two small parties genuinely want to go out together and agree the plan. It is not our main way of working, and we do not fill the deck to bring the price down.
Private suits almost everyone else. A couple who want the sunset without strangers. A family who need space and a flexible pace. Friends who want their own music. Anyone marking a date and wanting the boat to themselves.
Why we work this way
Most tourist boats on a lagoon sell a product. Same loop, same snacks, same loud speaker.
We sell a few hours that belong to one group. The Ébrié still has quiet water and working villages on the bank. That only holds if the boat stays small and the day stays unhurried.
We do not price by the head. We have said that already. The point here is the reason behind it: once you start packing the boat, the charter stops being yours.
If you are deciding between the two, start with the simpler question. Do you want the afternoon to be shared with people you have not met, or do you want it to be yours?
Tell us the group and the kind of day you want. We will say honestly which way it should go.
Captain Murray
The Uncharted Waters – Ébrié Lagoon, Abidjan