Sport Fishing & Deep Sea Cruises

A remarkable cruise experience on a classic USA made fly bridge model wooden boat; enjoying the breathtaking sunset skies and the spectacular surroundings; accompanied by a wonderful host. Sailing with Leela was absolute adventure indeed!

Leela was custom built to the highest standards of the day in Maine, New England, on a lobster boat hull proven in the most challenging sea conditions. Carefully shipped to Sri Lanka and painstakingly restored by local craftsmen over 3 years, Leela now represents a unique classic boating experience. The difference in ride between wooden and fibre glass boats simply has to be experienced! She retains all her original design features including twin 220 HP GM V8 diesels, but has been sensitively upgraded with fully redundant navigation instrumentation, radar, sonar, marine radio and even an AIS-B transceiver. Leela also has modern personal safety equipment on board, including a certified 8 man SOLAS-B canister liferaft and tethered life buoy. Her (pure sine) inverter runs a fridge, cooker, kettle and any other domestic electrical items such as PCs etc. She has a fully equipped cabin with Wi-Fi, linen, towels, toilet, wash basin and even a small library. She also has a backup generator on board, just in case. To maximise outdoor pleasure, Leela has a fly bridge for great marine mammal spotting capability, a good-sized ‘fore sun deck for soaking in the sun, an aft swim platform for easy access to the water, an inflatable dinghy and outboard for tendering to/from the beach, and a powered fresh water outdoor shower for a hosing-down after a swim or landing a big fish. She has a good complement of masks and fins, and of course a complete set of sea-fishing equipment. Also included, upon request, are a 4 person table, chairs, and associated equipment for a rear deck meal or island picnic. Last, but not least, her fish box is always full of ice, and her ‘fridge is full of water, soda, beer and, upon request, wine and other drinks too. Leela was built for deep sea fishing in the Atlantic, and of course adapts perfectly for the same in Sri Lanka. She is also a wonderful platform for whale and dolphin watching, reef fishing, snorkelling, island-hopping and transporting small group of divers or researchers to their sites of choice. However, the most alluring voyage could well be a sunset harbour cruise, with snacks and drinks served on the rear deck! Leela can be hired by the hour, or by the voyage, and rates may change depending on the purpose and any additional equipment required. Since she aims to provide a memorable experience in the safest possible manner, and has a crew of 3 that may require mustering depending, please call for availability and the best rates of the moment. Leela is registered with the Directorate General of Merchant Shipping, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Department of Fisheries, and Sri Lanka Navy. She is therefore a fully compliant craft, from her certified crew to her ship station radio license.