The pearl-white hull of the Miss Celeste luxury yacht of Orange Beach, Alabama, knifes through the emerald-blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Not your average charter boat, the 103-foot Miss Celeste has a design that enables her corporate clients to reach the best fishing sites quickly; ride comfortably, regardless of sea and weather conditions, thanks to her large size, fast speed, and stability; experience the amenities of home, while angling for some of the biggest snapper, grouper and other prized bottom feeders in the world; and, perhaps most welcome, watch football during the season on a wide-screen high-definition plasma TV or two other TV sets while traveling to fishing hot spots.

Sugar-white beaches; a wide variety of condos, hotels, and beach houses with swimming pools and tennis courts; more than 288 holes of championship-caliber golf; myriad shopping opportunities; and expertly-prepared, freshly-caught seafood have made the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area a destination for executive vacationers. Less than one hour away from the Mobile, Alabama, and the Pensacola, Florida, commercial airports, and with private and corporate plane airports at Gulf Shores and nearby Foley, this year-round getaway features some of the finest salt-water fishing in America.

Orange Beach anglers take 80 percent of the red snapper caught in the United States. Orange Beach, which has 12,000 to 15,000 offshore artificial reefs in the Gulf’s sparkling salt water, has become known as the Red Snapper Capital of the World. Each year during the Red Snapper World Championship held in April and May, fishermen from over 40 states land more 20-pound-plus red snapper there than at any other U.S. port. And, if you’re searching for a private snapper-fishing excursion, then the Miss Celeste may be the charter boat of your dreams.

“The corporate clients who fish with me don’t want to spend four to five hours riding from the dock to their fishing site to have a great day of fishing,” Captain Maurice Fitzsimmons, a 20-year veteran charter-boat captain, explains.

The Miss Celeste cruises at 25 mph and can reach productive offshore fishing sites in only one-and-a-half to two hours. The yacht’s customers will enjoy four to five hours of fishing time during an eight-hour day for numbers of big snapper, grouper, and other species of reef fish on the more than 1,000-artificial reefs that Fitzsimmons has deployed. Because of the size and the speed of Fitzsimmons’ plushly-appointed craft, clients have a fast yet restful ride to their fishing destination.

Fitzsimmons has learned that when a businessperson schedules a fishing trip on the Miss Celeste, he or she will rank comfort of ride high on his or her priority list. The craft’s overstuffed couches and chairs, comfortable beds, several TVs, satellite dishes, air conditioning, well-stocked galley, and other amenities ensure a memorable trip and allow Fitzsimmons’ clients to keep up with the latest stock reports, news, weather, and sports. The Miss Celeste can easily accommodate 20 to 25 people, making this luxury fishing boat an ideal choice for entertaining family members, executives, friends, clients, and co-workers.  

DETAILS

• If you want to bring your own boat, visit www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/saltwater/where/artificial-reefs to learn the locations of Alabama’s numerous public reefs.
  
• For more information about the Red Snapper World Championship and the cash and prizes awarded, go to redsnapper.orangebeachsnapper.com.
  
• To fish with Captain Fitzsimmons, call 251-626-9437.
  
• For more about the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area, including restaurants, lodging and attractions, visit www.orangebeach.com.
  
• By way of private air travel, visit www.gulfshoresairport.com or call the Foley Municipal Airport at 251-943-5214.
  
• You may also enjoy flying into Mobile and riding the ferry to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach region for a scenic way to save driving time.