Their boat rental company was born… in a scooter business. This is where Gaël Rabeson and Raphaël Oren, the co-founders of Lakana Paris Cruise, met and the second discovered the joys of sailing in the Seine thanks to the first. “After work, Gaël invited us on his boat for an aperitif, remembers Raphaël Oren. We never imagined it was possible… ”
This is how the two young people decide to embark on the entrepreneurial adventure and take the plunge ... a few days before confinement. Created last April, the activity was stopped net by the Covid-19.
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With their two small boats, Quicksilver Classic 20s with a retro look, the young captains imagined embarking couples or families of foreign tourists for romantic strolls on the Seine, around Île Saint-Louis and at the foot of the Iron Lady.
"Initially, we were targeting the Americans and the Australians in particular"
A more intimate and original trip than the classic riverboat ride with 600 people. "Initially, we were targeting the Americans and the Australians," says Raphaël Oren. We finally decided to focus on the Parisians. They also hope to reach the passing provincials, via social networks.
Lakana Paris Cruise offers two formulas from Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) or Beaugrenelle (Paris, 15th). “The first lasts an hour. We go around the island of Saint-Germain in Issy-les-Moulineaux, people love it because we don't expect to see this bucolic landscape so close to the capital, and when we leave, we have a direct view of the Eiffel Tower, the monumental Paris ”, praises Raphaël.
The second course (2 h 30) begins with the tour of the Ile Saint-Germain and continues in the heart of historic Paris to the port of Arsenal.
"We benefited from the deconfinement effect and the good weather"
Cruise prices are not necessarily for all budgets and place them in the “very nice gifts” category. They vary from 300 to 520 euros depending on the number of participants, knowing that each boat can accommodate a captain and four passengers maximum. For a couple, it takes 300 euros for the short tour and 400 euros for the big one.
Not enough to scare a certain clientele, who arrived as soon as river navigation was able to resume from the end of May. “We didn't expect to find customers right away. But we benefited from the deconfinement effect and the good weather. We did twelve cruises in the first four days, ”rejoice Raphaël and Gaël.
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Lakana Paris Cruise is not the only one on the private Seine cruise market, but small boats, like those of Green River Cruises, for example (minimum 6 passengers), are still few in terms of boats -flies.
Gaël and Raphaël, who have just found an interesting partnership with the Paris tourist office, hope to reach their audience quickly, thanks to the summer sun. "We are being warmed up for this summer, it's good for us," they hope.
