The Fall Foliage was splendid this past weekend. This is one of my favorite photos from the lovely afternoon cruise.

Nighttime Man Overboard Drill

Capt. Fred was due to complete a man overboard drill this month. Little did he know it would be a nighttime drill. But once again, Capt. Fred got the Lantern Queen turned around and positioned so that the "victim" (boat cushion) could be brought aboard in the required 2 minutes! Nice work with the spotlight by deckhand "Krazy George" Henderson. Pictured is Carroll bringing the "victim" aboard. (When I said nighttime I really meant it - pitch dark! What a team!

Congratulations to Carroll on his first docking. NICELY DONE!

Brunch Cruises Rule!

I have a new favorite Lantern Queen cruise: the Brunch Cruise!
I think a brunch cruise is a way to extend breakfast (my favorite meal) into the day,
and get a cruise too! Plus this menu is just simply fabulous!

Brunch Menu

Baskets of Pastries, Danish and Bagels
served with cream cheese, butter and jam

Strawberry Affair Salad
crisp lettuces, strawberries and candied nuts
tossed with a poppy seed dressing

Smoked Salmon Mousseline
served with pita triangles, capers and red onion

Fresh Fruit Salad
seasonal fruits to include cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pineapple,
garnished with berries and served with a fruit yogurt dipping sauce

Slow – Roasted, Honey Glazed Ham
served warm with mini – buttermilk biscuits and honey mustard

Baked French Egg Casserole
smothered with onion, mushroom, sweet-bell pepper
served warm and sprinkled with shredded cheese

French Toast Sticks
with warm maple syrup

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes
cut baby red bliss potatoes tossed in a hint of roasted garlic
and fresh herbs


Above: Salmon Mousseline
(It tastes even better than it looks! Yum!)

Rescue!

Yesterday, during a lovely brunch cruise with a group from St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, we noticed a good sized pleasure boat drifting in the channel just north of I-95. A swimmer was in the water with a raft a fair distance away from the boat. Since the boat was blocking the channel, Captain Steve chose to go around behind it. As we approached a woman stood up in the boat and waved both arms, and the swimmer was also waving. The woman yelled that they needed help! Apparently the swimmer, her husband, had drifted away from the boat and couldn't get back. And the wife didn't know how to start the boat.

The Lantern Queen crew went into "man overboard" mode. As Capt. Steve maneuvered the boat toward the swimmer, we lowered the gangway and "scooped" the swimmer up, along with his raft. As the swimmer came aboard to much cheering from our passengers, Capt. Steve moved the Lantern Queen toward the pleasure boat. Capt. Steve's plan was to allow the swimmer to step from our gangway onto his own boat. However, the swimmer jumped off the gangway into the water between the Lantern Queen and his boat, planning on climbing the swim ladder to his boat.

We're so happy that this story has a happy ending! But there are several lessons for all of us!
1. Life jackets, life jackets, life jackets! Particularly in a river known for it's treacherous currents. (In this case the fellow DID have a nice raft, with lines running through grommets around the edges - good to hang on to.)
2. The more people who know how to operate the boat the better. (And this lady had the good sense to NOT try to start the boat for the first time - it could have been tragic.)
3. The more people who know how to operate the boats' radio the better. (We have no idea if this boat was even equipped with a radio - but there had been no distress call.)
4. Swimming in the channel is a recipe for disaster.
5. Never, ever, for any reason, jump into water between boats or between a boat and a bulkhead, etc. It's a very good way to get squished to death!

Finally, once again, having ongoing training and practice in place pays off. For the crew of the Lantern Queen this was business as usual, because we do "man overboard drills" so often. One of our passengers remarked that we were able to keep to our schedule, even with the unanticipated rescue. As Carroll says at the beginning of every cruise, "Our captain can get this boat turned around and get back to you within 2 minutes." And he did.

DJ Troy

The Lantern Queen staff only recommends outside services and vendors when they provide extraordinary services and products. One service that we've been thrilled with is D.J. Troy! If you're looking for a D.J. who can "read" your group and figure out how to get them out of their chairs, D.J. Troy is the man! Whenever a bride tells us that she's using D.J. Troy, we know that the wedding is going to be fun.

Going Home

Carroll & Fred watch as the Travel Lift brings the Lantern Queen back to the basin.
(Note the smooth, freshly coated bottom, and the slick white paint above.)

In she goes!
(from this angle the new paddles dominate the view)

Capt. Fred and Carroll leave about 7:30 am on a sprint back to Havre de Grace.
(The wind & tide were in their favor. They were back in plenty of time for the afternoon charter!)

World's Best Crew!

There's just no way to say thank you to people who work like this!
They did an amazing amount of work in 3 incredibly hot, dirty, exhausting days!

Spa Week for the Old Girl

After de-barnacling, the Lantern Queen "rode" the 110 ton Travel Lift around the boatyard to it's temporary home between some of the shops. (This was pretty convenient, since the Georgetown folks were so friendly and sharing with their tools and advice.)


Before the Travel Lift set her down, large timbers were stacked underneath to be used as cribbage.
In addition, a number of jackstands were placed around the perimeter too.

Constructing the cribbage was heavy and serious work.
Lots of people were going to be working in, on, and under the boat for several days.

De-Barnacling

First a little bit about barnacles - they're not supposed to be able to thrive in fresh water.
But, for more than a year before we purchased it, the Lantern Queen sat in shallow water on the Elk River, so she probably got them there. Barnacles really slow a boat down - we picked up more than 1 knot/hour after the "de-barnacling."



The photo above shows the conditon of a rudder before the barnacles were removed.
(Boats are normally only hauled out every 5 years.)

Up close and personal with some barnacles.

This is how they're removed. The tools these fellows are using resemble putty knives on long handles.

Lots of elbow grease, chipping and hosing later, andthe entire bottom looks like this - only slightly raised circles where the barnacles used to be.

Haulin' Her Out

(If you're interested in more photos of this adventure, go to lanternqueen.com and click on Photo Gallery.)


6:00 am, Monday July 6, Georgetown Yacht Basin.
Crew is still asleep onboard, after a long nighttime Bay crossing.

7:00 am - 110 ton travel lift approaches the Lantern Queen.
(FYI - Lantern Queen weighs 62 tons)

7:10 am - She's out! This is the first time we've seen the boat's bottom!

7:30 - Moving around the boatyard.
First stop - Barnacle removal.

Off to Georgetown

As soon as our guests disembarked from the Fireworks Cruise, a skeleton crew (Capt. Steve, Carroll and Scott) sailed the Lantern Queen across the bay to the Georgetown Yacht Basin on the Sassafras River. They sailed all night, arriving about 4:00 am in Georgetown - just long enough to get a nap before the excitment REALLY began.

5th of July

The Havre de Grace Fireworks Cruise is always a sold-out cruise, and 2009 was no exception. Although this is one of the harder cruises for the crew, it's one of my favorites! Fireworks, patriotic music, and a boat full of people thankful for our freedom - who can resist?
Special kudos to our crew - especially Carroll & Scott for the heavy lifting (literally) on the anchor.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all the Lantern Queen Brides and Grooms! There have been so many this summer! We hope you have a long and prosperous life together, full of love and fun.

Lantern Queen Crew Party at the Ironbirds

A gorgeous night to relax with our crew and their families.

But of course, like every Lantern Queen cruise, we bring our own entertainment!
In this case, Krazy George made the rounds of all the sections, beating his drum and firing up the crowd.

Great fun, Great people!

Oh What A Night!

It was supposed to be a surprise 50th birthday party cruise for Liz Sharer. As soon as we arrived at the pier the entire Lantern Queen crew new it would be an interesting evening on the Susquehanna. It wasn't windy anywhere else, but on the river the winds were whipping up whitecaps. As we pulled away from the Havre de Grace pier at 6:30 PM, Capt. Dave Gainey noticed a 16' sailboat, capsized mid-channel between Hutchins Park and the Amtrak Bridge. As we approached, I went inside and gave the passengers a VERY quick safety briefing and basically told them to watch as we put some rescue practices to work. Capt. Dave Gainey quickly approached the boat upwind to create a lee so that they would have a better chance of righting the boat. Deckhand George Henderson and Becky positioned themselves on the foredeck to ready the gangway and boathooks if needed. Tom Hopkins kept an eye from the upper deck so that someone would be able to see them regardless how the boats moved.

Becky & George shouted an offer of help, and the sailors asked for the Lantern Queen to stay with them. We had no intention of doing otherwise!

Three people were in the water and their boat completely on its side, with at least one sail detached and floating away. With the Lantern Queen providing shelter from the wind, two sailors managed to get the boat righted and get aboard, and finally managed to help the third man aboard.

The little sailboat was sitting VERY low in the water and continued to take on water with every wave. Two of the sailors got a sail up, and started turning the boat in a large arc to head toward Tidewater Marina. The third sailor frantically bailed water out of the boat as it limped toward home. The Lantern Queen stayed with the little sailboat until it had safely entered the marina.

Our own docking was difficult, with a south-west wind pushing us away from the pier. But due to the skill of Capt. Dave and Deckhands George Henderson and Tom Hopkins made it seem like business as usual! Thanks guys for all you do! You're the best!

Later our birthday party folks thanked us for "dinner and a show!"

And of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Liz Sharer! Thank you for celebrating it with us!

Congratulations Anna and Chris!

Another picture perfect wedding aboard the Lantern Queen!
Congratulations to Chris and Anna! Our best wishes and prayers go with you for a wonderful lifetime together.

Congratulations Trish and Ed!

Congratulations Trish and Ed!
Our best wishes and prayers go with you for a wonderful life together.

Murder! Mystery!

Last week the Lantern Queen hosted its first Murder Mystery Cruise.
Act 1 Productions presented "Chameleon" to a sold out crowd.
I'm not sure we've ever laughed so hard!
Great food, good company, and crazy entertainment!
Look for more Murder Mystery Cruises in the near future.

Roll out the Red Carpet

The new carpet is being installed and looks great.

Thanks to Jim, who's doing a great job of installation.

Hulks!

I'm not sure why, but I love these old wrecks.

The top one is a tug named the Taurus, and the bottom is a dredge from Jim's Dredging Co.