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.