Santa on the Bay

Yummy breakfast, messy craft, lots of kids, Christmas music and Santa = a GREAT morning!! Santa (well known local volunteer Al Boehley) listened to all the kids' Christmas wishes, distributed candy and gifts, and had about a zillion photos taken. He even offered to let the kids pull his beard! We just hope the kids had as much fun as the Lantern Queen staff!

Photos are available at: http://www.fotki.com/BeckyFitz/santa

Candlelight Tour of Havre de Grace

Several folks reported that the Lantern Queen was the most welcoming place in town! Owner, Carroll Fitzgerald, along with Marquis Downs Caterers Tom & Kathy Eikenberg, and Captains Fred & Dave, made sure that everyone had a hot beverage and cookies.

Mitch Mitchell brought the "mini-Lantern Queen" down to the pier, dressed to match the "big-Lantern Queen." Christmas music poured from both boats, and candlelit luminaries lit the sidewalk and pier.

It was a wonderful night to meet friends and neighbors, new and old.

Post Thanksgiving Luncheon Cruise

What a great time we had - a boat full of folks just relaxing while someone else did the holiday cooking as we sailed down the river. It was cold and brisk, but cozy inside. But most folks ventured up on the upper deck to take in the views and watch the paddlewheel.

St. John's Church - Fun & Fellowship

What a great time we had Saturday night! Among our guests was a group from St. John's Church. Between 3 ordained ministers with this group and a couple of our Captains who are also ordained ministers, we probably set some ecclesiastical record. We certainly enjoyed our guests as much as they enjoyed the cruise.

Whooo Hoo! Liquor License!!!

We just had a mini-celebration to hang framed Lantern Queen LIQUOR LICENSE! Yippee! Hoorah! We will be featuring local wines, and your favorite beers, etc.

Let me take a moment to say that we have been so pleasantly surprised by how helpful and kind all of the folks at the varioius Harford County and State of Maryland agencies have been. While there was a lot of work needed to get the galley up to Harford County Health Department standards, the inspectors were reasonable and personable. We really enjoyed their visits. Likewise the Maryland State Board of Liquor Control inspectors were generous with their helpful tips and advice.

And it's also high time to thank Mayor Wayne Dougherty and Havre de Grace City Administrator Carol Mathis for their help in bringing the Lantern Queen back home to Havre de Grace. Truly we couldn't have done it without these folks.

Here's Lookin' at Ya

What an absolutely fabulous gift!

Mitch Mitchell, noted craftsman and all around good guy, helped hang a one-of-a-kind, hand made and hand etched mirror behind the bar of the Lantern Queen today. Yes, I said hand etched...as in free hand! It is truly a most treasured gift from a very generous family. (Thank you Kit, for your patience and support of Mitch's "projects.")

And of course Mitch has a wonderful gift of craftsmanship. At one time I would have said he was a "woodworker" but I would have been wrong. I'm not sure there's any material Mitch can't master.

Thank you Mitch! Words simply cannot express how appreciative we are.

Boo! Cruise

A great time was had by all! Food was great! People were fun! Stories were spooky! And when the submarine dive klaxon started it's "ah-oog-ah-ing" several folks jumped out of their seats! Thank you, Jeff Miller for a wonderful original tale that kept us feeling creepy for the rest of the cruise. And thank you Tom & Kathy Eikenberg for yet another marvelous meal - I particularly liked the "mummy fingers" (nut encrusted chicken tenderloins)....yum!

W. L. Gore - Logistics Cruise

Although a gray day with periods of rain and drizzle, the W. L. Gore folks had a great crabfeast and cruise aboard the Lantern Queen last week. We're so glad they had a well-deserved day of fun and relaxation.

Captain Kids

Not only are there U.S.C.G. licensed captains aboard the Lantern Queen on every cruise, but we often have guest captains. Here are some photos of our most recent "Captain Kids." It looks like Jackson & Eden Lied, children of Captain Fred Lied, may be our next generation of Lantern Queen Captains. Alex & Andrew Fitzgerald, niece and nephew of the Lantern Queen owners take a first try at the helm. Little Katherine Weber, granddaughter of the Lantern Queen owners finds the wheel house counter a favorite perch.

Captains

As the Lantern Queen paddles churn along the Susquehanna, passengers often wonder who's at the helm. Who are the captains of the Lantern Queen? Currently there are FIVE Lantern Queen captains, and two of them are on duty on every Lantern Queen cruise.

Captain Fred Lied is our "Senior Captain," serving aboard the Lantern Queen for a number of years under her previous owner. You can also find Fred doing fiberglass work at Tidewater Marina when he's not at the Lantern Queen helm.

Captain Tom Donahue's day job is captaining a boat for the Army Corps of Engineers, Captain Dave Gainey also captains the Duck boat in Baltimore, Captain Gary Foster captains the "Chessie," and Captain Bob Morrow teaches at the Annapolis Sailing School.

We're really fortunate to have such a talented group of Captains!

Coming Soon - Full Bar aboard the Lantern Queen

The State Liquor Board inspected the Lantern Queen last week and approved our application for a liquor license! So, the next step is the State Liquor Board interview on Thursday. Assuming the liquor board interview goes well, we will shortly have our license to begin serving alcohol at a full service bar. We're also looking forward to some great wine tasting cruises.

Lantern Queen & Martha Lewis - First Party!

An appreciation party for the volunteers of the Martha Lewis was a fitting start to the Lantern Queen's return to Havre de Grace. Forty-two skipjack volunteers took the night off and enjoyed food, friends and fun aboard the Lantern Queen. It was fun for the sailboat crowd to experience the stern-wheeler. And when we announced that the Lantern Queen was approaching the Amtrak (or old Pennsylvania) Railroad Bridge, Skipjack Captain Greg Shinn raced upstairs to the upper deck to see the wonders on the north side of the bridge - since the Martha Lewis' tall mast doesn't fit under the bridge!

Lantern Queen Captain Dave Chaney offered an interesting blend of stand up comedy and safety information. It's sure different for the Skipjack folks to have to look up to find lifejackets! (The Martha Lewis' life jackets are stored below.) Meanwhile Lantern Queen Captain Tom Donahue was at the helm.

We were honored to be able to host this wonderful group of volunteers. We hope our Martha Lewis buddies had a GREAT evening!

First Public Cruises Scheduled

Come on along! On October 19, we will begin a regular schedule of public dinner cruises, every Friday and Saturday, from 6:30 to 8:30. We're really excited! Our first cruises will be able to take advantage of the beautiful fall foliage and autumn sunsets.

Health Department Visit

This morning we had our Harford County Health Department inspection, and....wait for it...YES! We passed! We now have our Health Department license to serve food aboard the Lantern Queen. While that's important, even crucial to our operation, the process of getting licensed brings a lot of good stuff with it that will make cruising on the Lantern Queen even nicer. For instance, the restrooms have been upgraded, and both the bar and galley completely renovated. Stand by for the next step...the liquor license!!!

Marquis Downs Caterers

The Lantern Queen will have amazing meals created by newlyweds Tom & Kathy Eikenberg, owners of Marquis Downs Caterers. Marquis Downs Caterers will be the exclusive caterer for the Lantern Queen!

Although new to the Havre de Grace area, Tom has been in the food industry most of his life. Tom has a lot of experience with maritime catering too. Most of the dinner cruise boats that you remember from Baltimore's Inner Harbor...yup, Tom was cooking!

Tom & Kathy brought 700 chilled, butterflied shrimp, yummy punch, etc. to the bridal show for tasting. It's no wonder the brides spent so much time aboard the Lantern Queen! But the BEST was the luncheon Tom & Kathy prepared for the crew.

The photo of Tom & Kathy (above) was taken just before they created a Bridal Arch...while the boat was sailing down the Bay to Swan Harbor Farm. What an adventure! Kathy swaying on a stepladder on the stern, tying flowers to the arch, while Tom & Becky held the ladder and passed along more flowers.

Bridal Show

While renovations continue, we're busy spreading the word about the Lantern Queen. A couple of weekends ago, we cleaned up the construction mess, dressed the Lantern Queen in her best wedding finery, and sailed over to Swan Harbor Farms for a Bridal Show. We heard nothing but compliments on the boat, the crew, the crew's uniforms, the food, the decor, even the air conditioning! (It was hot that day.) From the number of brides interested in rehearsal dinners or small weddings on the boat, it looks like the Lantern Queen is the new "Love Boat!"

New Galley!

Talk about an extreme makeover! The Lantern Queen is getting a brand new galley! Walls, ceiling, plumbing, flooring! What's really cool is calling craftsmen and finding out they're already familiar with the Lantern Queen!

Home Port - Havre de Grace

On Friday, August 31, 2007, the Lantern Queen sailed back into Havre de Grace. What a parade it was! She was escorted part of the way by the U.S. Coast Guard (buoy tender and patrol boat), and the Skipjack Martha Lewis. And of course dozens of pleasure boaters waved and shouted their encouragement. By 4:00 P.M. the Lantern Queen slid into her regular berth at Hutchin's Park, to cheers from the regular fishermen, and a waiting party of well wishers.

Next Step: Renovations!

Lantern Queen

Welcome to the Lantern Queen Blog! With so much interest in the boat, a blog seems like a good way of keeping everyone informed. Please keep checking back for the latest news about the Lantern Queen and her adventures.