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!