Topic starter
03/08/2011 10:04 pm
The hull of the QUEEN OF THE WEST was recently launched. American Cruise Line announced that construction is ahead of schedule, so she should be well ready for her maiden voyage next summer.
03/08/2011 10:24 pm
New Kid on the Block
Reading the posts about the demolition of the MQ and the ADMIRAL made me think that their demise is within the natural order of things as boats have been broken up over the ages, but the difference this time is there are but a few inland passenger boats remaining and no new boats on the ways to replace the ones lost... then it dawned on me! The QUEEN OF THE MISSISSIPPI is being built, and that is indeed good news for our flagging industry. She may not be steam, but she surely will be the "new kid on the block".
Who, on here, I wonder, is planning to join the crew? Who will ride as passengers?
The new boat will surely help to fill a deep void.
04/08/2011 12:45 am
Shipyard,
I've submitted my application for the Head Whistle Maintenance Technician but unclear yet if they intend to have an actual whistle onboard.
I do miss steam on the river but have to admit I'm looking forward to seeing a sternwheel overnight boat on the rivers again. Hopefully The QOM and AQ will be so popular that we will see a revival.
Aaron
04/08/2011 1:33 pm
From what I heard, Head Whistle Maintenance Techs, Calliope Players, and Riverlorians slots are filled. What they are really seeking are pot washers, maids, kitchen attendants, deck apes, and other entry level positions... but, even those slots will be filled the closer they come to their Maiden Voyage.
04/08/2011 3:45 pm
Let me know if they need a historian. It's what I do best. LOL
04/08/2011 4:49 pm
I'm already signed up to be one of those people that wave to the boat when it passes by. Its going to be nice just to see a wheel churning a wake again, even without steam.
04/08/2011 8:41 pm
That's what we all do best, but, sorry ... potwasher positions may be open.
04/08/2011 11:21 pm
As today is Capt. Wagner's birthday, I thought i would mention that the Big Captain realized that the pot washer was as important as the pilot. If the pots don't get warshed, the pax don't get fed, the pax quit booking, the boat don't go.
05/08/2011 2:59 am
Exactly, that's why I mentioned the potwasher as an important position to be filled. Harvey Simmons started in the dish room, and before he went to washing the pots and pans, the crew suffered from "The Complaint" because the utensils weren't being rinsed right. Harvey, formerly the Curator of the Rare Book Room of the NY Public Library, was held back from advancement because we knew the consequences once Harve left the dishroom. My favorite people, on a crew, are always those back of the house who make the boat run properly.... folks like those who work with me, now.
Is this Cap's 101st birthday? It's hard for me to remember his birthday, but Captain Wagner died on my birthday, 11 October 1979.
05/08/2011 3:03 am
Yes, Sam, his birthday is/was today. I wasn't a pot washer, but I was a dishwasher, as was Capt. Dick Weber. We both moved up to deckhand after about 30 days in the galley, going to work for the mate, Ted Davisson.
05/08/2011 3:24 pm
And, making beds and cleaning toilets and making sure things work right and all that other grunt work. And then you might actually get to paint a sign or run an errand or service a spitoon.