If F. Scott Fitzgerald and chef Rachel Ray could have collaborated on a project, they might have come up with something like the Chester River Packet Boat.
The classically designed 65-ft luxury yacht berthed at the Chestertown docks might only lack the arrival of Jay Gatsy in his Louche Long Island ivory linen, but this elegant craft radiates its own romance while offering brunch and sunset river tours along with serving up tasty fare from the renowned Occasions Catering.
The Chester River Packet, a Scarano Built Boat is an iconic 1920s style tour boat brought to Chestertown by Greg Kimmel and Kelly McIntire, the principal partners in an LLC composed of six other investors.
Kimmel, whose background includes Merchant Marine and other maritime related work, including a stint as a Long Island Ferry Captain, is the Packet Boats’ Coast Guard certified Captain. Over the years he has logged thousands of hours on the water and feels at home navigating the Chester River.
The retired steel industry executive moved his family to Chestertown in 1986 and although he commuted frequently to New Jersey, New York and Delaware, the Kimmel family quickly became part of the extended Chestertown family.
He feels a deep sense of gratitude for the Chestertown community, Kent and Queen Anne’s schools and Washington College—his children flourished here because of their wealth of friendships, mentors and teachers.
“My daughter and son have gone on to lead successful professional lives and I credit the schools and communities in both Queen Anne’s and Kent counties along with Washington College. I’d just like to give a little back.”
Kimmel feels strongly about helping to energize the community’s resources by innovative use of the waterfront area and notes that the curtailment of the Waterfront Task Force was a disappointing setback that needs to be revisited.
“We’ve received a lot of support from the new town administration for this project and we’re very happy to see Mayor Cerino focusing on the waterfront. Our hope is that the Packet Boat will be an example of what should happen along our waterfront,” Kimmel says.
Kelly McIntire, owner of Occasions Catering at the Boardroom on Cannon Street, also sees the Packet Boat as an economic plus for Chestertown, noting that any enterprise that brings people to town helps everyone as they explore, dine and shop in the community.
Packet Boat guests will also be delighted to find Occasions Catering caliber fare served during the cruises. On any given cruise you might find slider bars (think mini-crab cakes and small burgers), “make you own grilled cheese sandwiches,” various crab delicacies and “wings on the wake,” chicken wings with an assortment of special sauces.
It was Kimmel’s maritime background and his interest in seeing the town embrace the waterfront’s inherent value that led him to make a proposal to establish a one of a kind catered, river tour business to Kelly and David McIntyre. The McIntyres were fully onboard and the LLC was established with the help of other investors.
McIntire discovered the boat for sale online after passing on a few other choices. The Scarano design, she thought, looked like the right scale and style for cruising the Chester at sunset and its pedigree seemed solid—Scarano Boat Building vessels are nationally renowned for their custom built sail and power boats, along with their historic replicas, including the two-masted racing schooner “America” which won the first America’s Cup Race in 1891.
Kimmel put together a team of friends qualified to help him make the nine day cruise from South Carolina to Chestertown. “It required some interesting logistics because people could only do certain legs of the journey, so there were a few crew changes along the way.” Once they arrived—in time for last year’s Downrigging Weekend— and saw it on the Chester River, they knew that they had made the right choice. And the timing couldn’t have been better—the day after their arrival another maritime group arrived to evaluate the possibility of a river boat venture but realized immediately upon seeing the Packet Boat that they were a day late to the game.
Chestertown is not the only Maryland port with a Sarcano boat. By luck, several weeks later, Kimmel was introduced to the Packet Boat’s direct relative.
“We were in Baltimore Harbor one day last fall and happened to meet our boat’s builder. He was in town because Scarano had also built the 99’, two-decker steamboat style “Raven,” a larger version of the Chester River Packet. If you look at the wheelhouse and the lines of the hull you’ll know they are from the same family,” Kimmel says.
Another aspect of the boat McIntire and Kimmel appreciated when reviewing its qualifications was its shallow hull draft. “It only draws three feet,” Kimmel says. “A schooner like the Sultana will draw seven or eight feet which can make things a bit trickier for them. Three feet gives us a pretty wide latitude with changing tides and shallow parts of the river.”
The interior is no less inspiring. The original wide windows on both sides of the main cabin were replaced with sectioned windows. From the inside of the cabin this change has added a more intricate pattern of mahogany to frame the windows—handiwork by local craftsman Skip Busby—and lends more design elegance to its look. Tables for “winers and diners” offer ample space around them for those who would rather mingle than sit and the whole cabin is lustrous with burnished wood and rich white paint. Currently, the boat is licensed for 108 passengers, but Kimmel says that it’s more comfortable in the 60-70 passenger range.
Powered by twin John Deere marine diesel engines, the Packet Boat is miserly with its fuel. “We went out the other day, one hour with both engines, another on one engine, cruising at three or four knots and I think we used no more than four gallons of diesel. But she’s got the power if needed. People don’t realize how swift the currents are in this river and sometimes we have to bring the boat in perpendicular to the currents unlike a boat docking parallel to the shore.”
Holding true to their wish to keep all the boat alterations and additions local, McIntire and Kimmel used local suppliers, including upholstery, glass, flooring, hardware, wood and engine work.
“If it’s for the community, it should be by the community,” Kimmel says.
With a few cruises under their belt, the Packet Boat crew is now firming up their cruise schedule.
“This month we’re putting together public and private river tour schedules. The public cruises will be very affordable—morning tours are $15 for adults and $11.00 for kids 12 and under. We’ll have everyone back by lunch so that people can make their dining choices or go shopping in town, Kimmel says.
Sunset cruises will also be open to the public. Thursday nights from 7 to 9 with lite fare will be $25.00. Friday and Saturday evening will offer public cruises also unless there is a charter cruise scheduled. A Tuesday night, no-frills cruise for $15 is also being planned.
Sunday Brunch cruises—a three hour cruise down the Chester—is $35.
“On First Fridays we plan to do something a little different,” Kimmel say. We will stay docked at the public dock at the end of High Street and offer an art gallery experience showcasing local artists. This First Friday will be hosted by the artist Stephanie Somers. June will offer Cindy Britland’s photography. We think this is going to be a nice additional highlight and a great way to experience the Packet Boat for free.”
This weekend’s schedule is the following:
Fri, May 2: FIRST FRIDAY, hosted by artist (and River Packet Chief Steward) Stephanie Somers (5-8pm) FREE; cash bar; remaining at dock at the end of High Street.
Sat, May 3: (10-11:30am) $15 – snacks; cash bar
(1-2:30pm) $15 – snacks; cash bar
(7-9pm) $25 – pub grub; cash bar
Sun. May 4: (12:30-3:30pm) $35; brunch buffet; cash bar
*Boarding – 30 min prior to departure; at Chestertown Waterfront, next to Fish Whistle; parking on High St.
**All cruises are subject to change due to weather and private chartered events.
More information about the Chester River Packet Boat Company may be found here.
and Occasion Catering here.
Phone: 410.778.5122 Email: [email protected]
All photos except for the last by Michael C. Wootton Michael C. Wooton©2014
The Spy is grateful for their use.
Marge Fallaw says
I was hoping to learn here for how many passengers the vessel is licensed, and I hope someone who knows can provide that info.
Ed.Note: The Packet Boat is USCG certified to accommodate 108 passengers.
Betty Libertini says
Wonderful article. Informative and very inviting. Good for the CT image.