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Board: 1pm, Sail 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Mitch has helped us launch each new season for the past 33 years. It is our pleasure to have him launch our 34th season! He starts playing at 1pm. Fully licensed cash bar. Limited to the first 48 reservations until we see what the weather is. If it’s nice out and both decks can be used to spread people out, we will call the people on our wait list up to 100 people. Call 315-354-5532 to be put on wait list.
Fully licensed cash bar.
Availabilities:
- Sun June 2
Price: $25 per person
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We often offer discounted cruises in June to get everyone excited about the season and to work the kinks out with our new staff. We are offering 20% off scenic excursions on these dates. Come cruise with us!
Monday, June 3th- Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Wednesday, June 5th- Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Monday, June 10th- Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Wednesday, June 12th- Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Monday, June 17th- Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Wednesday, June 19th-Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Price:
Adults (12 years +)- $20
Ages 4-11- $10
Under 4 years- $5
Offering a fully licensed cash bar. Dining room is heated and enclosed in case of inclement weather. Reservations required.
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We often discount our luncheon cruises in June to get everyone excited about the season and to work the kinks out with our new staff. This year is no exception! Choose any of the below dates and pay only $40 per person versus the usual $50. You can also opt to sit on the upper deck without the meal for $20 per person versus the usual $25.
Tuesday, June 4th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Thursday, June 6th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Tuesday, June 11th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Thursday, June 13th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Tuesday, June 18th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Thursday, June 20th- Boarding at 10:30, sailing 11-1
Offering a fully licensed cash bar. Dining room is heated and enclosed in case of inclement weather. Reservations required.
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Happy Father’s Day! We’ve scheduled two Father’s Day Certified Angus Prime Rib cruises on the 16th.
Availabilities:
- #1 Prime Rib Buffet Lunch 11:30-2:00 (Board 10:30)
- #2 Prime Rib Buffet Dinner 6:00- 8:30 (Board 5:00)
Price:
- Fathers: $60
- 12 years +: $65
- Child (under 12): $33
Reservations required. Optional shrimp cocktail, cheese platter or nuts available when booking. Call 315-354-5532 or book online.
Besides the certified Angus prime rib at the carving station, one other protein (either chicken or pork), 1 carb, 2 veggies, fresh fruit, salad, baguettes and butter, dessert.
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Great Camp Sagamore is hosting their annual Beer Camp and they asked us to partner with them on a Beer Pairing Dinner on the Durant. You can either contact Sagamore and sign up for the entire Beer Camp weekend or you can just join us for the beer pairing dinner portion Friday night.
Board:
Sail: 6:30-9:30
$100 per person
Menu to follow.
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As we’ve been advertising, we offer 2 Prime Rib buffet cruises on Sunday, June 16 for Father’s Day. Some of our guests have requested we do something for moms too! Problem is, the boat won’t be ready in time for Mother’s Day and our help will not have arrived yet either! So we decided to dedicate one of our cruises to our mothers once our season has started. This will take place on Sunday, June 30th during our Brunch Reinvented cruise! Check out our website for the menu and as always, we’ll be featuring unlimited help yourself champagne with exotic juices on the upper deck, weather permitting! We’ll be sending each mother (to humans OR fur babies) home with a vase with a mini Gerbera Daisy arrangement in it, in a variety of colors!If you book online, make sure you let us know in the comments how many moms are in your party so we know how many arrangements to prepare! Same with by phone.Come celebrate motherhood, drink some bubbles, eat delicious food, bask in the sun on the upper deck and laugh the day away. Because without our mothers, none of us would be here!
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Boards 9:30 p.m. Fireworks start about 9:45 p.m. Dockside bar available during show.
Availabilities:
- Saturday, July 6, 2024
Price: Free
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Board 11:00, sail 11:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Availabilities:
- Saturday, July 6
Price: $60 per person (includes 2 drink chips)
What to Expect:
- DJ Glen LeBlanc returning to play Jimmy Buffett and island tunes
- Costume contest
- Trivia contest
- Delicious buffet
- Maximum of 75 people
- Reservations required.
- Cash bar
Menu:
- Peel and eat shrimp
- Spicy Queso & bean dip
- Calypso pork & pineapple bites
- Passed cheeseburger sliders
- Chips, salsa & guac
- Key lime pie
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Our goal is to partner with a different NYS brewery every year for this wildly popular pairing dinner. We asked our fans on Facebook to give us some suggestions of their favorites and that led us to Dancing Grain Brewery, out of Gansvoort, NY.
This is an introduction to her brewery, by founder and farmer, Rachel:
“I’m Rachel, founder of Dancing Grain (DG). Farming is in my blood, but my career started in the financial industry, which helped me to launch DG. Our mission is to preserve the family farm by creating value-added agricultural products that provide a direct-to-consumer marketplace for our agricultural ingredients. Simply put – we grow grain, brew it into beer, and sell it to you on our farm, thereby increasing our margins allowing us to do more with less land!
Our beers are curated a year in advance from some of the highest quality ingredients you can source because we don’t have the ability to blend lots of barley to standardize quality. We have one harvest per year to make our beer. This also means we’ve got one shot per year to grow high-quality barley!
…no pressure, right?
We do this by being stewards of our land, meaning we grow responsibly to improve our soils and in turn the land will give us high-quality barley! FOR THE LAND. FOR THE SPIRIT. That’s oversimplifying, but it’s why you see sunflowers and buckwheat in the fall – we rotate our crops to ensure that quality is rarely a concern.
I’ll spare you the dissertation on regenerative farming and just say this – I founded DG so I could be the next generation farmer in my family.”
Check them out on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/dancinggrain
Reservations required by booking online or calling 315-354-5532.
$100 per person, tax & gratuity included. Cash bar during boarding.
Boarding at 5pm, sailing 6-9pm.
Delicious food. Generous refills.
Here’s the menu!
- Candied bacon first course- Spinning Jenny Pale Ale
- Cheddar ale with pretzel garnish- Tractor Time American Lager
- Smoked bbq brisket, Mac & cheese with Gouda, carmelized onions- Crop Top IPA
- Girl scout cookie Samoa mini cheesecakes – Picture Perfect Porter
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We offered a full moon cruise last year and it was a huge success! (It helped that the moon cooperated). We’ve decided that we’d offer one full moon cruise this season too! Midnight Mike, who has played on many a moonlight cruise in the past, will be jamming below and the open upper deck will be open for prime moon viewing.
Boarding at 9:15, sailing 9:30-11:00. $30 per person. Reservations highly recommended. Limited availability. 315-354-5532 or book online.
Music and fully licensed cash bar down below. Full moon and silence (except for the hum of the engines) on the upper deck. You can choose either experience.
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Friday, August 2nd, 8:30-1:45 time commitment $80 pp
8:30-9:00 a.m. Board the WW Durant for water taxi ride to St. Williams
9:00-9:20 Cruise to St Williams, built in 1890 by William West Durant
9:30-10:00 Tour the 100 yr+ church; National Register of Historic Sites, 2005; site of the original village of Durant, NY www.stwilliamsonlongpoint.org
10:00-10:20 Walk through the meadow to Pine Knot, situated on the south shore of Long Point (transportation available for those with mobility issues)
10:30-12:00 Guided tour of Pine Knot, the first Great Camp and home to Collis P Huntington of Southern Pacific RR fame Camp Pine Knot
12:00-12:10 Board the WW Durant, tied up at Pine Knot dock
12:10-1:45 Lunch cruise with historic narration
August 2 $80 pp inclusive of cruise, meal, tax, gratuity, guided tours
Reservations required Call 315-354-5532 or book online.
Limited availability.
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Boards 9:30 p.m. Fireworks start about 9:45 p.m. Dockside bar available during show.
Availabilities:
- Saturday, August 3rd, 2024
Price: Free
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As many of you know, we always offer a Dr. Frank wine pairing dinner on the Durant during our season. Not only is this a fantastic winery, but Dr. Frank’s granddaughter, Barbara Frank, has a camp in a nearby village and is incredibly supportive! So here goes what is about our 12th Dr. Frank wine dinner!
Board 5:00 p.m. Sail 6:00-9:00 pm
Reservations required by calling 315-354-5532 or by booking online.
$105 per person. Includes tax & gratuity.
We’re still in the middle of planning this year’s menu, but here is a sneak peak at what we served last year:
1. Chilled melon gazpacho with mint chiffonade- Dr. Frank ’21 Gruner Veltliner
2. Strawberry salad with white balsamic poppy seed dressing- Dr. Frank ’21 Dry Rose
3. Strip steak with a Moody Blue cream sauce, chive and lemon zesty smashed potatoes- Dr. Frank ’20 Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Apricot Tart ala mode- Semi-Dry Riesling
Some info on Dr. Frank:
Dr. Konstantin Frank ignited the “Vinifera Revolution”, a movement that forever changed the course of wine growing in the Finger Lakes and the United States. Dr. Frank’s vision, knowledge and determination are credited with elevating the New York wine industry from a state of happy mediocrity to a level that today commands world attention.
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Frank’s granddaughter, Barbara Frank, on board, during this cruise. She will be sharing her vast knowledge of each wine as we serve each course.
Barbara is the Regional Marketing Representative and Consulting Winemaker for Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank Winery. She has over 30 years of experience in wine production, research, instruction and marketing.
In addition to having been head winemaker at Dr. Frank’s and Chateau Frank, Barbara has operated in various winemaking capacities at S. Anderson, Navarro, Schramsberg and Domaine Mumm. She also worked as National Sales Representative for Billecart-Salmon Champagnes. Barbara has lectured on wine and wine appreciation at various institutions including the Culinary Institute of America, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and the International Wine Center (NYC).
Her educational background includes a B.S. in Viticulture from Cornell University, guest student at the Geisenheim Institute in Germany and an M.S. in Enology from California State University at Fresno.
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Boarding 8:15, sailing 8:30am. Return to the dock at 1pm. $75 pp inclusive for water taxi to Pine Knot, 90 minute guided tour Pine Knot, luncheon cruise with historic commentary, tax and service charge on meal.
Pine Knot, the first Great Camp built by William West Durant and sold to Collis P Huntington of Southern Pacific RR fame, is not usually open to the public. It is located on Long Point, boat access only.
Now owned by SUNY Cortland, the facility caters to school and corporate groups. However a few times each season, Cortland consents to a few public tours because there is so much desire by the public to see this historic place.
Reservations required. Call 315-354-5532. Other days this summer the Pine Knot package is offered are Tues. Sept. 10th and Wednesday, Oct. 9th. Limited number of seats available.
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Board 11:00 a.m. Sail 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Availabilities:
- Saturday, August 31st
Price:
- $60 per person
- $40 (DD & those who don’t drink beer)
Here’s what to expect for your $60 per person-
Saranac Beer, BBQ and Blues:
- Boarding 11:00 a.m. – 12 p.m. with sailing 12 – 1:30 p.m.
- Must be 21 years to taste; DD can be under 21 years
- Awesome one man band Matt Grainger entertaining (not just blues)
- Limited to 75 people
- BBQ fare includes fall-off-the-bone ribs, corn on the cob, coleslaw, watermelon & apple crisp
- Generous pours of Saranac’s beers of Fall, PLUS samples of two unreleased pilot brews
- Meet and greet Saranac’s own Head Brewmaster, Keith Miller and his assistant, Rosalie!
- Cash bar available
- Reservations recommended by calling 315-354-5532 or by booking online.
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Board 11:00 am. Sail 11:30-1:00 pm
Just $15 each. A $10 savings!
Beverage& snacks available for purchase.
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The Tuscarora Restoration Committee is hosting a fundraiser cocktail party on the WW Durant, cruising on Raquette Lake, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Boarding is 4:45. Sailing is 5:15-7:15. Cost is $125 per person.
Appetizers (prepared by CIA graduate Executive Chef Jim Pohl) include:
- Beef tenderloin sliders with horseradish sauce
- U-12 peeled & deveined shrimp with sauce
- Fresh Yellowfin Ahi Tuna, sesame seared, served over a marinated cucumber salad and East meets West spicy dipping sauce
- Seasonal fresh fruit
- Nova Lox on puff pastry
- Caprese bites
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Plus 2 beer or wine or NA tokens pp. Cash bar after that.
Call the Raquette Lake Navigation Co. office at 315-354-5532 to reserve or book on line.
So….what is the Tuscarora and why does the committee need to raise money?
Glad you asked!
“The Tuscarora is one of only a few surviving steamboats from the turn of the twentieth century and the only regionally surviving full-scale passenger steamboat. It has tremendous potential to serve as an educational tool for visitors to Blue Mountain Lake through the tangible connection with the community’s maritime heritage.”
Erin Tobin, executive director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH)The most impressive of all the steamboats of the central Adirondacks was the seventy-five foot, double-decked Tuscarora, built in 1900 in Blue Mountain Lake for W.W. Durant’s steamboat business. The Durant family put it to work as the last leg of a rail and water relay bringing wealthy urbanites to the magnificent hotel verandas overlooking Blue Mountain Lake.
Travelers coming to the Central Adirondack area (North Creek, Blue Mountain, Raquette Lake, Old Forge) were primarily from New York City who came to vacation, enjoy the outdoors, hunt, fish and breathe in mountain air. The railroads brought travelers to North Creek or Raquette Lake. Those who went to North Creek would take horse drawn stagecoaches to Blue Mountain Lake. This was a long 8-plus hour bumpy ride to Blue Mountain.
The travelers who went to Raquette Lake took a steamboat across Raquette Lake and through the Marion River to the lower terminus of the Marion River Carry RR where they then boarded a two-car train (the shortest standard gauge railroad in the US) to ride the ¾ mile to the upper terminus. There they got off the train and boarded another steamboat which delivered them to their destination on Blue Mt Lake. Many elites came by steamboat to vacation at the Prospect House on Blue Mountain Lake, the most luxurious hotel in the Adirondacks. It was four-and-a-half stories high and had 300 guest rooms with a resident orchestra. It was most notably famous for being the first hotel in the world that had electric lights in every room! In fact, the wiring was even overseen by Thomas Edison himself.Critics said the Tuscarora, which could carry 325 people, was too big for such a remote outpost, and in some ways it was. The roof of the Steamboat Landing boathouse, where it was housed in the offseason, had to be raised to accommodate its height. Turning it around at its tight western terminus involved a delicate pirouette in which the pilot barked orders to the passengers to move fore or aft depending on which end of the ship had become stuck in the mud.
The Durants dredged the shallow channels connecting Utowana, Eagle and Blue Mountain lakes, much to the consternation of the nascent environmental movement. “Even then there was an outcry.”
For nearly three decades it operated much like the other excursion boats on the Fulton Chain, Raquette Lake and the Saranacs. Along with its regular duties, the Tuscarora also ferried vacationers on loud, merry sightseeing adventures around the lake. A band played and passengers sang and danced, remaining, if early video is any indication, generally oblivious to the negative effect their commotion was having on the stability of the ship.
The boat was beached about the same time as construction crews completed the highway to Blue Mountain Lake. The two 75-horsepower engines were likely sold for scrap in the ’30s. Despite the conversion, the ship’s integrity remains largely intact.
When better roads were available, steamboats—their useful lives over—were deliberately burned or scuttled. People at the time assigned them no particular value beyond basic transportation.
The Tuscarora escaped that fate and took on a new life in 1934, when it was bought by Robert Graham, a prominent architect, who bought the steamer after it was taken out of service in 1929. Several years later, by way of an unspeakably picturesque assemblage of rafts, cradles and train rails, he managed to tow the leviathan in the spring of 1938 to its current locale. Graham renovated it as his summer camp, with bedrooms, a lounge, a kitchen and bathrooms. As cozy as the cottage was, to all appearances it retained the essence of the Tuscarora.
Beached on the northeastern shore, it was used for many years by four generations of the Graham family. It still exists and still rests on that shoreline of Blue. Its history and stories are cherished by the current owners, Donna Gingell and Peter Halsch, who finally were able to buy the Tuscarora in 1988 from their friend Al Graham, Robert’s son. Today the couple and their supporters (a group of Adirondack residents, boat experts and historic preservation advocates ) are developing plans to restore the Tuscarora and return it to the public domain.
Currently the vessel is on shore in a quiet cove, not accessible for viewing. There is much work needed to document and stabilize the watercraft and develop interpretation that will bring this unique story to life. Plans are to move the boat to a site where visitors can see the restored steamer and learn about its key role in Adirondack transportation long before motor vehicles.
“There were always two major obstacles,” Halsch said. “How to move it and where to put it.”
The future location has been established, with the purchase of land on Route 30. An exhibit is being conceptualized that would shelter the ship, which would be on rails allowing it to be partially moved outside in summer to attract passing motorists.
But the move promises to be every bit as tricky, and much more expensive, than it was in the ’30s. Sliding it across the ice would be ideal, but is too risky. Resting the hull on floats is impractical because the cove is too shallow. And the best option — worming it through the woods to a nearby access road is no piece of cake.
As plans emerge the Friends of the Tuscarora intend to offer progress updates via social media, press releases and other venues. Funding for the Tuscarora is currently managed by Adirondack Architectural Heritage, which can accept tax-deductible donations on behalf of the project.
Reprinted from an article, “Tuscarora’s latest journey,” written by Tim Rowland for the March 9, 2024 issue of the Adirondack Explorer. Permission from Tracy Ormsbee, Adirondack Explorer magazine
We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday, September 4, 2024!
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We will be offering a BBQ Ribs Buffet Dinner cruise on Friday nights after Labor Day, with the exception of Friday, 9/13 due to a private charter. Featuring Chef Jim’s fall-of-the-bone pork spare ribs, a hot chicken dish, a hot carb and a hot veggie. Menu specifics will vary week to week depending on what’s in season and what Chef Jim feels inspired to make. Salad, fruit, baguettes and butter and dessert of course! Shrimp cocktails and cheese board appetizers an option as well. $50 per adult and $25 for kids under 12.
Boarding at 4:30, sailing 5-7:30pm
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Boarding 8:15, sailing 8:30am. Return to the dock at 1pm. $75 pp inclusive for water taxi to Pine Knot, 90 minute guided tour Pine Knot, luncheon cruise with historic commentary, tax and service charge on meal.
Pine Knot, the first Great Camp built by William West Durant and sold to Collis P Huntington of Southern Pacific RR fame, is not usually open to the public. It is located on Long Point, boat access only.
Now owned by SUNY Cortland, the facility caters to school and corporate groups. However a few times each season, Cortland consents to a few public tours because there is so much desire by the public to see this historic place.
Reservations required. Call 315-354-5532. Other days this summer the Pine Knot package is offered are Tues. Aug 20th and Wed, Oct 9th. Limited number of seats available.
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Boards: 8:45pm
Sails: 9-10:30pm
$25 per person
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Board 11:00 am. Sail 11:30-1:00 pm
Just $15 each. A $10 savings!
Beverages & snacks available for purchase.
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Boarding 8:15, sailing 8:30am. Return to the dock at 1pm. $75 pp inclusive for water taxi to Pine Knot, 90 minute guided tour Pine Knot, luncheon cruise with historic commentary, tax and service charge on meal.
Pine Knot, the first Great Camp built by William West Durant and sold to Collis P Huntington of Southern Pacific RR fame, is not usually open to the public. It is located on Long Point, boat access only.
Now owned by SUNY Cortland, the facility caters to school and corporate groups. However a few times each season, Cortland consents to a few public tours because there is so much desire by the public to see this historic place.
Reservations required. Call 315-354-5532. Other days this summer the Pine Knot package is offered are Tues. Aug 20th and Tues. Sept. 10th. Limited number of seats available.
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Two years ago for the Snowflake excursion, it was snowing and blowing. Last year it was almost 80 degrees! We don’t know what the weather will be like this year but we figure that if we schedule 2 Snowflake Excursions for our last day of the season, we can’t go wrong!
Choose whichever time slot fits your schedule better:
#1 Boarding at 11, sailing 11:30-1:00
#2 Boarding at 1:30, sailing 2-3:30
Buy your tickets online. Lower enclosed cabin heated. Fully licensed cash bar with lots of wine, beer & drink specials to help reduce the summer inventory. Cruise includes complimentary coffee, cider & cinnamon fried cakes.
$30 for ages 12+
$15 for ages under 12
Complimentary passes cannot be used for this cruise.