From Seafood Packing to Tourism - 1968 to 2009 - St Michaels, MD - Timelines on Waymarking.com

The sign says, "Patriot Cruises Help Launch Local Tourism

Since 1969, visitors to St. Michaels have explored the history and environment of the area from the decks of a boat names Patriot. A year before, the wooden fishing boat Tek-Ni-Color traversed the Intracoastal Waterway on a journey from Destin, Fla. to its new home port of St. Michaels, where Kim Heikes refitted it as a cruise vessel and renamed it Patriot. Patriot was berthed at Navy Point - once a hub for seafood packing - now the center of a burgeoning tourism business that began with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1965.

In 1990, subsequent owners Dave and Norma Etzel replaced the original vessel with a steel-hulled design reminiscent of a 1930s Chesapeake steamboat, designed by naval architect Jay Benford in St Michales and built in Norfolk, Va. With a capacity for 150 passengers, Patriot hoisted charted cruises with catered food and drink, and became a favorite venue for parties, family reunions, and corporate events under the Etzel's ownership.

John and Robin Marrah have operated Patriot Cruises since 2009, continuing to provide an up-close experience on the Miles River to nearly 20,000 gusts annually. Over the past five decades, Patriot Cruises helped to launch and sustain the transformation of St. Michaels from a working community centered on the seafood industry, to a bustling retail and travel destination that celebrates the Chesapeake Bay's history, living cultural traditions, and natural beauty."

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