What prompted Circle Line to add three new vessels to its fleet?
We have not had a new boat in 63 years. Most of our boats were built in the 1930s, and if you have equipment between 70 and 80 years old, it becomes difficult to repair and find new parts. That was our main reason for investing in new ships. We really need the new equipment. These three ships will replace some existing equipment, but during our peak season — Memorial Day through Labor Day — we typically run six to seven boats on a daily basis. So we’ll still run three to four of the old vessels daily in peak season. The old vessels are just as safe as the new ones; like the new ones, they must also pass Coast Guard inspections. The new vessels are really more modernized versions of our older boats. What has been the response to this year’s additional Bear Mountain cruises? This past season we had two more sailings than we had last year — one on Saturdays and once on Sundays — and they did very well. We had about 280 to 300 people on each sailing. Plus, we used the new boat, which i
