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January 2005 21 The dinner boat niche could be considered the Rodney Dangerfield of the maritime world. No respect. A visit with Spirit Cruises' Captain Greg Hanchrow, Director of Marine Operations, leaves one with nothing but respect. — by Greg Trauthwein Norfolk-based Spirit Cruises LLC is not unlike most other sectors of the maritime industry: battling for profitability while fending off an infinite sea of chal- lenges, a burgeoning list that includes controlling ris- ing operating costs, training and retaining qualified crew and fighting for market share in a sometimes crowded - always cyclical - marketplace. If that's not enough, Spirit and its competitors in the dinner boat market niche are entrenched in a seemingly never-end- ing battle for respect in the maritime market. This lack of respect, real or perceived, is much more than a fight for self-serving recognition, rather it pres- ents a constant challenge to attract and maintain top notch crew. Recognizing this, Spirit Cruises — a com- pany with a large corporate backing with regionalized management control — has invested much in develop- ing its systems to attract and keep the best crews avail- able. In 1978, a company called C.I. Travel in Norfolk, Va., purchased an old World War II landing craft with the idea of converting it into a dinner cruise vessel. After a series of major renovations, the ship was final- ly christened the Spirit of Norfolk, and a new compa- ny called Spirit Cruises was born. From there, the com- pany expanded rapidly, with the addition of five 192-ft. Blount built boats in five years, and another three Service Marine-built boats in three years. Today, Spirit Cruises has a fleet of 13 vessels cruising in seven port cities: Boston, Chicago, New York and Weehawken, Circle 206 on Reader Service Card Circle 254 on Reader Service Card Circle 219 on Reader Service Card ) L Q D Q F L D O 0 D Q D J H P H Q W ( Y H Q W K H E H V W F D Q E H E H W W H U 7 K H 8 O W L P D W H & R P S X W L Q J & R Q F H S W I R U W K H 6 K L S S L Q J , Q G X V W U \ 3 R Z H U & R Q W U R O \ R X U I X W X U H 2 V O R 1 H Z < R U N 6 L Q J D S R U H ' X E D L 6 \ G Q H \ L Q I R # V K L S Q H W Q R Z Z Z V K L S Q H W Q R Passenger Vessel Report Capturing the Spirit in New York Captain Greg Hanchrow MR JANUARY 2005 #3 (17-24).qxd 1/5/2005 2:53 PM Page 5
