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water taxi

Thames River Heritage Park seeks New Boat Operator

Thames River Heritage Park Foundation is accepting proposals for a boat operator to manage the boats for the Park’s Hop-on Hop-off Harbor Cruise / Water Taxi service, history-themed tours and charters for the 2025 season. The boat operation was previously managed by Scott Arsenault of Vixen Ledge Marine, who retired at the end of the 2024 contract.

“We are grateful for Scott’s service to the Park during the last 6 years and look forward to working with a new operator that will continue the professional, customer-friendly service for our Hop-on Hop-off Harbor Cruises / Water Taxi, history-themed boat tours and specialty cruises for which Thames River Heritage Park is known,” stated the Foundation’s executive director, Catherine Foley.

To review the Request for Proposal (RFP), scan the QR code or visit  https://www.thamesriverheritagepark.org/trhpf-boat-operator-rfp/.

Proposals are due via the on-line portal included in the RFP by February 3, 2025.

Thames River Heritage Park Foundation promotes, supports and sustains Thames River Heritage Park making the heritage and culture of the Thames River region vivid and relevant to all by connecting people, communities, institutions, sites and stories to the historic waterfront and natural landscape of the Thames River estuary via hop-on hop-off Harbor cruises / water taxi service and history-themed boat tours and collaborative programs, such as, Stories from the Park Lecture Series, TRHP Docent Academy and Discover the Thames campaign.

Launch Party set for July 3–don’t miss it!

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The Transition Team hopes that everyone interested in the new Heritage Park can join in celebrating the “official” opening of the water taxi service on July 3rd, even though it will already have been running for a few weeks. But at the time of the party all the kinks should be ironed out (if there are even any kinks to iron) and the taxi will be running smoothly and on schedule.

There’ll be a ribbon cutting at Pier 7 in new London’s Fort Trumbull and a short program from 3-4pm. Your faithful blogger does not know if there will also be cake, but she hopes so. Never pass up the opportunity to eat cake at Fort Trumbull, is what I always say. View the complete invitation here.

And for those of you who haven’t heard, the newly formed agency, the Thames River Heritage Park Foundation, is offering Charter Memberships, which entitle you to unlimited water taxi rides, an end-of-season exclusive cocktail party and other discounts and incentives, so be sure to look into this too. Find more info on our website here.

memb card

But whatever you do, stop by Fort Trumbull on July 3rd and meet the crew of the water taxis, hear what we’ve got planned all along the river for the summer, and enjoy Fort Trumbull, one of the area’s great parks.

 

It’s not only the Water Taxi that’s embarking on a shakedown cruise . . .

The Communications Committee of the Transition Team met with Thames River Water Taxi Captain Jackie Dietrich last week, as we went over scheduling and pricing plans for the summer. The Water Taxi should be taking its “maiden voyage” on June 10th, and depending on passenger interest they’ll be adjusting their pick-up and drop-off schedule as the season progresses. But expect it to run from Friday to Sunday starting at 10AM and going till 9PM. One “loop” of the sites takes approximately an hour.

water taxi line drawing

Here’s a link to their schedule page.

One of the ways in which we hope that the public (that’s YOU), the heritage sites, and local businesses help us with as the summer progresses is by providing as much feedback as possible. This is the first Heritage Park in the state, and all of us are on a shakedown cruise—no one has done this before. We need your suggestions, comments, questions, concerns (praise is good too) on anything you can think of: park accessibility, hours of operation, water taxi issues, prices, signage, access to businesses, information services, transportation, lack of ice cream vendors . . . anything you can think of, let us know! We want to make this Heritage Park a success for everyone.

You can use the comments section of this blog, or visit our Facebook Page, or write write to us at [email protected].

Our water taxi will be Irish for a day in New London’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Crocker’s Boat Yard in New London, which has been graciously storing our new water taxis, posted this photo on their Facebook page:Crocker's cleaning water taxi

Prepping our parade float for St. Patrick’s Day Parade New London with the Thames River Heritage Park Boat!

Many members of the Transition Team, including Groton City Mayor Marian Galbraith, will be riding in the boat as it becomes an Irish “boat-float” for a day. Come to the parade (Sunday the 13th at 1pm) and meet the water taxi!

We ♥ Crocker’s Boat Yard!

Contact

Thames River Heritage Park Foundation
P.O. Box 851
New London, CT 06320

Administration
(860) 444-4401 / Email

General Inquiries/Boat Operations

(860) 333-6706

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