M/V ''Rip Van Winkle'' is a

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

tour boat based in

Kingston, New York Kingston is the only Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in, and the county seat of, Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grou ...

. She was built for use in the oil industry in 1980, but has served as a passenger vessel in New York State, and as a ferry for the US Navy.

Tours

The boat leaves Kingston's

Rondout Creek Rondout Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hudson River in Ulster and Sullivan counties, New York, United States. It rises on Roc ...

, heads south down to Hyde Park, New York, and then turns north and returns to Kingston. The total time is 2 hours and the trip is narrated. Sightseeing tours have also included "three-hour narrated tours to the

Vanderbilt estate Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is a historic house museum in Hyde Park, New York, United States. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1940, it is owned and operated by the National Park Service. The property, historically known ...

, in Hyde Park." ''Rip Van Winkle'' also offers various specialty cruises throughout the year, such as music cruises and murder mystery dinner party cruises, and can be chartered for parties and weddings.

History

''Rip Van Winkle'' was built to be an oil industry shore well platform service vessel, by Edward T. Gamage in East Boothbay, Maine in 1980. She was purchased by Charles Robertson, owner of the New England Steamboat lines, who converted the boat to passenger service. An upper deck was added as were lavatories, snack bar and liquid bar. She was put into service in 1982 out of Haddam CT to Greenport and

Sag Harbor Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiners Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

, Long Island as the "Yankee Clipper." During her time with the New England Steamboat lines, the vessel was contracted in service to the Navy as a ferry boat for the sailors in New London. Hudson River Cruises bought the boat in 1985 and brought it to Kingston, New York in September of that year. ''Rip van Winkle'' went into service on the Hudson River in 1986.

Tours

History

References

External links

See also