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The River: What’s hot on the river? The revamping of Charleston ‘Sternwheel Regatta’ and thus memories


The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders will be sharing the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story.

By Capt. Don Sanders
Special to NKyTribune

What’s hot on the river besides the usual summer heat advisory is the news of the revamping of the Charleston, West “By God” Virginia “Sternwheel Regatta.” The once regional event was the brainchild of 13-year-old O. Nelson Jones in 1971. Although the fluvial festivities ended in 2008 after 37 years, fan demand and the influence of the right people revived the celebration again this year.

The once regional event was the brainchild of 13-year-old O. Nelson Jones in 1971. Although the fluvial festivities ended in 2008 after 37 years, fan demand and the influence of the right people revived the celebration again this year. (Photo courtesy of Robyn Strickland Jones.)

When I accepted the captaincy of the yet uncompleted P. A. DENNY Sternwheeler about this time of the season during our nation’s bicentennial in 1976, the Sternwheel Regatta was in its fifth year. Among my deckhands were Nelson and Tom Cook, college boys and scions of two of the most influential families in the capital city of the Mountaineer State. The Jones and Cook family businesses involved river commerce, so the young fellows naturally followed their ancestral traditions. After spending their last college summer decking on the DENNY, the lads returned to their family’s resources following graduation, but they remained close to their old boat and crew. William “Bill” Barr, a present-day officer in the Jones organization, now called Amherst Madison, Inc., also decked on the DENNY with his pals Nelson and Tom that first year.

The P. A. DENNY’s owner, Cappy Lawson Hamilton, had the paddlewheeler decked out in his favorite colors of red, white, and blue, with colossal plywood stars and a continuous row of billowing American flags adorning the top deck of the boat. The DENNY certainly was a windcatcher with all those patriotic trimmings, but Mr. Hamilton was undoubtedly proud of her in all her bicentennial finery.

Immediately following the last cruise during the ‘76 celebration, the DENNY departed slightly after midnight for Marietta, Ohio, on the Ohio River. The Sternwheel Regatta, back then, celebrated Labor Day instead of Independence Day, as this coming week’s festivities will. Nelson Jones’ and Tom Cook’s replacements were fellows who intended to make the DENNY a profession, namely  Mark Twain lookalike, Tony Harrison, a Covington, KY transplant via Toledo on the Great Lakes, and Todd Mace and Bradley Price, both Charleston natives. My youngest brother Jeff Sanders was also decking and keeping a  close eye on the DENNY’s receipts as the Chief Purser. Brad’s little brother, Tommie Price, age 12, earned a slot aboard the boat as my “Cub Pilot” with permission from his school for his absence while on the river heading for Marietta.

When I accepted the captaincy of the yet uncompleted P. A. DENNY Sternwheeler about this time of the season during our nation’s bicentennial in 1976, the Sternwheel Regatta was in its fifth year.

Once the P. A. DENNY arrived in Marietta, roughly 170 miles via the Great Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, other paddlewheelers from the American Sternwheel Association, already in town, lined the Marietta shore. Cloistered at the nearby Hotel Lafayette close to the river, members of the Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen gathered for their annual summit of river buffs from the farthest shores of the Mississippi River System. Of course, S&D’ers packed our first-afternoon excursion as the howling wind roared out of the west along the long reach of the Ohio.

Although the P. A. DENNY Sternwheeler was easy to get underway and handled smoothly along the route, once she turned parallel to the other sternwheelers for a landing, the brisk westerly wind lifted the boat and shoved her sideways against the river’s current. After several unsuccessful attempts to tame the beast, a sandy shore beckoned, so I drove the DENNY into the soft belly of sand and held her there with the paddlewheel coming ahead at a moderate clip. Then, with no swinging landing stage for deboarding, our passengers nimbly shuffled outside the Main Deck railing to a walk board to shore. Fortunately, most of our guests were riverboat fans and seemed to enjoy the added thrill of the wind, the Kamikaze-style splashdown, and the unconventional disembarkation from the paddlewheeler added to their cruising experience. Captain Fredrick Way, Jr. also featured the adventure in the December 1976 edition of the S&D REFLECTOR, the quarterly magazine for the Sons and Daughters.

The 1977 Sternwheel Regatta featured my friend, the celebrated Bluegrass musician, riverboat pilot, and captain, John Hartford. When he could find the time in his busy schedule at the festivities, John rode in the pilothouse of the DENNY, where he steered the paddlewheeler as often as possible. Before Cappy Hartford committed to the regatta, I promised my crew that I would give him the whistle off the U. S. Government Inspection Boat MISSISSIPPI. Five years earlier, the owner of the MISSISSIPPI, renamed the BECKY THATCHER, gave me the tall brass tooter provided I remove it from the spreader bar between the steamer’s smokestacks. My deck crew from the DELTA QUEEN and I made short work of the removal.

The DENNY certainly was a windcatcher with all those patriotic trimmings, but Mr. Hamilton was undoubtedly proud of her in all her bicentennial finery. 

Sure enough, on the Sunday after the close of the Charleston Regatta, I drove to Marietta where the S&D was meeting again and presented the single-chimer to John Hartford in the shadow of the U. S. MISSISSIPPI / BECKY THATCHER docked on the Muskingham River close to the parking lot of the Lafayette hotel. A year later, John carried the whistle to the DELTA QUEEN, which I substituted for the QUEEN’s melodious three-chimed Lunkenhiemer to see how the government whistle sounded.

The more it blew, the worse the whistle screeched. Finally, after several hours, everyone within earshot rejoiced once the QUEEN’s whistle reclaimed her place of honor on the bonnet encircling the smokestack. Interestingly, the MISSISSIPPI whistle remains in service aboard the flagship of the Lake George Steamboat Company fleet on Lake George in New York State, the LAC du SAINT SACREMENT.

The past week I was honored when invited by Cappy Scot Heckert, the owner of the P. A. DENNY, to pilot “our old boat” at the revived 2022 Charleston Sternwheel Regatta. Although I was delighted when asked, personal circumstances prevented my accepting the distinction. So after I phoned Scot and thanked him, I informed him that my former 12-year-old Cub Pilot, who grew up to become the Master of the DENNY, now a successful entrepreneur in his adopted state, had plans to be home in Charleston for the regatta. After a few more calls, a message arrived saying Captain Tom Price would be piloting the P. A. DENNY in the upcoming race of the sternwheelers during the festivities in a couple of weeks.

Captain Robyn Strickland Jones, Nelson’s widow, also needs a “Thank You” for her involvement in suggesting I pilot the DENNY and for her participation in the return of the Sternwheel Regatta. Regrettably, Nelson died far too soon at age 52 in July 2010. Slated for dedication, a plaque honoring the memory of Robyn’s beloved husband and Cappy Lawson Hamilton will be on the program of activities during the week.

Although not in attendance, my heart will linger on the levee in Charleston, where whispers of the names of many friends, now gone, will echo among the laughter and excitement of the revived festivities that started so many years ago by an excited 13-year-old boy “fascinated by everything that happened on the river,” as Nelson recalled in an interview in 1997.

If the Sternwheel Regatta becomes a hit and I’m still around, perhaps I may be in Charleston another year. Stay tuned.

My youngest brother Jeff Sanders was also decking and keeping a  close eye on the DENNY’s receipts as the Chief Purser.

Tommie Price, age 12, earned a slot aboard the boat as my “Cub Pilot” with permission from his school for his absence while on the river heading for Marietta.

After several unsuccessful attempts to tame the beast, a sandy shore beckoned, so I drove the DENNY into the soft belly of sand and held her there with the paddlewheel coming ahead at a moderate clip. (Photo S&D REFLECTOR)

A year later, John carried the whistle to the DELTA QUEEN, which I substituted for the QUEEN’s melodious three-chimed Lunkenhiemer to see how the government whistle sounded. (Photo by Keith Norrington, 1978.)

Although not in attendance, my heart will linger on the levee in Charleston, West “By God” Virginia.

Captain Don Sanders is a river man. He has been a riverboat captain with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company and with Rising Star Casino. He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive a “machine” and became a captain in the USAF. He is an adventurer, a historian, and a storyteller. Now, he is a columnist for the NKyTribune and will share his stories of growing up in Covington and his stories of the river. Hang on for the ride — the river never looked so good.

Click here to read all of Capt. Don Sanders’ stories of The River.
    
   

 


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5 Comments

  1. Jo Ann Schoen says:

    WOW! Loved the story and the pictures, as I had only heard snips and bits about the Sternwheel Regatta. I would love to attend. Unfortunately, by the time I heard about the revived event, I already had plans that could not be altered.

  2. Michael Gore says:

    What grand recollections, current happenings, and future visions for a special event, special boat, and all the connected special people. Sure hoping Capt. Don can once again take the wheel of the P. A. DENNY on a festive and fair day (hopefully with little wind!) and experience once again the “glory got”.

  3. Cori Reade-Hale says:

    Another awesome series of memories revived & future glories set out to tantalize. I remember several Charleston Regettas.One could almost walk across the river from boat to boat. I wish I could attend this revival but I too am planned in already. I surely hope it becomes tradition again & I can be there & Capt. Don at the wheel . Hurrah for Capt Price & his return to the Denny.

  4. Béla K. Berty says:

    Captain Don, thank you for reviving memories of the time we met. You got me interested in riverboating in 1976, resulting in my “messing about in boats” all over the eastern U.S. aboard 21 vessels for pay and many more just for the boat rides. Greetings to Peggy!

  5. Connie Bays says:

    Don, you were certainly remembered, as I sat on the Denny and the memories all began flowing through my mind of long ago days. I thought of those we’ve lost…Tony Harrison, Todd Mace, and Scotty Wilson. I remembered others too. Evan Smith, John “BJ” Bjorlie, Pixie Morgan. I was thrilled to see Brad again, and Tommy too, but I was very much in tune, listening to all the whispers and echoes of all that used to be.

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