Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Gover.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
To begin, I am a fourth-generation veteran of a US Military branch. After high school with no vision of what I wanted to do, my father, who was a Navy veteran, steered me toward joining the US Coast Guard. It was there that I fell in love with the water, ships, and lore. After 4 years in the USCG, I became a firefighter for the next 30 years; I was promoted to Captain and operated the fireboat The Howard Fitzpatrick for the last 17 years of my career. In 2009 I bought my first boat, an ex-US Navy Yard Patrol Boat, named it The Revolution, and started running public tours out of Winthrop, MA. It started to become a true family business, as I recruited my brothers, wife, and daughters to help me fix it up and run it for the public. When I retired in 2013, I decided to make The Revolution a full-time job, as I quickly realized I didn’t want to be away from the water, and I wanted to work for myself.
The Revolution was an amazing boat and business, but after a few years, the old wooden boat needed too much maintenance and we sold it. However, shortly after, I purchased a 50-foot US Navy Utility Boat and had it certified by the Coast Guard to carry 49 passengers. I operated this boat, The Joseph S. KennedyUB85 (named after my grandfather, a WW1 and WW2 Navy Veteran), for 2 years before I was approached by a company in Portland, Maine who loved my business and wanted to purchase my boat. They tell me it is now the pride of Casco Bay!
This sale allowed me to purchase my newest boat and the one I am most proud of: The Patrick T. Kennedy UB88! With this boat, I started my business – Navy Blue Cruise. We have been up and running since Sail Boston 2017, when we took our maiden voyage. Over the past few years, I have learned so much about the tour boat industry and about how to run a business, and I am so excited to share this boat and its history with the public. It is still a family business – you will see my wife, daughters, brothers and nephews on almost every cruise!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In a word, no! First, I had never run a business before and it has been on-the-job training since I started. Secondly, working capital was from my own pocket, which wasn’t easy but certainly fueled my drive to succeed. My first boat truly required my blood, sweat and tears as it was a wood hull boat and therefore was very difficult to maintain. It was a very difficult decision to sell it, as my family and I worked so hard and grew so fond of it, but we knew it was the right choice. My second boat, the Joseph S. Kennedy UB85, had its own set of obstacles, including difficulty in receiving Coast Guard certification and finding an open pier in Boston to operate out of.
After all the ups and downs, I am so excited to say that Navy Blue Cruise found its home on the waters of East Boston, where I have lived with my family for 25 years.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Navy Blue Cruise – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Navy Blue Cruise offers private tours of the Boston Harbor for up to 49 passengers. We do family reunions, Tall Ships cruises, field trips, bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthdays, retirement parties – you name it, we do it! For youth groups and field trips, we offer a guided history tour, during which we point out historical points of interest around the Harbor.
We are proud to run a true ex-US Navy Utility Boat, which was assigned to the USS Eisenhower, a Naval Aircraft Carrier. We have restored this boat to its original condition and try to keep it as authentic to its naval roots as possible. Navy Blue Cruise is known for our patriotism, and we even play military hymns as part of our history tour (don’t worry though: for the party tours, you can play whatever you want!)
Our customers love the fact that our tours take them in and out of the nooks and crannies of the Boston Harbor, where other, larger boats are not be able to navigate.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For our private party groups, we have a beer and wine bar, a sound system, and a working bathroom on board. These groups are free to bring their own food and snacks. We’re set up very well for those tours.
For the daytime historical tours, I would love to start partnering with more youth groups, day camps, and public schools in the area for field trips.
Contact Info:
- Address: Boston Harbor
- Website: www.NavyBlueCruise.com
- Phone: 617-818-2773
- Email: info@navybluecruise.com
- Instagram: @NavyBlueCruise
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/navybluecruise/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
