The End... ?

Hello friends and cruisers!

It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to suspend Captain Joe's Cruises for the foreseeable future. All current bookings will be honored, but the booking schedule is closed.

The past 6 months have seen an unbelievable increase in the amount of business for my "real job" at Monarch Information Security Consulting. The demand has put a real strain on my free time, my family time, and has left painfully little time for sunset cruising.

You may have already noticed a decrease in availability over the past two years as I have shrunk my weekday hours for day-cruises to near nothing and lowered my availability for sunset cruises.

When I started Captain Joe's Cruises, Monarch ISC was a small cybersecurity consulting firm consisting of, well, me. I could easily take off for an afternoon of boat rides or spend a weekend out regaling people with stories of Saco Bay. Stories like Sally Lowell, the widow who finished the Stage Monument but didn't get paid. Or educating visitors about the losses of homes and streets along Camp Ellis due to the construction of the jetty.

I was so proud to have taken a picture used for a family Christmas card, but a little less proud of the terrible fright a young girl received on a sunset cruise when a giant sturgeon announced his presence some 10 feet from the Ruby Belle by hurling itself out of the water. Not a good moment for a young girl with a phobia of sharks!

Monarch ISC's growth is a great thing, and I've been working hard to bring it about. I'm so proud to watch Monarch emerge from its cocoon, so to speak, and take flight. However, the downside is that, for now at least, Captain Joe must hang up his hat. I am sad about that but look forward to the possibility of returning in the future. I've met some amazing people, had a lot of laughs, and I know I've created a lot of great memories for everyone who came aboard the Ruby Belle.

Thank you all,

Captain Joe