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Since 1969, visitors to St. Michaels have explored the history and environment of the area from the decks of a boat named PATRIOT. A year before, the wooden fishing boat Tek-Ni-Color traversed the Intracoastal Waterway on a journey from Destin, Fla., to its new home port of St. Michaels, where Jim Heikes refitted it as a cruise vessel and renamed it PATRIOT. PATRIOT was berthed at Navy Point—once a hub for seafood packing—now the center of a burgeoning tourism business that began with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1965.
In 1990, subsequent owners Dave and Norma Etzel replaced the original vessel with a steel-hulled design reminiscent of a 1930s Chesapeake steamboat, designed by naval architect Jay Benford in St. Michaels and built in Norfolk, Va. With a capacity for 150 passengers, PATRIOT hosted charter cruises with catered food and drink, and became a favorite venue for bus tours, parties, family reunions, and corporate events under the Etzels’ ownership.
In September 2023, PATRIOT became part of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum family following a successful run under the ownership of John and Robin Marrah. The vessel has helped CBMM to deliver its mission by continuing to provide an up-close experience on the Miles River to nearly 20,000 guests annually.
Over the past five decades, Patriot Cruises helped to launch and sustain the transformation of St. Michaels from a working community centered on the seafood industry, to a bustling retail and travel destination that celebrates the Chesapeake Bay’s history, living cultural traditions, and natural beauty. The future is bright as part of the CBMM family with new offerings and enhancements being added to improve the experience for all of our passengers
