BANGOR – The view of the Queen City from a boat coming up the Penobscot River is a perspective many don’t get to see.

Owners of the Patience, a 19th century, 72-foot steam ferry replica, hope it’s a view that tourists and Greater Bangor residents alike will continue paying for.

The Patience, owned and operated by Downeast Windjammer Cruises of Bar Harbor, kicked off its second season Thursday of offering daily pleasure cruises on the Penobscot River.

Bob Cates, a Cutler fisherman who will serve as the vessel’s primary captain, said the Patience and owner Steve Pagels hope to build on a successful inaugural year in Bangor.

“This river is really pretty and it’s a smooth, easy ride,” Cates said. “It gives people something to do, another way to enjoy the waterfront. This is really a good fit for Bangor.”

Cates welcomed a small group of city officials under gray but dry skies late Thursday morning for the boat’s 2008 maiden voyage.

The Patience, which looks like a steam ferry but runs on diesel fuel, will offer three daily trips Thursday through Sunday, plus two extra evening rides Fridays and Saturdays. The cruises run through mid-October.

“From what we’ve heard, guests really like this,” Bangor Mayor Susan Hawes said. “A lot depends on what happens to our waterfront, but this a good start for drawing people down here.”

The boat, which has an open-air top deck and a heated, enclosed main deck, can seat about 150 passengers at capacity. It travels at a casual 8-knot, no-wake pace down the Penobscot River away from Bangor and into more tranquil, tree-lined waters on either side of Brewer and Hampden and then Orrington and Winterport.

Rod McKay, Bangor’s community and economic development director, said the city had been trying to attract a pleasure cruise operator for years but was glad to land the Patience last summer.

“The great thing about this trip is that you get to see a whole section of this area that hasn’t changed all that much in the last century,” he said.

The river itself is a direct link to Bangor’s history as the lumber capital of the Northeast. The waterway once was lined with logs and boats and barges, but now bears only light traffic. Crew members aboard the Patience are well-versed in the history and often share stories during trips.

The Patience also offers charter tours by appointment, an option Cates said was quite successful last year.

“In fact, a lot of area businesses have signed up for charter cruises again this year,” the captain said.

For more information about cruises in Bangor and prices, call 941-0952 or visit the Patience Web site, www.bangorharborcruises.com.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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