Contrary to what Craigslist says, Willamette Queen sternwheeler isn’t for sale

Barbara and Richard Chesbrough went to look at a sailboat and came home with a sternwheeler.

It's been a love affair ever since.

The couple purchased the Willamette Queen in February 1998 and six months later, exchanged wedding vows on the bow.

After hosting more than 300 weddings and countless other special events aboard the 87-foot double-decker that operates year-round from Riverfront Park in downtown Salem, the Chesbroughs are contemplating retirement.

They're both in their 70s and have had conversations with their extended family, but no definitive plans have been made. A misstep by one family member could have accelerated the timetable.

The Willamette Queen was listed for sale on Craigslist.

Unbeknownst to the Chesbroughs, their niece posted the sternwheeler on the popular classified advertisement website with a detailed description and her contact information. No price information, though.

The listing was spotted Thursday night under the category 'boats for sale by owner in Salem.'

"She is on my you-know-what list," Richard Chesbrough said of his neice. "She had no permission whatsoever to do this."

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The listing has since been removed from the site, but it was posted for nearly two weeks.

Now Richard and his wife are worried about optics.

Many of the Willamette Queen's customers schedule events and make reservations months in advance. Thirteen weddings, for example, are on the docket between now and June.

"We certainly do not want our brides to panic," Richard said.

Or schools. Western Mennonite and Falls City are scheduled to have their high school graduation parties aboard the sternwheeler.

The Willamette Queen, just to reemphasize, is not for sale. Not yet, anyway.

In the coming months, the Chesbroughs will consider their options, including selling both the vessel and the business that runs its operations, Sternwheeler Excursions Inc. That includes a limousine and a shuttle bus.

Richard is the captain, and Barbara is the event and reservations manager. They have 10-12 part-time employees.

When they do decide to sell, it won't be on Craigslist.

"Who lists a business for sale or a large, expensive passenger vessel like this on Craigslist?" Richard said. "That's crazy."

They have been in touch with a brokerage service in Wisconsin called Pinnacle Marine Corporation, which specializes in the passenger vessel industry.

"Our fondest hope is to find somebody local to keep the boat right where it’s at in Salem," Richard said. "We could stay on a year or two to help manage and run it and keep everything going."

That offer was included in the Craigslist post.

"Hands-on training and support will be made available to the buyer," it said.

The post described the vessel as being certified to carry 101 passengers and eight crew members. It has a rebuilt Cummins diesel engine with “a mere 430 hours of use.” Its 16-foot paddlewheels, plus bow and stern thrusters, are hydraulically driven.

Amenities include a full-service dining hall and bar with linens, décor, furnishings and appliances. The sternwheeler also has a solid oak dance floor.

All of that is true, except for the part about the owners being ready to sell.

The Chesbroughs never heard a peep about the listing until the Statesman Journal called. Their niece received two calls, both informal inquiries.

Relieved now that it's been removed, Richard and Barbara are bracing to assure anyone who inquires that it's business as usual on the Willamette Queen.

"Sometimes putting up a business for sale is a kiss of death as far as revenue goes," he said. "We’re not going out of business by a long stretch."

One of the pending brides was aboard Friday discussing her wedding details with Barbara.

More than 300 couples have exchanged vows aboard the sternwheeler, a scaled-down likeness of a Victorian riverboat from the 1800s Mississippi era. It was built in 1990 for a failed Newport tour business.

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The Chesbroughs bought it from the city of Cascade Locks. Richard couldn't say how much they paid.

"We had to sign a nondisclosure agreement," he said. "To this day, I have not divulged the price."

They originally operated the Willamette Queen out of a port in Albany before moving it to Salem in early 1999.

The Willamette Queen's arrival revived a nostalgic past. Salem has a rich history as a riverboat town. The last sternwheeler to operate regularly on the river south of Portland went out of service in 1908, according to newspaper archives.

An average of 10,000 people visit the Willamette Queen each year, and you might be surprised that it attracts all ages. Captain Chesbrough is known for turning the wheel over to youngsters and presenting them with a Junior Captain certificate.

With the nostalgia came a price for the Chesbroughs, including a sometimes rocky relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard. Regular hull inspections are required, including a dry-dock inspection every five years that sometimes takes weeks and cripples their business.

The city of Salem worked with the Chesbroughs when construction of the Peter Courtney Minto Island Pedestrian Bridge restricted use of the Willamette Slough and put a crimp in business.

The city agreed to pay them $50,000 a year for five years to make up for lost revenue. The Chesbroughs, who pay $350 a month to the city for moorage at Riverfront Park, received the final payment in January.

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The Willamette Queen currently offers a regular schedule that includes brunch, lunch, dinner and excursion cruises.

Next up on its calendar, according to the website, is a "Give from the Heart Brunch," a fundraiser for the Kiwanis Doernbecher Children's Cancer Program at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. All proceeds go to the program, for which Richard and Barbara are board members.

The price for many of the excursions on the sternwheeler is $55 for adults, $28 for children ages 4-11 and free for children younger than 4. Reservations are required for all cruises.

A sold-out "Valentine's Day Dinner Cruise" is happening at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Also on the calendar is a 20th-anniversary celebration with the Chesbroughs on Sunday, Feb. 25. Cake, coffee and memories will be served from 1 to 4 p.m.

No reservations are needed for that event, where you can learn a little history about the Willamette Queen and be reminded that she's not for sale.

clynn@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6710, or follow on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.