Cruising America's Waterways

Cruising America’s Waterways is a television series that uses water travel to reach and enjoy interesting places, people and activities. The series airs coast-to-coast on PBS (check your local listings). This travel-by-boat series features a crew of three key cast members, including the series host, legendary singer/songwriter Jonathan Edwards…best-known for his popular “Sunshine (Go Away Today)”. The programs have already earned national CINE, Communicator, Telly and Videographer awards.

Media Artists Inc. is an award-winning multimedia communications productions company in upstate New York In this series the cast really does travel. They cruise waterways aboard a variety of watercraft, from a 30-foot powerboat to a luxury liner, demonstrating that travel-by-boat is an experience like no other. The programs cover a range of waterways from canals and lakes to rivers and oceans. The series reintroduces viewers to waterfront America, including Canada, and shows that it is a treasure to be enjoyed today; rich in history and alive as a growing recreational resource.

The series was produced by Media Artists Inc., an award-winning multimedia communications production company in upstate New York and headed by Ronald Marquisee, who is himself a United States Coast Guard Merchant Marine Master. All 26 episodes of the series are available on VHS videotape and DVD media, a companion book, a CD featuring music from the series, and other items are also available – call 1-800-810-5458 for information.

First season titles (13 programs) are:

The Keys – Miami to Key West (2 programs) The crew takes a trip from cosmopolitan Miami to laid-back Key West, Florida. There’s an Everglades airboat ride, spectacular tycoon and South Beach art deco architecture, snorkeling and a ride on the African Queen in Key Largo and charter fishing and a swim with the dolphins in Islamorada. The crew visits a turtle hospital in Marathon before arriving in Key West, where there are stops at the Key Lime Pie Factory, Shipwreck Historeum and Hemingway’s home before enjoying the famous Sunset Celebration in Mallory Square. The journey concludes with a catamaran ride to the Dry Tortugas.

The Champlain Canal/Lake Champlain (2 programs) Travelling north on the Hudson River and through the Champlain Canal of New York State, the crew discovers this area’s military and industrial past amidst the beauty of the Adirondack and Green Mountains…while keeping an eye out for Champ, the legendary sea monster. Along the way there are tours of Vermont’s Shelburne and Lake Champlain Maritime museums; charter fishing; and a talk with the Captain of a Champlain ferry boat.

Big Ships: Cruising on a Grand Scale (2 programs) Luxury liner cruising is the focus of this adventure, which begins in Montreal, Canada. Ports explored include Quebec City and its historic district; Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island; Halifax, with its strong Titantic connection and the most beautiful public gardens in North America; Bar Harbor, Maine to tour Acadia National Park and also do a little lobstering; Boston for a unique “Duck” tour on the Charles River and a visit to the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world – the USS Constitution; and Newport with its famed yachting history and Gilded Age “cottages.” The ship passes the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island before docking in New York City’s harbor.

The 1000 Islands – U.S. and Canadian Ports (2 programs) The crew travels along New York’s Oswego Canal to the Port of Oswego, gateway to the 1000 Islands region. While in Oswego the crew watches tall ships do battle and tours a D-Day tug and a haunted lighthouse before journeying to Sackets Harbor, an important naval center during the War of 1812. In Kingston, Ontario the Wolfe Island Bakery, Fort Henry, and the first lock on the Rideau Canal are visited. Other stops include the renown Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, the Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg, and the magnificent Boldt Castle. Along the way the crew enjoys a traditional shore dinner, complete with Thousand Islands dressing, of course!

New York State’s Finger Lakes (2 programs) Featuring a landscape carved by ice age glaciers that left behind deep lakes, waterfalls and gorges, the Finger Lakes region is one of America’s top vacation destinations. The crew visits the craft studio of the trend-setting MacKenzie-Childs on Cayuga Lake; stops in Ithaca for tips on boating with pets, crewing and tart-making at Cornell University; visits some of the region’s picturesque parks and docks at a vineyard in this world-class wine-producing region. Also visited is the birthplace of women’s rights, Seneca Falls; Watkins Glen for racing and a tour of a salt plant; and Canadaigua for a visit to Sonnenberg Gardens. Along the way there are flying boats, grape pies to sample, and a tour boat cruise on Skaneateles Lake.

Small Ship Cruising – New England Islands (2 programs) Exploring New England Islands aboard a small cruise ship carrying only 84 passengers, the trip features the untouched natural beauty of Cuttyhunk and the popular Martha’s Vineyard including the Black Dog Tavern – that doesn’t serve liquor, the oldest carousel in America, and a shipyard building a classic wooden boat for our own Jonathan Edwards. The crew visits Nantucket to learn how Nantucket Baskets are made; Block Island with its Victorian hotels, lighthouses and Great Salt Pond; and Newport for spectacular fireworks and tours of Marble House and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The Concert at Sackets Harbor (1 program) This program is special…it’s all music and fun as Cruising America’s Waterways host Jonathan Edwards performs in an outdoor concert on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario in the 1000 Islands region of New York State.

The 13 programs comprising the second season will debut on PBS in May, 2004. Second season titles are:

The Erie Canal: Albany to Buffalo (3 programs) New York State’s Erie Canal, the world’s most successful canal, is explored. Opened in 1825, today’s canal is a recreational and historic waterway lined with cultural and scenic opportunities. Learn about the canal’s mechanical structures; travel on a hire boat; visit charming canalside communities including Lockport, Baldwinsville, Fairport, Pittsford, Waterford, and Little Falls; and tour attractions in Syracuse, Rochester, and, of course, Albany and Buffalo. The Erie is one of America’s great waterways.

Seattle and the San Juan Islands (2 programs) Join Capt. Dave and Crewmember-in-training, Mark aboard a 54-foot trawler as they explore the challenges of a ten-day cruise…everything from meal preparation to navigation, in the San Juan Island region of Washington State. In Seattle, they watch a “boat parade,” enjoy a traditionally prepared Pacific salmon dinner at Tillicum Village, and visit the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Center and Polar Sea icebreaker. After passing through Ballard Locks enroute to the beautiful San Juan Islands, they stop at Rosario Resort on Orcas Island, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, spectacular Butchart Gardens in Victoria, B.C., LaConner’s historic waterfront, and the picturesque Port Townsend.

The Mississippi River: Memphis to New Orleans (3 programs) Cruising America’s Waterways™ boards the Mississippi Queen, a classic paddlewheeler, for a seven-day cruise on the Mississippi River. From the steam engine to the steam-powered calliope, this vessel recalls the Victorian Era’s luxury travel by boat. Along the way the crew visits the National Civil Rights Museum; Elvis’ Graceland (Memphis); the National Military Park; the Army Corps. of Engineers (Vicksburg); antebellum homes; and a working cotton plantation (Natchez). There’s the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola; the beautiful gardens of Rosedown (St. Francisville); Louisiana’s Art Deco state capitol; Cajun cooking; a swamp tour (Baton Rouge); and stops at Oak Alley and Laura Plantations (Vacherie). While in New Orleans the port facilities, Lake Pontchartrain, and the Cabildo are visited. Of course, no trip to New Orleans is complete without sampling the food and music of the famed French Quarter.

The Intracoastal Waterway: Charleston to Jacksonville (2 programs) An early spring voyage on a 100-passenger ship, the Nantucket Clipper, along a section of the Intracoastal Waterway includes opportunities to visit the stellar architecture of Charleston; the second-oldest town in South Carolina, Beaufort; and the “Forest City” – Savannah. From Brunswick, Georgia there’s time to explore Jekyll Island, the winter home of many of America’s wealthiest of the Gilded Age…and St. Simons Island, whose natural beauty was studied by Audubon. St. Mary’s, Georgia is the departure point for a visit to Cumberland Island, the largest of the state’s barrier islands. The ship docks in Jacksonville, Florida, once a strategic Civil War port and now a haven for boaters and fishermen who enjoy access to salt water for deep sea fishing and fresh water via the St. Johns River, Florida’s longest navigable waterway.

BoatCamp™: Basic Training for Boaters (3 programs) These entertaining programs provide basic information for anyone who operates or travels as a guest on a recreational vessel…from yachts to personal watercraft and sailboats. The programs explore the fundamentals related to safety, the law, operation, and the language of boating. Regardless of age, enjoyable boating is tied to knowledge, experience, and attitude. Captain Marc and his young crew, with the help of members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, sailing instructors, and state certified marine educators, cover the basics in a comprehensive look at this wonderful sport.