Willamette Queen is back in the water

The Willamette Queen is back in the water — but don’t rush to make a dinner or lunch reservations, as the boat won’t be open for business for at least another two weeks.

Following a six-week, dry-dock inspection process, the sternwheeler was placed back into the water late Monday evening.

Barbara and Richard Chesbrough, owners of the boat, say they’re happy to have it back in the Willamette River.

“The Coast Guard will come tomorrow and conduct their official inspection to make sure there aren’t any cracks or leaks,” Barbara Chesbrough said. “And then we have a number of other cosmetic repairs to make before we want to reopen.”

Barbara Chesbrough said she expects the sternwheeler will be open for business by June 1.

“You know, it’s been a bit of a process,” she said. “We want to make sure it’s done right when we open up again, that there are absolutely no problems.”

While there’s a list of cosmetic and structural repairs to complete before reopening, the overall look and function of the boat aren’t the couple’s only concerns.

According to the Coast Guard, Richard Chesbrough voluntarily turned over his operational license in February following several misconduct and negligence charges filed against him by the agency in 2011 and 2012.

As a result of the charges, Richard Chesbrough’s license is suspended until the end of June, but Barbara Chesbrough says that won’t keep him from operating the boat.

“Oh, he’ll be operating it,” she said. “We just have to have a licensed captain on the boat at all times.”

Barbara Chesbrough said her husband plans to renew his license and return to his position as captain following the suspension.

The couple plan to repaint most of the boat, as well as have it fumigated and professionally cleaned.

“We want to make sure that anything that needed to be repaired or replaced has been taken care of,” Barbara Chesbrough said.

According to the city of Salem, the boat ramp at Wallace Marine Park is set to remain closed until 1 p.m. Wednesday for maintenance and cleanup following the inspection and relaunch of the Willamette Queen. The city will also be installing boarding floats at the boat ramp during that time.

Email aroemeling@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6884 or follow on Twitter @alisharoemeling