Sunday, August 13, 2000

RiverCity Charter piloting a steady course

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Fine-tuning operation has dramatically increased revenue

By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

        Like any good river pilot, Anne Kappen knows that a successful voyage involves setting a destination, charting a course and avoiding potential obstacles.

Capt. Anne Kappen is the driving force behind the success of RiverCity Charter. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        Ms. Kappen has applied that same process to navigating the waters of small business enterprise. Six years ago, she received a commercial river pilot's license and turned her family's houseboat into a cruise vessel. Her ability to keep a steady hand on the helm while enjoying the voyage has meant smooth sailing for RiverCity Charter.

        “For me, it's my whole life, it's who I am,” Ms. Kappen said. “I grew up in the Western Hills area, and our family had boats since I was 10.”

        Ms. Kappen's mother, Mary Kay, got the family into boating and bought the family's first craft. Her husband was a workaholic who used the time aboard to relax. From lock to dock, it was Mrs. Kappen and her children who handled the cruiser.

        Ms. Kappen developed a career in management consulting, but when she wasn't on the river, she missed it terribly. And when she took time away from business to go boating, she felt guilty.

        The logical solution was to make a business out of pleasure.

        “For years I'd wanted to become a licensed commercial (river) pilot,” she said.

        Taking the plunge in 1993, she found a local captain who allowed her to pilot his excursion tow boat. After several months' practice with a large-wheeled vessel, Ms. Kappen apprenticed at the high-tech helm of the Star of Cincinnati.

        When she had completed the required 365 days at the helm and had spent hours in study, Ms. Kappen took the all-day exam and earned her U.S. Merchant Marine 100-ton master's license. She then bought the 40-foot Kap'n Klan from her mother and began offering river cruises. Mary Kay Kappen became her daughter's first mate.

Anne Kappen decorated the interior of the boat herself. | ZOOM |

        “Because the boat is fiberglass and has a gasoline engine, we're limited to six passengers, according to federal rules,” Ms. Kappen explained. “A lot of people have asked if we can stretch that a little, but we run legitimate or we don't run.”

        The new pilot found that other cruise boats the size of her river yacht were strictly for fishing trips. She decided to market her business around the intimacy and flexibility she could offer guests.

        In five years, Ms. Kappen has developed a range of cruise options, from a 2 1/2-hour riverfront excursion to overnight trips of one to three days. Ms. Kappen works with each client to chart the destination, stops, pace and focus of the trip. Her cruising universe extends upriver to Maysville, Ky., and downriver to Louisville.

        Ken and Jeanne Bloemer of Fairfield planned a cruise up the Licking River as a Father's Day treat for Mrs. Bloemer's dad.

        Through the telephone book, Mr. Bloemer found RiverCity Charter. It suited the size of their party and the size of their budget. During the cruise, both captain and first mate lavished attention on the featured dad, even presenting him with greeting cards.

        “My dad was king for a day,” said Mrs. Bloemer. “He said it was one of the best days of his life.”

        Although Ms. Kappen knows every inch of the river, she has made several course corrections to steer her business into a swifter current.

        One change was the name. At first, the Kappens simply operated as Kap'n Klan, the name of their boat. They then realized that the name meant nothing to people outside their family. So when mother and daughter refurbished the craft two years ago, they also changed the company's name to RiverCity Charter.

        “The name better reflected what we do,” Ms. Kappen explained.

        It was also an available Web address, so RiverCity Charter went online at the same time that the new name was painted prominently on either side of the boat.

        The Web site hooked Brent Gillman, who searched the Internet for a river-related way of proposing to his fiance.

        “I figured there must be someone out there who did this kind of thing,” said the Bellevue, Ky., resident. “I wanted something private, not a boat full of people. Anne was great to work with; I designed the evening, and she took it from there.”

        Ms. Kappen docked the boat at a riverside restaurant, where Mr. Gillman and his unsuspecting girlfriend were supposedly meeting friends. Once aboard, Mr. Gillman presented her with flowers, dinner and a ring.

        Ms. Kappen also changed from charging a flat rate to a tiered rate structure. Cruise prices now depend on the number of people, making the trips more affordable for small parties such as Mr. Gillman's.

        The results of her fine-tuning have paid off. Within the first month of operation this spring, Ms. Kappen's business was double that of the previous spring. July 2000 bookings were triple, and revenues four times those of July 1999.

        But Ms. Kappen, like any good river pilot, will tell you that the pleasure's in the cruise as well as in reaching the destination.

        “We're happy that we can share the river with people,” she said.
       

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