The Volunteer Princess Cruise letter

Fall/Winter 2007
October-December 

The staff and crew of the Volunteer Princess endured the heat and snow of the crazy Knoxville, TN weather with a variety of memorable events in the comfort of our air - conditioned and heated yacht.  We continued our tradition of having the best events on the water with some unforgettable events.

• Morrison Health Care kicked off the month of October with a pre-game tailgating party, which must have brought the Vols some luck as they crushed the Georgia Bulldogs. We can't wait to have you guys back next October for the Alabama game.
• Our next cruise brought some of the Corporate Managers and Chefs from the newly opened restaurant Ruth's Chris down to the Princess to enjoy a night of luxury. The dinner was highlighted by a standing ovation from the chefs at Ruth's Chris for our fabulous chef aboard the Princess, Chef Holly Hambright.
• Next was our excursion down the river with the developers and prospective future property owners of Lowe's Ferry. I'm sure they impressed their clients as they showed them Knoxville from a side that most don't get to see from, the water.
• October 13th rolled around as we wished Becky Hudson a happy birthday with a surprise party hosted by Dr. William Salmons.
• When the South Carolina football team came to town to take on the Vols, with them came the South Carolina Alumni for a party held the night before the game. The Alumni sure had a fun time and they did their best to cheer on their Gamecocks, but sadly that wasn't enough to take down the mighty Volunteers.
• The next day brought the beautiful ladies from Chi Omega Sorority down to the yacht for a pre-game tailgate party before the UT vs. SC game. I know I enjoyed teaching the lovely ladies how to drive the boat.
• Shortly after the Chi Omega girls departed for the game, our next group began arriving to celebrate with Lisa & David Jones as they were celebrating their wedding anniversary with a party thrown for them by David's sister, Melinda Gathers.
• November started off with a bang. People flew in from all over the country just for this event as we welcomed Golden Girl Betty White to Knoxville and the Volunteer Princess. Betty was in town for two charitable cruises hosted by Joy to the World Collectibles and Morris Animal Foundation. Betty White was the most delightful and down to earth person. She played Captain both nights as she navigated the Princess between the buoys. She finished her Captaining off with a trip down to the engine room (which is a very tight space with only 4 feet of head room) where Captain Chris explained to her how the engines worked. The entire staff from Joy to the World was a delight to work with as I got to spend the three days leading up to the event with them decorating the yacht with Christmas spirit.

A special thanks goes out to our corporate groups who sailed with us for their second event:

• Ludeka, Graham, and Neely Law Firm
• Southland GMAC
• Morrison Health Care

We thank our many corporate groups who sailed with us this fall and winter including:

• Patriot Investment
• Morgan Stanley
• Decosimo
• PAETEC
• Braxton Bragg
• Innovative Pathology
• Smith Detection
• Innovative Design
• Anderson County Office of the Trustees

During this period we also featured several public events on board:

• We had our first wine tasting event as guests enjoyed some fine wines and heavy hors D'oeuvre while we cruised past the bright lights of downtown Knoxville's riverfront.
• Brunch cruises and Dinner cruises continued to take place with great times had by all.
• New Year's Eve was also a hit as guests brought in the New Year.