All Wilmingtonians have grown accustomed to seeing the Henrietta floating lazily along the Cape Fear River over the past fifteen years. Docked at the foot of dock street, it had become a landmark of the city, a signature attraction. It has hosted many passengers as they dinned on buffets, enjoyed on board entertainment, or simply relaxed on the deck to take in the beautiful water way.
However, the Henrietta’s time on the Cape Fear River has come to an end. Cape Fear River Boats, the company that has been operating the Henrietta since 2000, has recently sold the 3-story vessel to Pleasure Boat Cruises Corporation, a company based out of Fort Meyers, Florida.
While sad to see the iconic river boat leaving the Cape Fear shoreline, Cape Fear River Boats has been working hard on creating new attractions for the Wilmington community. The Barge Grille, a floating structure that can be accessed from the Wilmington boardwalk, now has a new and improved bar along with an entirely new grill. These two new additions will create a scenic place for visitors to relax with a cold beer and tender burger while gazing out across the river with a perfect view of the battleship.
In addition to the new and improved barge, Cape Fear River Boats has also purchased a new tour vessel that will be docking on the barge. Recently named Jacob’s Run after the tunnels that run under historic downtown Wilmington, the vessel, as can be seen in the above picture, will make a fine addition to the Wilmington waterways. It is a 48-passenger tour boat that will be joining the already operational Capt. Maffit as they provide hour long scenic sight seeing tours that run up and down the Cape Fear River. These sight include not only the downtown water front, but also an exciting view of the port and how Wilmington has become such a successful port city.
For more information on Cape Fear River Boats and what they have to offer this season, check out their website here. You don’t have to be a tourist to enjoy what your home-town river front has to offer.
-Lane, Austin, Allen
IMC Hawks Blog 
I knew that the Henrietta would be saying good-bye to Wilmington, but I did not know that it was going to be replaced by a passenger tour boat, which I think is kind of cool. Oddly enough, I never had the opportunity to go to the Heneritta, but I was sad when I learned that it was heading its way to Florida. I wonder how successful the new tour boat it is going to be for the Wilmington area in place of Henrietta… I guess we will have to wait and find out!