“Oh Captain, my Captain” wrote Walt Whitman in a poem having nothing to do with seafaring. Today, however, we look for a captain for an inland vessel: the John Craig.
Craig, the original ferry operator at Valley View, received his charter to operate from Virginia Governor Patrick Henry. Today, the ferry crossing the Kentucky River bears his name as it carries 350 vehicles daily between Fayette/Jessamine and Madison Counties.
Two captains have steered the vessel across the docile Kentucky, but one of the captains is retiring. Since January, the Valley View Ferry Authority has looked for a local, qualified replacement to no avail.
As a result, the ferry will be forced to stop weekend service and reduce weekday hours. This is a blow to this historic Kentucky institution – the oldest continually operating enterprise in the Commonwealth.
If you know of a qualified cap’n, let them know about this job opening!
(h/t: H-L)
UPDATE: Valley View Ferry Authority has hired a new captain to replace the retiring one. Once training is complete, normal operating hours for the Valley View Ferry will resume. [Jessamine Journal]