[Capt Mike]

Jim, and all, the Delta Queen can be, and will be completely operated by electric, shore power. We did it for many years in many layups; Provided that there was enough amperage and proper shore supply lines were in place. One great challenge is to get approval from the fore-mention agencies to feed power to a vessel, with admittedly, at best, antiquated structural wiring. That being said, it depends on how much the new operator wants to invest on updating the control panels and the wiring that will be required to not only serve the new increased electrical loads, to comply with both local, state and federal regulations. I would defer these extremely technical questions to my best friend,and, in my opinion, the best Chief Engineer who ever walked upon a steamboat, Dennis Shenk. But, There in lies the biggest challenge facing the "shoreside corralling" of the Delta Queen. Her expiring COI (we should never let that go!) will relegate her to an area of legal ambiguity that will be extremely expensive to wade through. Please don't get me wrong, but survival of the Delta Queen depends on not just sentiment but upon realistic, up to date legal procedure, to insure full compliance, in advance with every legal entity. Our responsibility now, as true devotees of the Delta Queen, and as those of us whom she has blessed us, and allowed us the priviledge of walking or of have served on her decks, to be focused and to ensure that our interest, and commitment doesn't fade with time.
In closing, I have to relay a recent, moving experience I have had. While driving back to Florida from a recent visit with my wife Myras' family in Louisina (Myra was the former Chief Purser of the Delta Queen) I passed a car that had a "Save the Delta Queen" bumper sticker on it. I honked the horn, slowed down, waved, and recognized a couple whom had cruised the Delta Queen several times. The looked confused, a bit worried, so I waved a final time, blew them a kiss and went on ahead; they obviously did not recognize me at highway speed! None the less, my next few hours on the highway heading home were focused in my mind about home, and the Delta Queen. The ulitimate fate of the Delta Queen is not yet settled, it, as everything in life remains up to US!