Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom and Sue Widerski.
Hi Tom and Sue, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I started our business in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while working on private yachts. We decided to go into business for ourselves and purchased a 42′ fully covered pontoon boat. It was designed to take private groups on the New River and the Intracoastal waters or to play at the “sandbar.” The pontoon is Coast Guard certified as Tom is a licensed Captain and I am a Culinary trained Chef. We combined these two careers and created Floatin’ on A Boat Charters, customizing the trip to you and bringing some Yacht quality to your adventure. Fort Lauderdale started having some water issues and we were no longer able to take people to the “sandbar,” which was our primary business at the time, so that slowed us down.
Then Covid came along, stopping even our side jobs that we had in the catering and medical field. A friend suggested we would love and do great on the Chain of Lakes in Central Florida. We found Hurricane Dockside Grill in Tavares, Florida, which we made into our home dock for picking up guests and dropping off for their water adventure. It is a win-win for us and the restaurant. We made the move and the transition has been a slow start, having to recreate our logo and earn the trust of the locals and the staff at the restaurant. We offer private groups of 6 -16 guests a great time on the water. We offer food, beverages and music while crusing on the surrounding lakes. We have a marine bathroom on board. We offer birthday celebrations, sunsets cruises, girl’s days out, small weddings, etc., your playlist ready and will customize the trip to you and your guests. It is a really fun time, not very fast-moving but most groups end up dancing, eating and having a GREAT time. It’s all about family, friends, food and fun. We are the concierges on the water.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road with many challenges. First, we had to find a place for the boat, then a place for us to live. Transporting the pontoon boat to Tavares it had to be trucked up and lifted into the water with a crane, which came with a hefty price tag. Our website, logo and all Social Media need to be changed to fit the area. Our logo had a pelican, dolphin and a manatee for Fort Lauderdale which we used the same logo but had to replace those with an Anhinga bird, an alligator and a turtle. Covid was still keeping things slow. We also had to be re-inspected by the Coast Guard because of the move. We also had to deal with the other charter boats in the area and the staff at Hurricane Dockside Grill getting used to us. Change is a hard thing for many, this worked out very well with everyone.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a 42’ supersized pontoon charter boat doing shoreline cruising the Chain of Lakes in Central Florida. We are Playlist ready, allow food beverage options and allow dancing on the cruise. We are Senior-friendly, children friendly and have a marine BATHROOM on board. We are CDC safe. We do private charters on Lake Harris and surrounding waters meaning you pick your guest and you pick your time. We do not mix you with other guests. We have menus available or we are just floatin’, boatin’ and cruisin’ on the waterways.
Captain Tom and I have been in the hospitality business for over 25 years and once you come on our boat for a cruise, by the time your trip is over, we are friends. We have both worked with quality caterers and on private yachts and bring those services to the table with us. We love what we do and have fun doing it. We make you feel special and go over and above what is needed.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
We are from Michigan and had some bad luck up there. Moving to Florida changed our lives for the better. My husband found his birth family and we have met so many great people who are now our friends. If we never moved from Michigan, CaptainTom would never have found his family after 50 years. Our business would not be what it is without the influence and encouragement of our friends.
Contact Info:
- Email: floatinonaboatcharters@gmail.com
- Website: www.floatinonaboatcharters.com
- Instagram: floatinonaboatcharters
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floatinonaboatcharters
- Other: TIKTOK floatinonaboatcharters
