The Charles Riverboat Company is Boston's only riverboat featuring sightseeing cruises and private charters on the Charles River. Owner and Captain Russell Cushman felt the river provided very unique scenery and history that many people have never known. Cushman wanted to bring back a classic era when cruises were offered on the Charles River. The challenge was to find a vessel with a riverboat look but able to pass under the nine low bridges in the Charles River basin. This meant a custom built boat would be needed to establish the company. The company opened in 1990 with M/V Charles I, a custom-designed turn of the century theme riverboat. The boat has Victorian appeal with lavish teak trim and long hull lines. The vessel accommodates 100 passengers and can travel up river all the way to the Watertown Dam. The trip upriver is far from standard or familiar. Many people who cruise the Charles are intrigued by it's changing scenery and unusual stories. Thescenery is filled with tree-lined banks, boathouses, sailboats, rowing shells and city skyline. The ride is uniquely informative and many find it enlightening and exceedingly relaxing. Assistant General Manager and Captain Thomas Culbertson sums it up very simply as "the best time on the planet".