OUTDOOR DINING AT THE SHORE

Then 

L to R: Captain Lance Chambeau III, Lindsay Chambeau, Mrs. Christina Chambeau, Heather Minor, & Captain Lance Chambeau Jr.

In 1972, Lance & Mary Chambeau purchased the Toms River Boat Works Marina at the foot of Robbins Parkway. It was originally a wooden boat building shop with two marine railways. They eventually got involved with the buying and selling of used power boats. The Chambeaus sold the Boat Works in November 1987 after owning it for 15 years. They continued in boat sales or as Lance phrased and branded it “Fine Experienced Yachts”. It was on the delivery of one of those yachts that Lance went to be with the Lord at the age of 45 after being overcome by CO (Carbon Monoxide) poisoning.

Following Lance's death, his son, Lance Jr., lost interest in the boat sales business as it was something they did together. While looking through some files, Lance Jr came upon some blueprint type drawings of a riverboat along with some rough income and expense projections, and it caught his interest. Although he couldn't recall talking with his father about such ideas, he found it intriguing. After discussing it with his mother, they set out looking for a riverboat to start a new business. Lance Jr. looked at several used vessels from Wisconsin to South Padre Island, Texas but none of them were maintained well enough so he called the company that his father had gotten the information from – Freeport Shipbuilding out of Freeport, Florida. Lance Jr. went to see a boat they had just completed that was in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and it was beautiful!

The Chambeaus hired them to build the riverboat that was to be called River Lady. Lance Jr. originally thought of calling her Proud Mary after the Credence Clearwater Revival song but since his mother’s name is Mary, she wouldn’t go along with that. She came up with the name River Lady. River Lady arrived on the Toms River on Father’s Day 1989. This day had some significance since it was his late father’s idea. Lance Jr., his indefatigable wife, Christina, and their family ran River Lady from the day it was built through the summer of 2023.

Now

Captain Doug Cascio took over operation of River Lady in 2024 and now manages it with his wife Caitlin, and mother, Barbara. 

Barbara originally started as a crew member in 2003 and brought Doug on as a dishwasher 5 years later. Due to the potential Doug showed as an industrious young teen, Captain Lance mentored him, and later encouraged and sponsored Doug's captain's license when he turned 19 years old.

Caitlin grew up sailing the Toms River at one of the local yacht clubs on the river and eventually started as a crew member in 2015. Her experience on boats, joyful demeanor, and go-getter attitude was immediately evident, and she became a vital member of the crew.

After years of working together, Caitlin and Doug's relationship deepened, and they were married in 2026. Between the 3 of them, and their combined over 50 years experience on the vessel, they cover all aspects of the business: Captain Doug as Owner/Operator,  Caitlin as Operations Manager, and Barbara as Office Manager.

The Cascios are pleased to follow the Chambeaus legacy of owning a 5-star rated, reputable vessel for everyone to enjoy.