Richard Burchell, a semi-retired real estate broker, is a man of many interests and talents, including steamboats. One of his summer pleasures is to take friends on trips around Sunset Lake on his 23-foot 6-inch craft, the River Queen.

Now, steamboating is not for everyone, and especially not for those folks who love screaming noisily round a lake on Jet Skis or a high-powered motor boat at 45 mph, and who thrill at sending a wake crashing into the shore. This slower mode of river and lake transit belongs to another, calmer age when minds were charmed by hydrostatic lubricators, the hiss from brass steam valves, pressure gauges and the capacity to reach 61⁄2 knots when the boiler's fully ablaze.

"It was gentleman's hobby stretching from the 1800s to around 1926," according to Burchell. Then there was a gap of a few decades to allow for economic crashes and wars, after which steamboating was again in favor, albeit in a more minor way.

The hull of the River Queen was built in 1954. The boat was designed by architect Lowell Patch and is an adaptation of a 36-foot Whitney design.

"It was cobbled together," said Burchell, noting that the engine belonged to an earlier time. It was built in the small town of Bernardston, Mass., and was launched on the Connecticut River.

An early owner was a man called Vinny Callahan who, during a race, tied down the pressure relief valve and managed to blow up the boiler, according to Burchell. The steamboat was later owned by Tim Freese of Pittsfield. Burchell bought it about six years ago.

"I am easily the least-talented person to own it," said Burchell — a modest claim for someone who has yet to blow up the replacement boiler.

If expert advice is needed, though, Burchell can consult with one of the best: Louis Francesco who has a steamboat on Squam Lake.

It takes about 20 minutes of feeding the furnace, located below the water boiler, with small blocks of pine to create enough steam pressure to reverse the River Queen out of the dock. The needle on the brass gauge has to hit 40, at which stage Burchell switches over to feeding in hardwood off-cuts from a wicker basket for a hotter burn. A happy cruising speed is achieved when the needle lies between 60 and 90, with wisps of pale, blue smoke coming out of the stack and white clouds of water vapor streaming from a valve somewhere over the side of the boat.

Every now and then, to interrupt the rhythmic click of pistons and rods and waves slapping the prow, Skipper Burchell will give the nod and whoever is sitting in the bow will reach up and pull several times on a line which sends the unique blast of a steam whistle echoing all over the lake. Children at camps along the shoreline of Sunset Lake laugh and wave back at the passing boat.

People with an interest in steamboats or just a well-honed sense of nostalgia for bygone days will be converging on Moultonborough this weekend and next for the 37th annual North American Steamboat Association Rally at Lee's Mills.

According to Burchell, who will be taking the River Queen, there are typically 50 steamboats of various designs that come from all over the United States to take part in the parades on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Lee's Mills is a secluded cove and can be tricky to find. From either Route 25 or 109 in Moultonborough, follow signs to the Loon Center. Continue past the Loon Center down to the end of the road to arrive at the Lee's Mills dock on Lake Winnipesaukee.

For more information on the rally, contact Dave Thompson at 603-476-2224.

From the Citizen - 9/10/09