Steve Gibbs, right, is pictured Thursday morning next to the Summer Wind, currently at the docks at Long Point State Park. The 130-passenger scenic cruiser was recently sold at auction and will be moved to the Rochester area where it will find new life. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

Last week was a sad day for many in the Jamestown area.

The Summer Wind was brought to Long Point State Park and, soon, will no longer call Chautauqua Lake home. It will soon be on its way to Rochester where, after renovations, it will return to life providing dinner cruises. The 130-passenger scenic cruiser has been a mainstay on Chautauqua Lake for roughly 20 years providing birthday, wedding, dinner and tour cruises.

It’s been a rough few years for the Summer Wind between wind damage in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 season and then the untimely death earlier this year of Capt. Rick Willman.

Willman and the Summer Wind provided thousands of area residents and tourists wonderful views of Chautauqua Lake. Its presence on the lake, combined with the loss of Willman, a man who turned a vision into reality, will be sorely missed by lovers of Chautauqua Lake.