Captain, Crew and The Wilmington

The Wilmington is the first and finest state-of-the-art catamaran to serve greater Wilmington, North Carolina. A wake canceling design and stable platform make her comfortable, and as friendly to the environment as she is to our customers. Fully handicap accessible with a flexible layout allows us to provide sit-down dining for up to 35 guests or seating for 49. We offer scheduled, daily cruises from downtown ilmington to Carolina Beach, Southport and Bald Head Island. Choose from a variety of excursions including sunset cruises, full-moon cruises, historic tours and eco-tours of the upper and lower Cape Fear River. Private charters are also available.

Captain Doug Springer graduated in Marine Technology from Cape Fear Technical Institute in the early 1970’s. After working in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the waterways of South Carolina for about six years he joined the U.S. Air Force as a computer specialist and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of West Florida.  After many years in the computer industry, and his children well on their own, he returned to his love for being on the water and his friends in Wilmington with his wife Diane Upton. Lorelei, their 36’ Willard Vega, was soon put into service in the form of supporting the creation of NE Cape Fear Charters and Exploration.  After three years of running a successful charter business — a large number of returning and enthusiastic customers provided the confidence in the belief that a water-based tour company designed to serve the Cape Fear River basin at large was needed and thus Wilmington Water Tours, INC. was born.