Ron And Kathy Miller: The Perfect Retirement Gig

What began as a wonderful career-capping side job — showing visitors the stunning scenery of Lake George in upstate New York's Adirondack Mountain region aboard a classic 1971 wooden Lyman runabout — has marked 10 years in business for Ron and Kathy Miller.

"Ninety-nine percent of everything I do now is fun and exciting," says Ron, a former Navy fighter pilot, of their Love Is on Lake George Cruises. "We don't call this a boat tour, and this is definitely not a narrated scenic excursion, because we're really just going on a comfortable shoreline cruise. Customers generally chat among themselves, I might point out a few things and take them through The Narrows," he says of the most-photographed part of the lake — an island-speckled section where the 32-mile lake splits and narrows, leading to the quieter northern half of the glacial lake formed as the Ice Age receded some 10,000 years ago.

Lake George is a combination of mountain scenery, spectacularly clear water, and rich history as the setting for battle in both the Revolutionary, and French and Indian wars, and as an early American tourist destination. Cruises typically last two to three hours, plus there are weddings and transporting bridal parties and groomsmen to lakeside wedding venues.

"I've also had multiple proposals on the boat, which is really fun," Ron says. "I see them again, and they have an infant three years later."

Naturally, sunset cruises are most popular. Some want a refreshing swim, so guests are always welcome to take a dip off the transom swim platform.

The charter cruises were launched as an extension of the Love Is on Lake George-themed gift and home decor online business Kathy created in 2011, born out of her family's legacy of summers on the lake, which Kathy remembers as the place of her parents' happiest times. Without prior sales or small-business experience, she saw both a business opportunity and a chance to have some fun by connecting people with this special lake that means so much to her family.

Ron grew up boating on the West Coast, competing as a teenager in Navy Sailing Club regattas while his father served at the U.S. Naval base in San Diego, California. "My first-ever job was as a dockhand at Hotel del Coronado," he says. Ron followed in his father's footsteps to become a Navy pilot, started a family, and instinctively bought a sailboat, then a powerboat — a little Wellcraft runabout for water skiing and family fun. His military career took the family (and his boat) across the country: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia, before they finally settled in upstate New York.

The 26-foot plywood lapstrake-constructed Lyman Soft Top (with the original 225-hp Chrysler Crusader inboard engine) he owned at this point served just fine as a dayboat. "But I realized that I had to change a liability into an asset," Ron says of the epiphany. To get certified to operate as a private charter boat, the Lyman needed a makeover. "One winter we replaced the starboard hull, the next winter the port hull."

Ron says his favorite type of customers are the ones looking for a cruise down Memory Lane. Last year, a Texas woman in her 60s came to them with just a photo of herself, her father, and their dog on an island in Lake George. "She really wanted to find that island she was on when she was 6, and we found it!" Ron reports. "These islands don't change much."