Kelly Craighead - CLIA February-March 2020 Newsletter

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 NEWSLETTER
In Memoriam
Charles A. Robertson, Chairman and CEO of American Cruise Lines,
Pearl Seas Cruises, and Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
Charles A. Robertson passed away Sunday, 9 February, at
the age of 72, following a courageous battle with cancer.
He leaves behind his wife, Carol Ann, all three sons, a
granddaughter and two sisters.
Charlie was a valued member of CLIA for many years,
always working hard to propel the cruise industry forward,
most recently through his service on the Global Executive
Committee (GEC) and Global Board of Directors. He was an
exemplary innovator in ship design, including the river cruise
market, as well as the cruise industry as a whole. His passing
is a loss for our industry, and his legacy will continue to shape
the experiences of countless lives, both on and offshore.
Charlie founded ACL in 1991, having been in the maritime
industry since the mid-1970s as a ship builder. He held a
U.S. Coast Guard Master and Unlimited First-Class Pilots
License, and over the years occasionally captained ACL’s
ships himself.
In addition to leading the growth of his cruise lines
and shipbuilding operation, he also found time to sail
internationally—competing and winning events including the
Newport Bermuda Race, the Queen’s Cup, and the National
Championship in the Atlantic Class on his series of sailboats
that he named Cannonball.
He was known as an innovator in small cruise ship design,
particularly “modern” riverboats on the Mississippi. As
chairman and CEO of ACL, Chesapeake Shipbuilding and
Pearl Seas Cruises, a small luxury oceangoing line, he was
one of the pioneers of river cruising in the United States and
helped put American river and coastal cruising on the map
for many U.S. consumers.
“My father was a visionary and pioneer of the cruise
industry,” said Charles B. Robertson, who has been
appointed CEO of American Cruise Lines, succeeding his
father. “It is an honor to lead the organization he created,”
Robertson said. “My brothers (Carter and Clark) and I
have followed in his footsteps and will remember him as a
tremendous leader, mentor and father.”
American Cruise Lines offers more than 35 river and coastal
cruises in New England, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the
Mississippi River system and the Southeast. The company’s
ships accommodate 100-200 passengers, and are built,
crewed and registered in the USA.
Funeral services were held on 22 February in Old Saybrook,
Conn. In lieu of flowers, the Robertson family asks that you
please consider a contribution to MD Anderson Children’s
Cancer Hospital.
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