By URIAH KISER
OCCOQUAN, Va. — Millions of drivers each year cross the Occoquan River on Interstate 95’s Purple Heart Bridge in Woodbridge.
If you’re one of them, maybe next time you should look down at the river below. OK, maybe you should keep your eyes on the road. But unbeknownst to many, the waters below that link to Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay are bustling with activity.
Capt. Mark Perry pilots Miss Rivershore, a pontoon charter boat that ferries passengers on an hour-long roundtrip boat ride from the Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton and from the river walk in the Town of Occoquan. He’s been the captain of this boat for the past eight years, and working as a concessionaire with the town for the last three years, offering an affordable opportunity to see the river.
“It amazing how the people of Prince William County have no idea that we control about 20 miles of beautiful waterfront property,” said Perry.
Property is something he knows about – Perry is a real estate broker by day and on his tour likes to rattle off the values of properties nestled along the river. Many homes here cost $1 million or more, as living near navigable waters helps increase a property’s value, said Perry.
Perry’s father brought him and his family to live in Triangle in 1961, and Perry’s never left the area. With years of local knowledge under his belt, when Miss Rivershore glides underneath bridges high above the river that carry U.S. 1 and rail traffic up and down the east coast, Perry reminds riders of 1972’s Hurricane Agnes. The storm impacted the entire region, but on the Occoquan it knocked loose a sand barge that drifted downstream and collided with the bridge, causing the structure to collapse. Remarkably, no one was injured, he said.
Perry runs charters for all kinds of reasons, from fishing, swim parties, to taxiing revelers to the nearby Tim’s Rivershore restaurant in Dumfries. He leaves from Occoquan every Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays noon until dark, charging $10 for adults, $5 for children, and gives free rides to those under four-years-old.
“My business is going to grow because it’s an affordable way to enjoy the river, seeing all these people on the river in their bikinis and their bathing suits doesn’t hurt, but I really enjoy my job immensely,” said Perry.
