The Premier Party Cruises Captain Roster
Meet Premier's four Lake Travis captains: all TPWD-licensed, all CPR-certified, 7-year average tenure, ~25 combined years on Lake Travis, 0 reportable incidents across 150,000+ guests.
Premier Party Cruises is run, day to day, by four captains. All four hold current TPWD (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) commercial captain licenses, all four are American Heart CPR-certified, and the average tenure on staff is seven years. Combined, they have roughly 25 years on Lake Travis specifically — which is the only number that matters when the wind shifts at 4 PM on a summer Saturday.
Captain Marcus — Clever Girl
Captain Marcus runs Clever Girl, the 75-guest flagship of the Premier fleet. He has been with Premier since 2014 — the longest tenure on the roster.
Credentials: TPWD commercial captain license (current), American Heart CPR certification, and a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential. Marcus is the only captain on staff who carries the USCG MMC, which is why Clever Girl — the largest boat — is his.
Specialty: big-group bachelorette weekends, combined bach trips, and corporate offsites of 40+ guests. Marcus is also the captain known for the on-water dance-floor briefing — the safety walk-through every Clever Girl charter gets before the music goes up. Guests reference it in reviews more than the playlist.
Captain Diane — The Irony
Captain Diane runs The Irony, our 25–30 guest mid-size boat. She has been with Premier since 2017.
Credentials: TPWD commercial captain license (current), American Heart CPR certification.
Specialty: vow renewals and 25th-anniversary parties. Diane schedules charter timing around Lake Travis sunset for the photo — when a couple books an anniversary on The Irony, departure time is calculated backward from NOAA sunset data so the ceremony lands at golden hour.
Captain Wes — Meeseeks
Captain Wes runs Meeseeks, our 25-guest boat. He has been with Premier since 2018.
Credentials: TPWD commercial captain license (current), American Heart CPR certification.
Specialty: bachelor and bachelorette weekends and family reunions. Wes is also the captain Premier sends when a summer thunderstorm rolls in — he stays calmest under pressure, which on Lake Travis in July is a meaningful credential.
Captain Riley — Day Tripper
Captain Riley runs Day Tripper, our 14-guest boat. She has been with Premier since 2019.
Credentials: TPWD commercial captain license (current), American Heart CPR certification.
Specialty: executive board offsites, anniversary dinners on the small boat, and surprise proposals. Day Tripper is the most-booked proposal boat in the fleet, and Riley coordinates the photographer hand-off and the timing on the captain side.
How Premier captains are different
Every Premier captain holds a current TPWD commercial captain license and an American Heart CPR certification. Captain Marcus also holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential for the largest boat in the fleet.
Average tenure across the four captains is seven years. Combined, they have roughly 25 years on Lake Travis — not boating in general, Lake Travis specifically. That matters because Lake Travis cove geography, wind patterns, and summer-storm behavior are local knowledge that does not transfer cleanly from other lakes.
Premier's safety record across all four captains: 15+ years in operation, 150,000+ guests, zero reportable incidents. Every life-jacket size is on every boat regardless of who is booked. The captain's safety briefing happens before every charter, not just the ones where someone asks.
Frequently asked questions
Are Premier's captains licensed?
Yes. All four Premier captains hold current TPWD (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) commercial captain licenses. Captain Marcus also holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential for Clever Girl, our 75-guest flagship.
What credentials do they hold?
TPWD commercial captain license (all four), American Heart CPR certification (all four), and a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential (Captain Marcus). Licenses and certifications are kept current; copies are available on request for corporate procurement teams.
How long has each captain been with Premier?
Captain Marcus since 2014, Captain Diane since 2017, Captain Wes since 2018, Captain Riley since 2019. Average tenure across the four is seven years.
Who runs which boat?
Captain Marcus runs Clever Girl (75 guests). Captain Diane runs The Irony (25–30 guests). Captain Wes runs Meeseeks (25 guests). Captain Riley runs Day Tripper (14 guests).
Is the captain included in the price?
Yes. Every Premier base rate (Day Tripper $200/hr, Meeseeks/Irony $225/hr, Clever Girl $250/hr) includes the captain. The 20% gratuity added at checkout goes to the captain and crew.
Can we request a specific captain?
Yes — note the captain by name in your booking request and we will match if their schedule allows. Most requests are honored; a small number get reassigned because the requested captain is already booked that day on a different boat.
What if a captain is sick?
Premier maintains a backup-captain rotation so a sick or last-minute-out captain never cancels a charter. Every backup captain holds the same TPWD license and CPR certification as the primary roster. We have not weather-or-health canceled a charter for captain availability in 15+ years of operation.