Safety & Accessibility
Wendella’s Commitment to Safety and Security is Second to None in the Passenger Vessel Industry
AWARDS
PVA Outstanding Service Award (2004)
PVA Roger Murphy National Marine Safety Award
- Diana Jones, Deckhand on the Chicago Water Taxi Alpha, for rescuing three individuals from the Chicago River on two separate incidents in the same day (2003)
- Captain Michael McElroy for developing training and safety protocols for CO2 systems on vessels (2012)
- Captain Michael Borgstrom for 40 years of work devoted to marine safety (2018)
USCG Captain David Dobbins Award for Excellence in Search and Rescue (2016)
The crew of Wendella: Captain Joshua Rubin, Senior Deckhands Kendall Jackson and Matt McLean, Deckhands Aristotle Herrera and Dontanyon Martin, and Tour Guide Jack Palumbo for the rescue of person in the water at the Michigan Ave. Bridge
SCG Letter of Appreciation (2011)
- Captain Ragna Russo and Deckhand David Blackford for the rescue of a drowning woman near the Roosevelt Rd. Bridge
- Captain Cory Brooks, Engineer Marcus Davis, Engineer Jessica Herum and Deckhand Eric Mackey for assisting in fighting a vessel fire near the Michigan Ave. Bridge
USCG Meritorious Service Award (2012)
Captain Michael McElroy for implementing a comprehensive training program that improved emergency response readiness which resulted in Wendella crews saving 12 lives in 2011
USCG Public Service Commendation (2017)
Captain Michael Borgstrom for work as founder (2013) and first President (2014 to 2017) of the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee
CHICAGO HARBOR SAFETY COMMITTEE (Member Since 2013)
Captain Michael Borgstrom
- Founder (2013)
- Member (2013-present)
- First Elected President (2014 to 2017)
PASSENGER VESSEL ASSOCIATION (PVA) (Member Since 1987)
Board of Directors
- Captain Michael Borgstrom (2004-2011); President (2008)
Legislative Committee
- Andrew Sargis (2015-present); Chairman 2018
Safety and Security Committee
- Captain Michael Borgstrom (2000-2016); Chairman 2003-2004
- Captain Michael McElroy (2013-present);
U.S. COAST GUARD Industry Training Program
- Lt. Eric Christensen (1998); Retired as Captain in 2015
- Lt. John Ramos (2016); Now Chief of Waterways Management at MSU Chicago
Inspector Training Academy at Yorktown, VA (Training Participant)
- Captain Michael Borgstrom (2006-2010)
- Captain Michael McElroy (2013-present)
USCG/PVA Quality Partnership
- Captain Michael Borgstrom (2006-2011, 2016-present)
- Captain Michael McElroy (2015-present)
OTHER
- Advisory Committee for Connecting Cook County 2040 Long-range Transportation Plan: Captain Michael Borgstrom (2015-2016)
- Founding member of the Chicago Trident Initiative: Captain Michael Borgstrom (2011)
- Great Rivers Chicago Leadership Commission: Captain Michael Borgstrom (2015-2017)
- Great Rivers Chicago Implementation Committee; Captain Michael Borgstrom (2017-present)
- Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Energy Council: Andrew Sargis (2012)
- Sector Lake Michigan Southern Tip of Lake Michigan Area Maritime Security Committee (STLM AMSC): Captain Michael Borgstrom; Co-Chairman (2013-2016)
- The Great Lakes Commission Advisory Committee for Envisioning a Chicago Area Waterway System for the 21st Century: Captain Michael Borgstrom (2010-present)
ADA Compliance
Chicago Water Taxi has select routes that are ADA accessible and are subject to availability. Individuals with disabilities may request a reasonable modification of Chicago Water Taxi operations and schedule in order to accommodate a disability. Chicago Water Taxi asks that requests be made in advance of planned travel by submitting an email request to taxi@wendellaboats.com. To inquire about ADA accessibility or schedule a pickup from our accessible locations please contact us at 312-337-1446 or taxi@wendellaboats.com