East Lyme - The 102-year-old railroad bridge that spans the Niantic River has had its share of problems, but charter fishermen said nothing compares with this past week.

Since Sunday, Nov. 1, the railroad bridge was stuck down, making it impossible for boats to come and go from port. Early Sunday morning, contractors for Amtrak, which owns and maintains the bridge, finished long-awaited repairs.

"We've had numerous breakdowns, but it's always been repaired within 48 hours," said Greg Dubrule, captain of Black Hawk II, based north of the Niantic River Bridge. "You might have had to spend a night out in the bay to baby-sit the boat, but nope, it's never been like this."

Dubrule said he and other captains likely lost tens of thousands of dollars through lost business, expenses associated with docking at a new location, or a combination of both.

"And one way or another, we're going to get paid," said Dubrule, who said he intends to itemize his losses and send them to Amtrak. He is not alone: stranded captains all along the river said they plan to petition Amtrak to recoup the money they lost.

The bridge broke last Sunday afternoon, just as boats were beginning to return to port, when a chain that hoists the bridge up for boat traffic snapped, causing the platform to free fall back down. No one was injured and rail service was only temporarily delayed.

"We were the last boat under before it fell," said Mary-Lou Devine, whose family owns the Mijoy. "We were just thankful to be at our own dock, that our crew could go home. We lost the weekend, but we didn't have to worry about where we were going to keep an 85-foot boat for a week."

Sunbeam Fleet, which owns four boats, said that it lost almost all its business with three of its boats stuck at port and another left in the bay. They shuttled customers out to the stranded Sunbeam Express, but most customers didn't even know the charter fleet was operating last week, said one employee.

Charter fishermen say their business drops off substantially after early November, when cold weather deters potential customers.

"This was a real kick in the teeth, because this past week was gorgeous, this was a gift from God," Dubrule said.

Adding to the fishermen's frustration is what they called a lack of communication from Amtrak. No one got calls that the bridge had reopened; instead the news spread quickly between crews eager to get back to work.

In a press release, Amtrak apologized "for any inconvenience" and said that it plans to award a contract to replace the bridge by the end of the year.