A boatman is a person who operates a boat for various purposes. Sailors are boatmen who navigate ships on the open seas, while CHARON is a boatman from Greek mythology who ferries souls of the dead across the river Styx. Gondoliers are boatmen who operate gondolas in Venice, Italy, while voyageurs are boatmen who transport goods and people by canoe in Canada. Barges are large boats that are operated by boatmen known as bargees, while polers are boatmen who use poles to propel their boats through shallow waters. Canoeists are boatmen who use canoes to travel on rivers and lakes.