Susisun City Riverboat almost ready to roll

Riverboat almost ready to roll
By Brian Hamlin/ BHamlin@TheReporter.com
Posted: 12/13/2009

The days of rollin' on the river are over for the venerable Spirit of Sacramento riverboat but, as the soon-to-be rechristened Lady of Suisun, the colorful vessel soon should be steamin' down the slough in Solano County.

The 100-foot riverboat, reminiscent of the old paddlewheelers that plied their trade on the Mississippi River in the 19th century, has been berthed along the Suisun City waterfront since August while being refitted for local excursions.

The boat looks like a piece of the past at first glance, but it isn't really as old as it appears. The vessel was built on the East Coast in 1967, originally named Becky Thatcher (Tom Sawyer's girlfriend in the Mark Twain novel), and came west through the Panama Canal in the late 1990s.

Renamed the Spirit of Sacramento, it operated as a party boat from Old Sacramento for a half-dozen years before developer Frank Andrews and his wife, Helen, brought it to the historic Suisun City waterfront, where it's likely to become another facet of the city's ongoing Main Street renaissance.

Although the 42-year-old riverboat has a huge, bright red stern paddlewheel, it's just there for show. The vessel actually is powered by a pair of modern 300-horsepower diesel engines.

With three decks -- and a full bar conveniently located on each deck -- the riverboat can accommodate 344 passengers for everything from gourmet dinners to wine tastings, corporate events to weddings, according to Michele Villarreal, director of events for North Bay Yacht Charters.

"We're probably going to start out with some private parties, corporate functions, and then work into brunches and dinner cruises," she explained.

Once the Lady of Suisun is ready to sail, she'll make three-hour cruises from the waterfront down the Suisun Slough to Hunter Cut at Joice Island and back.

The company plans to have renovations complete within three weeks and start hosting private events by the end of January and brunches by spring.

Villarreal hopes the riverboat will become an important part of the community, the site of wine tastings, special events as well as playing a role in seasonal waterfront festivities.

"There is a very talented and diverse arts community in Suisun City and Suisun Valley and I want to be able to show all of our local talent here," Villarreal explained.

The Lady of Suisun crew includes Capt. Nicholas Shield and project manager/first mate Michael Duffy.

Helen Andrews, vice-president of the venture, said more crew members will be sought next month during a job fair at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo.

For information about upcoming Lady of Suisun events, call 426-0100.