Preston's Pearl brings in formidable crowd for 1st tour season
With a rider capacity of about 50 people, Preston's Pearl made a splash at Moraine State Park when it launched into Lake Arthur in May.
The double-decker pontoon boat that replaced Moraine Preservation Fund's old vessel, Nautical Nature, has been giving weekend tours throughout the summer to widespread popularity. The nonprofit will continue offering regular tours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons until its tour season ends Oct. 30.
“It has been a busy season for us,” said David Murray, president of the Moraine Preservation Fund. “We are definitely running at higher capacities. A lot of the cruises are filling up, we are finding.”
According to Murray, tour attendance this season has been about on par with 2018, which was one of the Nautical Nature's most successful seasons.
However, COVID-19 seems to have affected attendance at least slightly, and Murray said the lack of school tours has brought total attendance down a bit.
But Moraine State Park manager Dustin Drew said earlier this month that the new tour boat has drawn visitors to the park.
“There's definitely a lot of people coming out to the parks for the boat tours,” he said.
Additionally, the board members of the Moraine Preservation Fund have used the upgraded boat to update some aspects of its old Nautical Nature tours. Murray said even people who had ridden Nautical Nature will get new information — and new views — from Preston's Pearl.
The boat's captains are trained volunteers, and the boat has a first mate who provides narration of the tours and a monitor, a new addition to Preston's Pearl, who assist people on the upper deck.
“We have taken the opportunity to update some of our narration,” Murray said. “The nice thing is now the person is using a microphone to broadcast to the whole boat and top deck.”
Regular weekend tours are at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and take about a half-hour to circle its lake route. The Moraine Preservation Fund also hosts periodical educational tours and dinner cruises on specific dates. People can also charter Preston's Pearl for private events, which Murray said has been popular as well due to the boat's upper deck.
Tickets are available at $15 per adults on Moraine Preservation Fund's website under the “Boat Tours and Cruises” tab.
“We have been hearing great comments about the tours,” Murray said. “We're really excited to continue the season.”
