Nautical NATURE replaced
MORAINE STATE PARK — They didn't know it at the time, but passengers on the Nautical Nature's Halloween cruise last October were the final tour boarders in the vessel's 25-year history.
The 37-passenger enclosed pontoon boat and Moraine State Park attraction was sold by its owner, the Moraine Preservation Fund, without one last farewell voyage around Lake Arthur.
“We never got to take any passengers out,” said Carol Bickel, a Moraine Preservation Fund member and office manager at the fund's Owlet Gift Shop at the McDanels Boat Launch, after COVID-19 curtailed all activities.
But because of COVID-19 restrictions imposed earlier this year, all park buildings are closed, including rental services, concession stands and any other money makers. This includes the Owlet gift shop and the Nautical Nature Tour run by the preservation fund.
David Murray, president of the fund's board of directors, said usually during this time of year, the gift shop would be selling items to generate money for a project — this year, the newer, bigger boat.
“On the last day of October, that Halloween cruise was the last cruise we got to take in that boat,” said Bickel.
The Nautical Nature's lake tours ran from the first week of May until the last day of October. Passengers learned about the area's natural history and osprey reintroduction, while appreciating the unique scenery and wildlife on a trip around Lake Arthur. Boat tours operated on a regular schedule throughout the summer and were open to the public.
Brunch and dinner cruises were offered to the public as well as private charters for business meetings, baby showers and parties.
Bickel said the numbers for 2018, the last year available, showed that 4,000 passengers rode the boat.
The fund made the decision to scuttle the Nautical Nature, he said, because the pontoon boat was getting old.
The fund has ordered a custom-built replacement from Sailabration Houseboats in Powell, Tenn., said Cassandra Dixon, vice president of the Moraine Preservation Fund's board.
“It's a unique two-decker that will increase the number of passengers to 50,” Dixon said. “The upper floor is completely open, making it really easy to see the ospreys and bald eagles that visit the lake.”
“What we are getting is the shell of a houseboat without the kitchen and the living room,” Murray said.
The voyage to a new excursion boat has not been a smooth one, Dixon said.
The group was fundraising for a long time to buy a new boat, she said, “and finally late last year we told them, 'Go full throttle.'”
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, Dixon said, and the group lost some funding for the new craft. Sailabration Houseboats shut down, as did some of its suppliers.
But now, things are back on track for the new Nautical Nature.
It's expected to arrive at the McDanels Boat Launch by Aug. 11.
“We're still planning the maiden voyage,” Bickel said. “It will be a members-only event.”
“By the time the boat is delivered, tested and we complete all necessary training, we do not expect to start regular public cruises until the middle of September,” Murray said. “I think the consensus is to keep the same name for the boat. It can hold 50 plus the crew — but it will be less than that because of COVID-19 restrictions — but the open upper deck leaves extra room for social distancing.”
In the meantime, the dock needs to be upgraded to accommodate the new boat.
The two vessels won't get a chance to pass like ships in the night, Bickel said. The old boat has already been sold to a buyer from Pittsburgh and has been removed from the lake.
“It made its way to its final destination (July 22),” said Dixon, noting it was necessary to sell the old pontoon boat, so the money could be put toward paying for the new one.
“It's going to a company that operates on the Allegheny River. The boat will be used to give potential clients a look at what the company does,” she said.
