Skip to main content
The iconic Columbia River Sternwheeler may take its final cruise at the end of this year—at least under its current operators.
Today, the general manager of Portland Spirit announced in a subscriber email that the business would no longer handle the vessel as of Jan. 1, 2023.
The beloved dinner and sightseeing boat is owned by the Port of Cascade Locks, not Portland Spirit, which has its own fleet that includes the namesake two-level yacht often parked in front of Salmon Street Springs, the Willamette Star and the Crystal Dolphin. The company has been in a long-term contract with the port to run tours on the Sternwheeler since 2006. However, it says the vessel now needs repowering with a new or remanufactured engine along with a remodel of the interior.
In all, those projects would cost an estimated $3 million. However, Portland Spirit says it has not been able to reach an agreement with the port that would allow it to complete the repower by 2024. Right now, that means there would be no more Portland Spirit-led cruises running through the Gorge except, perhaps, the summertime Bigfoot Adventure, which takes place on a 35-passenger jet boat.
“We have loved operating the port’s historic vessel for the past 16 years,” the letter stated. “At this point, we don’t know when the Sternwheeler will operate again in the future. In the meantime, we will invest in our Portland-based experiences and all our wonderful employees in Cascade Locks will be offered employment in Portland.”
Meanwhile, the Port Commission is considering its next steps—and that does not include moving the vessel and operating it elsewhere.
“The Sternwheeler has been a community asset in the region, especially in Cascade Locks,” Olga Kaganova, general manager for the port, tells WW. “Multiple options are under consideration. It does need a repower and work.”
The port says negotiations to date lack agreement on major terms, and it plans to send the next and final iteration of the agreement to Portland Spirit as soon as it is finalized. But ultimately, the commission wants Cascade Locks to know it remains invested there and nothing is off the table at this point, whether that means the port potentially takes over the Sternwheeler or enters an agreement with a different private company.
“What is the best outcome for the community?” Kaganova adds. “That’s the focus of the commission.”
Your last chance to ride the Sternwheeler through the Gorge with Portland Spirit is Oct. 30. Following the repositioning cruise—a one-way trip from Cascade Locks to Portland on Nov. 5—the paddle wheel boat will have limited local operations through Dec. 31.