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Cincinnati.Com: Visitor's Guide Tall Stacks Boats Tall Stacks 2003 Belle of Louisville. (Cincinnati Enquirer/Michael E. Keating) Anson Northrup Home Port: Minneapolis, Minnesota Built: 1988, Jennings, Louisiana Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 250 Riverboat Race, Themed Cruises and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruise: 250 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 228 Length: 93 Feet Levels: 2 enclosed decks with outside deck space on both Captain(s): Captain Justin Anderson, Captain Jim Kosmo In its fourth appearance at Tall Stacks the Anson Northrup is a side-wheel riverboat from Minneapolis Minnesota. The Anson Northrup is 93 feet longs and features 2 enclosed decks, with outside deck space on both. This contemporary take on the classic steamboat was computer built and made specifically for the Minneapolis harbor. Belle of Louisville Home Port: Louisville, Kentucky Built: 1914, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 650 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruise: 500 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 324 Length: 200 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Kevin Mullen The Belle of Louisville is a National Historic Landmark as the last of the Mississippi River-style Steamboats. Rising from it's daily functional past ferrying day passengers, delivering freight and livestock the Belle of Louisville has become one of America's most beautiful passenger vessels. During WWII the Belle of Louisville had a brief military career towing oil barges up and down the Mississippi River to aid the war effort. Formerly known as the Avalon The Belle of Louisville operated in the Cincinnati harbor before being purchased by Jefferson County, Kentucky in April of 1963 at auction. 2003 marks her fortieth anniversary of that grand re-opening in Louisville. Celebration Belle Home Port: Moline, Illinois Built: 1986, Pensacola, Florida Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 800 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 800 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 650 Length: 190 Feet Levels: 3 enclosed decks with outside deck space on the 3rd deck Captain(s): Captain Joe Schadler, Captain Scott Schadler The Celebration Belle is the largest luxury excursion boat on the upper Mississippi River. She will participate this year in the Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks. She offers a total capacity of 800 and a 650 for lunch and dinner cruises. Chattanooga Starr Home Port: Chattanooga, Tennessee Built: 1982, Chattanooga, Tennessee Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 145 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 100 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 60 Length: 65 Feet Levels: 2 decks (first deck is enclosed and 2nd deck is open air with a canopy for protection) Captain(s): Captain Pete Hosemann, Captain Mike Hosemann The Chattanooga Star will make its first appearance at Tall Stacks 2003. For ten months out of the year, the Chattanooga Star travels the nations rivers hosting school groups on her decks and educating children about our nation's waterways. The Chattanooga Star can be found floating along the Mississippi, Tennessee, the Ohio or the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. The Chattanooga Starr's captains Pete and Mike Hosemann want to foster a broader understanding of one of our country most precious resources our rivers. In 2003, the Chattanooga Star anticipates hosting close to 20,000 children helping them gain a greater understanding of our rivers today. This authentic side-wheeler features two decks one open and one enclosed. In 2003, the Chattanooga Star anticipates that it will reach close to 20,000 children helping them gain a greater understanding of our rivers today. Colonel Home Port: Galveston, Texas Built: 1985, Escatawpa, Mississippi Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 770 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 700 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 400 Length: 152 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed with outside deck space and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Sister Joy Manthey, Captain Joe Murello The Colonel cruises year-round out of Moody Gardens at her homeport in Galveston, Texas. This spectacular Victorian paddle-wheeler features imported carpeting and draperies, brass appointments and hardwood dance floors. Her historical displays and elegant design allow passengers to absorb a little of the past while enjoying climate-controlled comfort and beautiful sights. The Colonel will travel the farthest from home, over 1,700 miles, to join in the fun and pageantry of Tall Stacks. Creole Queen Home Port: New Orleans, Louisiana Built: 1983, Moss Point, Mississippi Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises and Themed Cruises: 800 Riverboat Race Cruise and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruise: 760 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 470 Length: 190 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed with outside deck space and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Al Christian, Captain Bert Suarez, Captain Brian Collins The Creole Queen is a true "floating palace" with her elegant Victorian décor and climate controlled dining rooms, and is completely handicap accessible on all levels. She is an authentic sternwheeler, powered by a 24-foot diameter paddlewheel and the most modern, fuel-efficient GE diesel-electric system ever installed in a boat of this class. This combination of luxury and comfort makes a cruise aboard the Creole Queen an experience not to be missed. The Creole Queen will be making her Third appearance in Cincinnati for Tall Stacks 2003. Delta Queen Home Port:Cincinnati, Ohio New Orleans, Louisiana Built: 1926, Glasgow, Scotland Passenger Capacity- Overnight Packages: 180 Length: 285 Feet Levels: 4 decks Captain(s): To be announced The steamer Delta Queen has called Cincinnati "home port" since her 1947 arrival. Built in 1926, the Delta Queen first cruised California's Sacramento River. During World War II she was used as a Yard Ferry Boat to transport military personnel between ocean vessels and naval hospitals. The Delta Queen was purchased in 1946 to operate as a passenger boat. She was extensively remodeled and re-outfitted in Pittsburgh. Since 1948 the Delta Queen has sailed the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers as the only authentic, fully restored, overnight steamboat in the world. She is one of the last truly authentic riverboats, and is so much a part of America's heritage that she is a designated National Historic Landmark. The Delta Queen, along with her sister steamer the Mississippi Queen, have been designated as a flagship of Tall Stacks 2003 and will sail a Tall Stacks flag during her 2003 cruising season. General Jackson Home Port: Nashville, Tennessee Built: 1985, Jeffersonville, Indiana Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: NA Riverboat Race and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 1100 (Parade Only) Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 800 w/ meal & an add'l 300 show only Length: 274 Feet Levels: 4 levels (3 completely enclosed and 1 partially enclosed) Captain(s): Captain Paul Stinson Making its first Tall Stacks appearance in 2003, the General Jackson provides a unique opportunity for Tall Stacks patrons. Each cruise experience lasts just over 3 hours and offers two seating options for a buffet meal and two performances of a 40-minute Opryland-style show featuring Tim Watson and his band Black Creek. Based at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, the General Jackson is known as "the grandest showboat of them all" because of her large, ornate Victorian Theater on the main deck. The General Jackson will be cruising three times each day of the Tall Stacks event-a morning cruise, an afternoon cruise and an evening cruise. The entertainment and buffet are presented in the authentic Victorian Theater that seats approximately 400 per seating. While the show and buffet are happening in the theater, additional live entertainment will be offered on the other decks of the boat. During Tall Stacks, the General Jackson will be presenting a high-energy musical performance featuring Tim Watson and Black Creek. This 40-minute live stage show features Cajun, Gospel, Bluegrass, and Old Country music and mixes in a good bit of Southern humor. Harriet Bishop Home Port: Saint Paul, Minnesota Built: 1987, Utica, Indiana Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 350 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 300 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 264 Length: 98 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed decks with outside space on 2nd deck and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Gus Gaspardo, Captain Steve Bowell The Harriet Bishop was named for Minnesota's first schoolteacher. She was purchased and christened just prior to coming to Tall Stacks 1995. She operates out of Harriet Island Minnesota. The Harriet Bishop features 3 decks for prime entertainment. She can accommodate 264 passengers for lunch and dinner cruises. Spirit of Jefferson Home Port: Louisville, Kentucky Built: 1963, Dubuque, Iowa Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 250 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 200 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 150 Length: 118 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed decks with outside space on 2nd deck and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Mark Doty The Spirit of Jefferson has all the charm of an old-time riverboat, but with many attractive modern day touches. Built in 1963, the "Spirit" features two enclosed dining decks and one full open deck. She is owned by Jefferson County, Kentucky, who also own the historic Belle of Louisville. She comes with the same guarantee of quality and service that you have come to expect from the "Belle", both the Belle of Louisville and the Spirit of Jefferson. Spirit of Cincinnati Home Port: Cincinnati, Ohio Built: 1967, Ottawa, Illinois Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 140 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 120 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: Not Available Length: 77 Feet Levels: 2 decks (1 enclosed and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Robert Nolan The Spirit of Cincinnati is owned and operated by Queen City Riverboats located just up river from downtown Cincinnati on the Kentucky side. Originally named the Belle of the Lakes, she was designed as a one-deck open-air sightseeing boat. In 1983 a complete cabin superstructure, including the addition of a second deck, was built. The Spirit of Cincinnati regularly operates passenger cruises past one the most beautiful city skylines in the country. River Queen Home Port: Covington, Kentucky Built: 1986, Chattanooga, Tennessee Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 350 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 300 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 250 Length: 136 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed with outside deck space and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Charles "Whitey" Jones, Captain Ben Bernstein, Kerry Snowden The River Queen delights the most discriminating passengers with comfortable seating and her romantic riverboat-era charm. This ornamental side-wheeler offers 3 decks for the ultimate dinning experience with two decks that are enclosed and one that is open air. The River Queen is returning for a fifth appearance at Tall Stacks, having been one of the 16 original boats in 1988. This boat is operated by BB Riverboats, Inc. PA Denny Home Port: Charleston, West Virginia Built: 1930, Charleston, West Virginia Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 150 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 120 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 80 Length: 109 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Frank Straub West Virginia's most famous authentic sternwheeler was christened the Scott in 1930 and proudly served the U.S. Corps of Engineers in Louisville for 24 years. When Charleston river man Pete Denny bought the boat, he led it to a surprise victory in the 1974 Stern-wheel Regatta Race in Charleston. His death in 1975 prompted a longtime friend Captain Lawson Hamilton to buy the boat and name it the P.A. Denny. This authentic sternwheeler has traveled the nation's waterways and participated in the World's Fair in New Orleans in the early 1980s. Mississippi Queen Home Port: Minneapolis, Minnesota Built: 1976, Jeffersonville, Indiana Passenger Capacity- Overnight packages: 436 Length: 382 Feet Levels: 7decks Captain(s): To be announced The majestic Mississippi Queen was inspired by Mark Twain's famous quote: "Someday, they'll build the biggest steamboat the world has ever known; and she'll be long, white and gleaming in the sunshine…And that one shall be the Queen of the Mississippi." Commissioned in 1976, London designer, James Gardner, the renowned naval architect responsible for Cunard's QE II, modeled her after traditional Mississippi River steamboat design. Jeffboats, Inc. in Jeffersonville, Indiana constructed her seven sparkling white decks, golden-piped calliope and giant red paddlewheel. The Mississippi Queen is available at Tall Stacks 2003 only for a three-night cruise. Please contact AAA Cincinnati at (513) 762-3390 for details about the Mississippi Queen's Tall Stacks 2003 cruise. Majestic Home Port: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Built: 1987, Pensacola, Florida Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 900 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 750 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 650 Length: 277 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Brian Krug The Majestic is the flagship of Pittsburgh's Gateway Clipper Fleet, which is celebrating over 40 years of magic on the water. This 1,000 passenger (Coast Guard) capacity vessel is exquisitely decorated and beautifully appointed with oak and brass. The Majestic, dubbed the pride of Pittsburgh's waterways and which almost spans the length of a football field, is actually a tug and barge combination skillfully integrated to give the appearance of a grand side-wheeler. Keystone Belle Home Port: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Built: 1983, Cincinnati, Ohio Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 300 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 250 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: 200 Length: 80 Feet Levels: 3 decks (2 enclosed and 1 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Brian Krug, Captain Ken Moring Gliding gracefully across the river, the Keystone Belle sets the standard for hospitality and sumptuous food. She currently plies the three rivers of Pittsburgh. Built in Cincinnati by Tucker Marine, the Keystone Belle was completed in 1983 and has appeared at Tall Stacks as the Queen of Hearts in 1992 and 1995. She has three charming decks accented with brass and lace and can accommodate 300 passengers for harbor cruises. Island Queen Home Port: Memphis, Tennessee Built: 1984, Memphis, Tennessee Passenger Capacity- Harbor Cruises: 390 Riverboat Race, Themed Harbor and Parade of Tall Stacks Cruises: 300 Lunch and Dinner Cruises: Not Available Length: 85 Feet Levels: 3 decks (1 enclosed and 2 open-air) Captain(s): Captain Dale Lozier The Island Queen is making her fifth appearance at Tall Stacks. This Ornamental Sternwheeler was named after Cincinnati's own Island Queen that operated cruises to Coney Island in the 1940's. The Island Queen hails from Memphis and was launched primarily to handle business to and from Mud Island, a popular Memphis riverfront attraction.