Finger Lakes Boating Museum is hosting a special event on Saturday, May 18, to celebrate 100 years of the Pat II Tour Boat. Friends and neighbors from across the region are invited to a day of fun from noon to 4 p.m. at Depot Park in Hammondsport, NY. In the case of severe weather, the event will be rescheduled for Sunday, May 19.
There is much to enjoy for enthusiasts of all sorts. On display will be beautifully restored boats representing nearly 100 years of Finger Lakes boat building history, including a recently acquired 1951 Penn Yan Boats-built President that has not yet been on display. Those who love a great outdoor picnic can enjoy food from Timber Stone Grill and Lake Life Catering along with lawn games and music by Paul Strowe along the shore of Keuka Lake. Family-friendly fun includes free make-and-take kids crafts, a Pat II tribute community art project, and an appearance by the Hammondsport Volunteer Fire Department fire boat. Adults 21 and over can indulge in tastings of local wines and craft beers with a donation to the Museum of $10, plus a variety of non-alcoholic refreshments will be available to ensure everyone can join in the toast and rechristening to the venerable Pat II’s 100th year.
For one day only, guests can reserve a spot on a 30-minute cruise aboard The Pat II hosted by special guest presenters including Sarah Wiles, formerly of Midlakes Navigation in Skaneateles where The Pat II ferried guests on lunch tours and the daily mail boat run from the 1960s to the 1990s. Historian Don Quant will regale tour passengers with stories of steamboats on Keuka and the Finger Lakes. And museum founder and volunteer Chief Boatwright Ed Wightman will give a unique talk about the thousands of volunteer hours and attention to detail that brought the boat back to life this century. Tickets for The Pat II special birthday cruises are $30.
The Pat II is a one-of-a-kind 16 passenger tour vessel that was built in Alexandria Bay in 1924 and started life on the St. Lawrence River as a tour boat to Boldt Castle. Then, for many years, she was a tour and mail boat on Skaneateles Lake. After years off the water and sitting in storage, dedicated FLBM volunteers renovated The Pat II starting in 2014. The Museum launched her again in 2021 and offers daily cruises starting Memorial Day weekend through October from Depot Park in Hammondsport. The Pat II is available to charter and the museum will host specialty tours throughout her 100th Birthday season.
The Finger Lakes Boating Museum was founded in 1997 to preserve, promote, and celebrate Finger Lakes boating heritage. Since 2014, the Museum has been located on Pleasant Valley Road in Hammondsport, NY, on the former Taylor Wine Company campus and has the largest collection of Finger Lakes area produced boats on display in the world and one of the largest off-water, year-round exhibitions of historical boats in the nation.
For information, visit http://www.flbm.org or call 607-569-2222.
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