Edelweiss to bring largest boat to Port during RNC

PORT WASHINGTON - The Harbor Lady, the largest of the Edelweiss Cruises ships, will call Port Washington home for a week next month.

The boat will be based in Port from Saturday, July 13, through Thursday, July 18, at a time when the cruise line can’t operate out of its home base of Milwaukee because the Republican National Convention will be in full swing.

Edelweiss’ home base is within the convention’s security zone.

But Milwaukee’s loss is Port’s gain, and the Port Tourism Council was able to persuade Edelweiss to move north to Port for that week.

Residents and tourists are excited by the fact they will be able to get out on the lake, with cruises aboard the boat selling out quickly, Lindsay Schwegler, Edelweiss’ director of operations, said

“The excitement around it is much more than we expected,” she said, noting two cruises have already sold out.

“Weekends are almost completely sold out and the weekdays are getting there.”

Schwegler said Edelweiss originally planned to dock Miss Wisconsin, which is described by the company on its website as a mid-sized boat that can carry 120 passengers but ultimately decided to send the larger Harbor Lady, which can carry 140 people on two levels.

That’s due in part to the fact that Port’s harbor is a little less protected than the Edelweiss’ home port in Milwaukee and Harbor Lady, being a larger vessel, can handle it better.

Harbor Lady is “a gorgeous boat,” she said. “It’s our most utilized boat for private charters.”

The vessel is often used for corporate events, wedding receptions and large family gatherings, she said.

While in Port, the ship will moor at the east end of pier four in the marina.

The arrangement has allowed the Port Tourism Council to meet its goal of attracting a cruise boat to the city.

“The No. 1 thing we hear from visitors is, ‘Is there a way to get out on the water?’” Tourism Executive Director Wayne Chrusciel said earlier this year. “The merchants tell us the same thing.

“This is going to give everybody a chance to get out on a boat and see the city from a different perspective while enjoying the water. We know there’s a demand for this.”

The boat will offer several public cruises each day as well as private tours, he said.

Schwegler said the boat will offer 1-1/2-hour public cruises at 2 and 4 p.m. while in Port, with tickets set at $32 per person.

Schwegler said the company is in talks to hold a lunchtime yoga event through Port Washington Yoga.

The boat will also be available for group tours and cruises, including lunch and dinner tours, Schwegler said.

Although the agreement to bring the boat to Port is a one-time arrangement, both Chrusciel and Schwegler said that could change depending on how things go this summer.