Cruise ship Clelia II arrives

Article Photos

HOUGHTON - The Clelia II completed a successful visit to Houghton Thursday.

The luxury cruise ship, carrying about 75 passengers, arrived around 11 a.m. The ship is making one-week tours of the Great Lakes between Toronto to Duluth, Minn.

About an hour and a half later, passengers began disembarking for trips to the Quincy Mine Hoist and the Keweenaw National Historical Park in Calumet.

Bill Saul of St. Paul, Minn., was on the cruise with his wife, Martha.

Saul, who summers in Duluth, has made previous visits to the Upper Peninsula, including Houghton.

"It's a lovely little town," he said. "And it should be an interesting day."

Jane Rawley, of Putney, Vt., said she was looking forward to seeing the hoist.

"I've had a ball," she said. "It's been quite an experience."

A steady stream of onlookers came to gawk at the Clelia II, which is 290-feet long and has a beam of 50 feet.

Several crew members stood on the deck after the ship docked to wave to pedestrians below.

The ship, which set off from Toronto, departed at 7 p.m. Other stops on the tour include Niagara Falls, the Soo Locks and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Because the ship left from Canada, Houghton officials had to take special security precautions, including a checkpoint with fencing and concrete barriers.

U.S. Coast Guard officers from Duluth supervised the port operations.

Houghton Police Cpl. Nick Roberts said the day went smoothly.

"The passengers on the boat had an excellent time ... we're awaiting the arrival of the next one on Sunday morning," he said.

Roberts asked people to respect the security checkpoints.

The Clelia II has 11 more scheduled visits to Houghton between Sunday and Sept. 13.

Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com.

Member Comments

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JustAnotherYooper
07-03-09 12:20 PM »Report Abuse	Sorry, couldnt find the spell check? SENSE!!!
JustAnotherYooper
07-03-09 12:19 PM »Report Abuse	h t t p ://w w w. greatlakescruising. c o m/clelia/
JustAnotherYooper
07-03-09 12:18 PM »Report Abuse	Totally awesome! Even though we have been having a horrible summer it still gives a sence of adventure. Just in case anyone is wondering here is the link, I have not seen it on any of the gazette articles. ***********greatlakescruising****/clelia/

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