Finger Lakes Boating Museum to celebrate tour boat’s 100th birthday

Gillian Friebis
·2 min read

HAMMONDSPORT, N.Y. (WETM) — The Finger Lakes Boating Museum is holding a special event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of when its tour boat was built.

The community is invited to Depot Park in Hammondsport from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, for the Pat II Tour Boat’s birthday party. If there’s severe weather, the event will be held the following day. This free event will feature activities for the whole family and allow visitors to explore 100 years of Finger Lakes boating history.

(Courtesy: Finger Lakes Boating Museum) The Pat II on the St Lawrence River mid 1920s with Boldt Castle in background
(Courtesy: Finger Lakes Boating Museum) The Pat II on the St Lawrence River mid 1920s with Boldt Castle in background

Visitors can play lawn games, listen to live music by Paul Strowe, enjoy food from Timber Stone Grille and Lake Life Catering, and view a community art project that pays tribute to the Pat II. Kids can make and take crafts, and adults over the age of 21 can pay a $10 fee to taste local wines and craft beers. Non-alcoholic refreshments will be available so everyone can celebrate the Pat II’s birthday. The Hammondsport Volunteer Fire Department’s fire boat will make an appearance at the celebration, and a Penn Yan Boats-made boat that was built in 1951 will be among the boats on display.

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The Finger Lakes Boating Museum is offering 30-minute-long cruises on Keuka Lake aboard the Pat II. Passengers will hear presentations about the Pat II’s history and stories about steamboats on the Finger Lakes. Tickets for this limited-edition birthday cruise cost $30 for museum members and $34 for the public, and tickets can be purchased in advance at this link.

The Pat II is a 16-passenger tour boat that was built in Alexandria Bay in 1924. This boat originally gave tours on the St. Lawrence River to Boldt Castle before becoming a tour and mail boat on Skaneateles Lake. The Pat II sat in storage for years before it was acquired by the Finger Lakes Boating Museum in 2014. Volunteers with the museum renovated the boat, and it started giving daily summertime tours on Keuka Lake in 2021.

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