PEORIA, Ill. – An Illinois River treasure for 30 years, the tourist boat City of Peoria, slid away into the night unnoticed. It was the paddle-wheeler’s last Peoria departure. The owner, Yacht Starship Dining Cruises, wanted no fanfare. An email message to employees after the 4 a.m. departure told them their jobs were gone. It was a do-not-reply message. Onboard was a minimal crew. The boat had been purchased by Yacht Starship, a Florida company, for $1 million after the Peoria City Council declined its right to buy the boat from long-time owner Alex Grieves. Contacted by reporters after the vessel departed, Grieves said the new owners were relocating the City of Peoria to LaCrosse on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin. Undoubtedly the boat will be renamed, he said. The boat was headed downstream 165 miles on the Illinois River to the confluence with the Mississippi near St. Louis, Missouri, and then 395 miles up the Mississippi to LaCrosse for refitting.
Quietly into the night. The 160-foot City of Peoria can accommoidate 385 guests. It weighs 275,000 pounds with a four-foot draft. Two diesel engines, originally in railroad locomotives, power the paddles – no propellers or thrusters. It is usual in modern river craft in that the paddles are functional, not cosmetic. Top speed: 15 mph. It was built in 1988 and replaced the Julia Belle Swain as a Peoria-based tour boat. The Julia Belle went to LaCrosse in 1994 with hundreds of well-wishers in a celebratory send-off from Peoria.
Yacht Starship profile
The new owner of the City of Peoria, Yacht Starship Dining Cruises, is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Upscale evening cruises are from Tampa and Clearwater at $80 with evening dinner, DJs, dancing, and open bars.
Tampa Bay cruises.
Gulf Side cruises from Clearwater.