The MV Teal is in Town and Ready for You!
Every spring the MV Teal takes a long, celebratory journey from the north end of Cayuga Lake to it’s home dock at the Allen H. Treman Marina, the largest inland marina in New York State. The ride south is an exciting event, as it marks the official start to Discover Cayuga Lake’s Boat Cruise season!
The MV Teal undergoes yearly maintenance and repainting on land over the winter – at the Beacon Bay Marina in the town of Cayuga at the northern tip of the lake. Just before the cruise season starts, the boat is moved to the water where the wood has to swell for 48 hours before it is ready for to ride. Crew members and staff come together to take the MV Teal’s first ride of the season to Ithaca, at the southern tip of the lake, a four-hour journey from top to bottom. There is one bridge to cross at the northern end where the crew must remove a detachable pilot’s house in order to fit underneath. The pilot house is very heavy and needs lots of hands!
Not only does the boat ride across Cayuga Lake symbolize the start of the season, it is a special time to reflect on the many trips the wooden boat has journeyed over the years.
The MV Teal was built in Harkers Island, North Carolina in 1979 and was used as a tour and fishing boat there for most of it’s life. Later, the MV Teal became a guide boat for fishing charters off the coast of Manhattan. The boat’s 43-ton wood hull, made of juniper wood planking and an oak frame, is 63-feet long and 22-feet at the beam. In the fall of 2017, Discover Cayuga Lake became the new owner of the MV Teal and the boat took a trip through the Hudson River and into the Erie Canal to get to Cayuga Lake.
All winter long, Discover Cayuga Lake staff have been busy behind the scenes scheduling programming and cruises, speakers and events. Crew members, new and returning, have been reviewing curriculum and narration about Cayuga Lake in order to provide community members with a comprehensive overview of the ecology, history and culture of the Cayuga Lake watershed and the people who live and have lived here.
At DCL, we like to say, “My boat, is your boat.” We all share the Cayuga Lake watershed together and can benefit from opportunities to learn more about it’s history and ecology, while also enjoying it’s beauty. We have many Community Access Cruises that are affordable and accessible to all. Our Sunset Cruises are a great way to admire the beauty the lake has to offer, while our Public Eco Cruises, including the Osprey Eco Cruise and the Night Sky Cruise, are great ways to learn from local experts about the lake’s aquatic and natural environments. We also have Lake Monitoring and Educational Cruises available to adults and kids that help everyone learn more about the life beneath the surface of the lake! Find out more about our Public Cruises and Eco Tours and don’t miss the opportunity to discover more about your lake today.
We can’t wait to see you on the water!