Spirit of Tahoe on 1,900-mile land journey

Tahoe Cruises’ Spirit of Tahoe will wrap up its 1,900-mile journey across land from Texas when it arrives at Lake Tahoe early next week.

The 75-foot-long passenger boat can accommodate 133 people. It was purchased in Ft. Meyers, Fla., and made a 1,000-mile sea journey to Galveston, Texas, where it was refitted for Tahoe, according to the company.

The boat was then towed from Texas, arriving in Carson Valley on Wednesday, drawing considerable attention. It made the winding journey through Douglas County on Highway 395 over the Pine Nut Mountains then over to Foothill Road and south to Highway 88 where it spent the night on Thursday.

The 21-foot-wide craft has two full bars and a snack bar, and will join the company’s Safari Rose.

The Spirit of Tahoe will make its new home at Ski Run Marina where it will focus on daily public cruises.

The company said the Spirit will sport a state-of-the-art full-color 3D sonar that will be able to see even the Lake’s deepest points at 1,600 feet.

Tahoe Cruises has been taking guests out on the lake since 1979 and is currently operates the Safari Rose, which has been voted Best Cruise on the Lake four years running.

The Safari Rose has cruised out of Ski Run Marina since 2017 and is a favorite classic yacht, originally built in 1959 for the 3M corporation. The Safari Rose will continue to cruise on Lake Tahoe and will be focused on private charters and weddings.