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This Great Lakes Boat Blog is presented by Manistee Harbor Tours, operator of the Princess of Manistee. Book your cruise at www.manisteeharbortours.com.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LAKE MICHIGAN — The Princess of Manistee returned to its summer home on the Manistee River Saturday afternoon following a winter at Lake Street Marina in Ludington. I had the pleasure of joining the crew on the shakedown cruise.
Though the morning started with rain and a slight breeze, by the time we departed the dock at 1:35 p.m., skies were mostly overcast, but the seas were fairly calm throughout the trek. We left the Ludington pier heads at 1:50 p.m. and arrived at the Manistee pier heads at 3:12 p.m. We would have made better time, but we made a stop at Big Sable Point for a quick photo session.
The Princess is a 65-foot former Mackinac Island ferry boat operated by Manistee Harbor Tours, which is owned by Capt. Albert “Wally” Laaksonen.
Capt. Wally operates the helm while son Gus operates the music.
The season will officially kick off next weekend, with tours offered Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17. The following week, tours will be offered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until June 18, when Thursdays will be added. The schedule will increase to seven days a week beginning June 28 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. The season will then be reduced to weekends through the end of September.
During peak season, the boat offers three cruises a day. Check the website for daily departures.
The boat, which can accommodate 148 passengers, is docked at 428 River St. along the Manistee River. Most cruises take place along the Lake Michigan shoreline, but the vessel will venture onto Manistee Lake at times in the case of stronger seas on the Big Lake. Cruises on Lake Michigan often travel either north to Portage Lake or south to Big Point Sable.
Ace keeps an eye on the boat.
For Laaksonen, the boat is a labor of love and a dedication to his late father, Capt. Al Laaksonen, who died in December 2024 at age 86.
Known as “The Finlander,” Capt. Al Laaksonen was a pioneer in Lake Michigan sport fishing. He began charter fishing on his boat, The Finlander, out of Ludington in 1975, 11 years after king salmon were planted in Lake Michigan by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Following a 32-year career as director of off-campus life at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Al and his wife, Roberta, retired full time to Ludington.
“In 2019, my dad, at the age of 80, decided he wanted to operate a tour boat out of Ludington or Manistee,” Wally Laaksonen said. “That’s when we purchased the Princess.”
A couple waves as the Princess departs the Ludington channel.
The boat was built in 1973 by DeFoe Shipbuilding Co. of Bay City for Straits Transit Inc. It is 65 feet, 7 inches long; 20 feet, 5 inches wide; and has a depth of 7 feet, 3 inches. It operates with two Detroit Diesel engines rated at 895 horsepower and is capable of reaching 19 knots, or 21 mph.
Originally christened the Island Princess, it operated as a Mackinac Island ferry between the island and Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. The Princess was then owned by Arnold Transit, the oldest Mackinac Island ferry service, which began in 1878.
It later operated as a tour boat at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, both along Lake Superior.
Old Glory waves in the breeze while entering the Manistee channel.
Wally and Al acquired the boat in 2019 and initially operated it in 2020 — during the COVID-19 pandemic — as the Princess of Ludington, based in Ludington. Due to a lack of dockage, the operation moved in 2021 to Manistee and the name was changed to the Princess of Manistee.
Last year, my family and I took a sunset cruise on the Princess. It was one of the highlights of our summer, and we plan to go back a few times this year. The boat offers beverages for all ages and a variety of snacks. The dedicated crew goes above and beyond to make sure passengers are not only safe and comfortable, but also entertained.
“Our crew is great,” Laaksonen said. “They really enjoy interacting with the passengers and being part of this operation. They have a lot of pride in what they do.”
The 148-passenger vessel was named Emerging Business of the Year by the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce in 2022.
The Princess is also available for charters.
For more information about Manistee Harbor Tours, visit www.manisteeharbortours.com
Big Sable Point Lighthouse
Entering the Manistee River.
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