For decades, the Portofino was more than a boat. She was a floating celebration, a moving dining room, a dance floor under the stars, and, for many Downriver residents, the backdrop to milestone moments that still live on in photographs and memories.
Now, the familiar double-deck vessel that once departed from Wyandotte’s Portofino restaurant has embarked on a new journey, leaving the Detroit River behind and heading home to Miami, completing the storied Great Loop via the Mississippi River.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Robert Mason, who captained the Portofino for years. “But it brings me great pleasure that Portofino will continue her tours in Miami.”
The Portofino tour boat was owned and operated by Portofino restaurant for nearly 30 years. When the beloved Wyandotte eatery closed in 2023 and was sold the following year, the boat itself was not included in the sale. For almost two years, the 90-foot vessel sat in storage, spending her most recent summer docked quietly in Gibraltar, her future uncertain.
Purchased in 2016 to run alongside the restaurant’s original vessel, the Friendship, the Portofino quickly became the flagship of the operation and the most recognizable symbol of the business, even appearing in the restaurant’s logo. When the Friendship was sold in 2018, Portofino carried on alone, cementing her place in local history.
From the moment she began cruising Downriver waters, the Portofino developed a reputation for accessibility and atmosphere.
“The boat ride was a good value for the money,” Mason said. “That came from rock-bottom operating costs. The vessel was stored year-round onsite, so there were no dockage or winter storage fees, and the food was prepared on-site, unlike competitors who had food delivered.”
Those efficiencies allowed the Portofino to offer competitive on-water experiences, from Sunday brunch cruises along the Wyandotte and LaSalle, Ontario shorelines to lively evening cruises to Detroit featuring live entertainment and dancing on the upper deck.
“How most of the passengers were in good moods, that’s what I remember most vividly,” Mason said of his first season captaining the vessel. “The boat ride seemed to be a getaway from their normal lives. Like a stroll through the park.”
The Portofino could accommodate 149 passengers and featured formal dining on the lower deck, with a bar and dance floor on the upper deck. Over the years, it hosted countless birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, corporate events, and family gatherings, many of which became annual traditions.
Some of Mason’s most meaningful memories came from quieter, more reflective outings.
“I especially enjoyed the senior cruises to Amherstburg and Boblo Island shorelines,” he said. “It was nice to see the seniors reminisce about their past visits to the former Boblo Island amusement park or Duffy’s Tavern in Amherstburg, known for their famous all-you-can-eat fried perch dinners.”
At the same time, younger crowds gravitated toward the energy of nighttime Detroit cruises.
“The younger passengers enjoyed the evening cruises to Detroit – with live entertainment and dancing on the upper deck,” Mason said.
The Portofino herself had already lived an adventurous life before arriving in Wyandotte. Built in the late 1990s by Skipperliner Industries in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the vessel originally traveled nearly 3,000 miles from Miami to Wyandotte, navigating the East Coast and passing through the Erie Canal.
Mason did not pilot that initial journey, which was handled by a marine transport crew. But watching the vessel now complete the Great Loop back to Miami is deeply meaningful.
“Some felt Portofino was ready for the graveyard after sitting in storage for two years,” Mason said. “I’m proud to see the old girl strut her stuff.”
In Miami, the Portofino will resume her life as a tour boat, working alongside her sister ship, the Lady Marie. The company that purchased Portofino already operates a vessel with the same hull, pairing two boats from the same era and manufacturer.
While Downriver residents may no longer spot her cruising the Detroit River, Mason hopes the memories linger.
“That she brought a lot of happiness to many people Downriver and the metropolitan Detroit area,” he said. “Birthday parties, marriages, senior cruises, and many other events.”
For those who dined, danced, toasted, and celebrated aboard her decks, the Portofino will always be part of the river’s story: a reminder of summer evenings, milestone moments, and the simple joy of watching familiar shorelines drift past.
