FLOATING HOTEL MAKES FIRST CAPE PORT CALL

A number of area residents got a close-up look at the R/B River Explorer, a floating hotel and touring vessel, when it docked at the Cape Girardeau riverfront Thursday.

The 730-foot-long vessel, which was introduced to the inland waterways this year, is on its sixth major tour. The tour included a stop at Cape Girardeau while the vessel is en route to St. Louis.

From St. Louis it will head to Nashville, Tenn.

During the six-hour stopover here, Explorer crew members served as guides for a number of on-board tours.

Prior to visitors' boarding, Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III greeted the vessel's crew and passengers, welcoming them to Cape Girardeau.

Bargemaster Charles "Sonny" Freese and barge manager Shane Eschete presented the mayor with a 42-by-24-inch color rendition of a painting, "DeSoto Encounters the Mississippi." The same painting is a mural along a wall of the Explorer's interior.

The Explorer is made up of two 295-foot-long barges custom built to accommodate the floating hotel and resort. It can carry 198 passengers.

The forward barge, named for the Spanish explorer DeSoto, contains a number of lounges and showrooms , a gift shop, a library, theater and game room. The aft barge, named for the explorer LaSalle, contains 99 staterooms.

The vessel is propelled by the towboat "Miss Nari." It is the longest passenger boat on the inland waterways.

The towboat, constructed in 1950, is reconditioned. It was once damaged by fire and was in drydock for a number of years, said Reese.

Passengers on the vessel come from several parts of the country.

The cruise, which started at Cincinnati, Ohio, went down the Ohio River to Paducah, Ky., then up the Mississippi to Cape Girardeau, features nightly entertainment.

"Crew members produce many of the nightly shows," said Reese. "But occasionally we'll bring talent from a local area on board."

Featured in the theater are various types of music and comedy acts.