About Us
About the Company
Portland Spirit’s mission is to provide excellence in river dining. All of our vessels are beautifully appointed, temperature-controlled and offer extensive beverage options.
The Portland Spirit offices, Caruthers Landing Dock and maintenance facilities are located just upstream (south) of OMSI (The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and Nara NW.
Our Story
In March of 1994, AWI chartered the M/V Star Dancer, a 150-foot, 540-passenger vessel, from Pacific Marine of Hawaii and renamed the vessel the Spirit of Portland. Against all odds, the Star Dancer sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Portland, traveling at a brisk top speed of 8 knots and taking more than a month to reach its final destination. The boat was quickly remodeled and pressed into service in early May, 1994. The first year of operation for the Spirit of Portland was exceptionally difficult and the company struggled to meet payroll.
On January 1, 1995, Dan Yates and his Uncle Wayne Kingsley purchased the company, made payroll and changed the name of the vessel to Portland Spirit. AWI’s goal was to become the first dinner boat company in the nation to give each party a private table and freshly prepared food on board. Sounds simple, but in 1995 it was revolutionary and extremely difficult to do. Word spread throughout the riverboat industry and now many companies throughout the world use this model.
AWI is a local family and employee-owned company. Many of our employees have been with AWI for several years and about ten are owners of the company.
Company Timeline
- 1996 — AWI had the M/Y Willamette Star, a 75-foot, 149-passenger yacht, custom-built in La Crosse, WI by Skipperliner Industries. The Star was trucked out and assembled in Boardman, Oregon. The Star was designed to offer our clients more booking options and to provide small groups the opportunity to host exclusive events.
- 1997 — AWI participated in the purchase of eight acres of downtown Portland waterfront at 110 SE Caruthers Street. Located a block south of OMSI, Caruthers Landing is home to the Caruthers Landing Dock (primarily used for private events), a maintenance facility and office.
- 1998 — AWI completely remodeled all passenger areas of the Portland Spirit. The $750,000 remodel added 40 seats and renewed the interior. In December 1998, AWI purchased the Crystal Dolphin, an 84-foot, 140-passenger yacht. In November 1999, the Crystal Dolphin underwent a $250,000 remodel that completely upgraded all passenger spaces and the galley.
- 2000 — AWI built more than 300 feet of dock at our SE Caruthers Street location. The dock provides 800 amps of electrical power, sewage pump-out, potable water, fuel and computer hookups.
- 2003 — AWI cut the Willamette Star in half and extended her by 18 feet. The extension increased her seating from 65 to over 100. The Star was also completely remodeled during the extension project.
- 2004 — The Portland Spirit was repowered with new, environmentally friendly engines and generators. In the Spring of 2004, the Explorer Jetboat (previously named the Outrageous) was purchased from Lake Mead Cruises and started operations. AWI obtained the rights to Cinnamon Bear.
- 2005 — Cinnamon Bear officially returned to Portland with the launch of our first Cinnamon Bear cruise. Cinnamon Bear captured the hearts of children for more than 80 years, and in its first year aboard the Portland Spirit, more than 3,000 people cruised to Maybeland.
- 2006 — AWI entered into a long-term contract to operate the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler out of Cascade Locks. Since 2007, AWI has invested more than 1.5 million dollars into the Cascade Locks operation.
- 2007 — After two successful years of producing the Cinnamon Bear cruises, we published our first children’s book, “The Cinnamon Bear in the Adventure of the Silver Star.”
- 2015 — The interior décor of the Portland Spirit was refreshed and interior stairwell to the Columbia Deck was rebuilt.
- 2019 — AWI launches the Bigfoot Adventure Cruise in partnership with Cliff Barackman (featured on Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot) on the Explorer Jetboat.
- 2022 — The galley (kitchen) of the Portland Spirit was completely gutted and brand new kitchen equipment and flooring were installed. AWI also launched a new state-of-the-art GPS-triggered narration system on the Portland Spirit with an app that allows you to listen to the narration inside the boat with headphones.
- 2023 — The Portland Spirit and Willamette Star had new carpet installed. AWI launches 7 Wonders of the Gorge on the Explorer Jetboat to run in conjunction with the Bigfoot Adventure Cruise.
- 2024 — Portland Spirit celebrates 30 years with “Best of Portland” cruises and gives 100% of the ticket proceeds to local charities.