Recreational boating on Fort Wayne’s rivers is increasing and the replica canal vessel Sweet Breeze is back for another season, adding to the traffic by launching its tours of the St. Marys, St. Joseph and Maumee.
Eden Lamb, outdoor recreation coordinator for Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, said the boat’s event cruises are doubled for 2023. The parks department added seven more, including a wine-tasting tour and a river ecology tour. Those complement the weekend tours, the Thursday tours that begin June 1 and the private rentals.
“We sold out all our specialty tours last year,” Lamb said. “We do well with ticket sales.”
The growing enthusiasm for boating in Fort Wayne comes from the city’s focus on the confluence – the point where the St. Marys and St. Joseph rivers meet to become the Maumee – as part of downtown development, Lamb said.
“I think more people are coming back to the river,” Lamb said. “We feel there’s a need – and a desire – for people to get out on the rivers in Fort Wayne.”
Marty Benson, Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman, said the increasing river traffic is evident simply because of the growing business for passenger boats like Sweet Breeze and for canoe and kayak rentals. However, no one makes an official count of boaters, including ones who set out on their own.
The area of St. Marys in downtown Fort Wayne and near Promenade Park has seen the biggest increase in recreational users, mostly kayak and canoe paddlers, Benson said. Rentals in the area have likely contributed to that.
Cara Hall, co-owner of Fort Wayne Outfitters & Bike Depot with her husband, Tim Hall, said they’re renting about 10 times more boats than when they opened in 2007.
“When we started in that spot, people thought we were crazy,” she said. “It’s not like it is today.”
The first year, they rented out 80 to 120 canoes and kayaks to customers a month. Last year, they rented 1,000 to 1,300 a month, she said.
The growth started slowly but increased significantly after Promenade Park opened across the river in 2019. Then coronavirus restrictions the next year brought more interest because kayaking and canoeing are socially distant activities.
“The mindset has changed around here,” Hall said.
Fort Wayne isn’t the only place experiencing this interest. Hall said and her husband recently opened Fort Wayne Outfitters at Steady Eddy’s in Leo.
“I feel like kayaking in general has increased over the last few years, not just our business,” Hall said.
Kyle Quandt, president of the Northeast Indiana Water Trails board, agreed the trend encompasses northeast Indiana, not just Fort Wayne. When the group hosted its first annual Pedal, Paddle, Play scavenger hunt in downtown Fort Wayne eight years ago, they had about 50 participants, he said. This June, they expect more than 150.
Thom Werner, one of the rotating captains on the Sweet Breeze, said many people on the water now are younger.
Although the traffic means a more crowded river, “it’s actually relatively calm,” Werner said. “For the most part, everybody gets along fine.”
Sweet Breeze first mate John Gardner said he expects the boating population to continue increasing, which can lead to problems. The Riverfront has challenges with economic, recreational and ecological concerns, each interest having sometimes conflicting needs.
“This is completely unregulated,” Gardner said. “How we keep this in balance is going to be an issue.”
Police coming
However, two types of regulations are coming to the riverfront area this year: speed limits and police patrols.
Dan Wire, crew trainer for the Sweet Breeze, said he has worked on getting no-wake zones of 5 to 7 mph in the downtown river areas for seven years. This year, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources approved the proposal at the city’s request, Benson said.
Wire is also a member of Friends of the Rivers, which owns Sweet Breeze and acts as the boat’s advisory board. He’s been a big proponent of promoting recreational use of the rivers and spent 60 years – since he was a boy – using the rivers. However, Wire is concerned that the rules are just starting now.
“We’re behind on governance,” he said.
The low-speed area – the no-wake zone – is centered at the rivers’ confluence, according to DNR documents. From there, it will extend to the Main Street bridge on the St. Marys, to the Tennessee Avenue bridge on the St. Joseph and to the Columbia Avenue bridge on the Maumee.
The speed limits take effect June 7, Benson said.
“The Fort Wayne Police Department will be the primary marine patrol enforcing the rules,” Benson said.
The DNR focuses its limited resources on lakes, although officers are around the rivers for special events and to check fishing spots, he said. When on the rivers, DNR officers will enforce laws when they see violations, including people boating drunk or not wearing approved lifesaving devices such as life jackets.
Fort Wayne Police Capt. Scott Berning, who’ll oversee the city’s four river boat officers, said that powered watercraft moving at 5 to 7 mph don’t create a significant wake. At higher speeds, motorized water vehicles cause waves, which create trouble for those using paddleboards, canoes and kayaks.
The police patrol boat, which is set to arrive mid-July, will have rescue equipment on it and also be available for mutual aid for fire department rescues. The new police patrol’s goals are safety, presence and enforcement, he said.
The increased boat traffic also creates more noise.
Nate Reigsecker moved from a downtown apartment to the quieter Northside neighborhood because he found it harder to concentrate on his work in the summer, he said. He specifically named the pontoon boats run by River City Ventures and the party atmosphere and music as offenders.
The business, owned by Joey Tippmann, rents out pontoon boats to private parties and takes them along the waters. Recently, Tippmann received a rezoning authorization from the Fort Wayne City Council that will allow him to move his business to 3501 Parnell Ave. and open a restaurant.
Residents of that area, including Reigsecker, have protested because of the boats’ reputation for being noisy. They said at Fort Wayne Plan Commission and City Council meetings it would be too loud for a residential area.
Attempts to contact Tippmann for this article received no response.
More traffic
Berning said he expects to see even more river traffic and people along the rivers as the downtown becomes more developed – as Promenade Park becomes has more activity and if a planned marina gets built in the area where the St. Marys and Bluffton Road meet.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever get crowded. I just know there’s going to be an increase,” he said.
Hall said the problem is “people doing stupid stuff.” It wouldn’t be too crowded, she said, “if everybody cooperated.”
Hall’s employees have continuing problems with riders on personal watercraft creating wakes in the area that will soon have the speed limits, she said. Promenade Park seems to be the place to go if they want to show off, and the riders often flip obscene gestures at her employees when asked to slow down, she added.
Berning confirmed this is an ongoing problem.
“The most issues we’ve had for the last few years is the Jet Skis,” he said.
Wire said he doesn’t think there could be too many boats on the rivers, and the city can’t sell tickets for accessing the waterways. He prefers having safety protocols and police patrols in place.
The types of watercraft also matter. During a Sweet Breeze tour two years ago, he counted 90 canoes and kayaks on the St. Marys, Wire said.
“I would not want to have 90 power boats on the river,” he said.
Overall, he believes more recreational use and more attention for the rivers are good things. It’s what he’s worked for.
“People come up to me and say, ‘Dan, did you ever think we’d get here?’” Wire said. “I say, ‘I hoped.”
