RiverQuest's new hybrid education vessel Explorer arrived in Pittsburgh this week, a first-of-its-kind model for river environmental education and green marine technologies.

"She operates like a dream," said RiverQuest's head captain, Kimberly Porr, one of the few commercially licensed female river captains on the 1,000+ miles of navigable waterways in the Ohio River Watershed. "It has been a long journey, but she sure is an efficient boat."

Video Blog: RiverQuest Adds Explorer to Fleet

Explorer, a newly-constructed 90-foot, 150-passenger hybrid boat left Bayou La Batre, Alabama on August 3 and arrived into the Pittsburgh Pool of the Ohio River after a 1,600 mile journey through nine states.

Explorer is a state-of-the-art education and research vessel designed to serve students and the public in the Pittsburgh region and beyond with transformative onboard programs.

RiverQuest docked Explorer at their homeport next to Carnegie Science Center by early afternoon. Ann Metzger, Interim Co-Director of the Science Center, joined in the welcome.

"We all have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Explorer and her important contributions to environmental education in the region,” said Metzger. “RiverQuest has been a good neighbor and is a great partner to Carnegie Science Center in delivering education programming to Pittsburgh youth and families."

The ship’s arrival marks the beginning of a month of intensive preparation for RiverQuest crew and staff to be ready to take their first passengers on board in the coming months, after official inspections are completed.

RiverQuest hopes to be able to deliver its first school program on board Explorer on September 19 with Shadyside Academy middle school students on board. Local U.S. Coast Guard certification approval is first required and cannot be rushed, as safety and proper crew training are of the utmost importance.

RiverQuest's staff, Board of Directors, staff family members and special friends welcomed Explorer and her crew of seven from the decks of RiverQuest's retired U.S. Navy vessel Discovery and a small fleet of private boats as they emerged from the Emsworth Lock into the Pittsburgh Pool.

Concluding the voyage at Emsworth Lock and Dam was a tribute and a fitting end to a trip that included passing through 49 locks that are built, maintained and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lift the boat and crew, through a series of steps, to the river level of 710 feet above sea level in downtown Pittsburgh - not an easy thing to do with a boat that weighs over 80 tons.

"It is one of the proudest moments of my career," said Karl Thomas, RiverQuest Executive Director. "This has been a very challenging and rewarding project, but I know my family is happy have me home after I have been living on Explorer for the past ten days. 1,600 miles at 8 mph is a wonderful way to see America's inland waterways."

RiverQuest is proud to deliver Explorer to the Pittsburgh, a city known internationally for its own environmental transformation, for her special mission. Explorer was designed and built by RiverQuest to serve the Pittsburgh community for decades to come.

The project was and funded, sponsored and financed by local partners, most notably The Heinz Endowments, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a large number of local foundations, corporations, other government agencies and individuals.

For more details about Explorer and RiverQuest, including a list of all development partners, technologies and boat facts, visit the RiverQuest website.

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RiverQuest’s Newest Ship Arrives In Port

8/15/2008