St. Cloud’s riverboat took to the water last week for the first time in months with her new owners, husbandand- wife-team of Terry Torrens and John Weaver at the helm. Renamed The Lillie, the boat had sat idle since its previous captain, Richard Lawrence, and his fiancé, Frances Fernandez, were arrested last December.
Though they weren’t looking for this particular adventure, Torrens says what made them decide to take on the business was God.
“This was not on our horizon at all, but both of us felt very led to tackle this huge challenge,” she said. “Both of us have backgrounds that lend themselves to help make this happen, but I also want to say that we have had huge support from the community and our friends.”
The two grew up on the water, Torrens said—Weaver in Miami and Torrens in Fort Lauderdale. “We love our community, and we love sharing the water with people,” Torrens said. “We feel like [the Riverboat business] is a great way to spread joy and share what we love with others. Also, it allows us to be able to do good in the community, which is important to both of us.”
Torrens said they renamed the boat The Lillie, after a riverboat that once operated on East Lake Tohopekaliga in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The original Lillie and her sister ship, the Roseada, traveled from here to Fort Myers carrying people and cargo.
And, thus, the Old Florida Riverboat Company has embarked.
The new owners have completely renovated the inside of the boat, giving it an elevated vintage look with hand-hammered copper bar topped with butcher block, elevated wallpapers and lighting, and themed accents. “Our vision for the company is to create a space for beautiful things to occur,” she said. “We hope that people will see us as a wedding venue, a corporate party place, private parties, birthdays, and such, as well as a tour operator offering sunset tours with live music. St. Cloud and the surrounding area have an amazing history, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
The Lillie currently offers 90-minute sunset tours featuring live music on Fridays and Saturdays. The boat has an air-conditioned main salon downstairs with a full bar offering both non-alcoholic options, water, soda, beer, wine, full liquor and often a specialty drink.
Thanks to a partnership with 10th Street Deli in downtown St. Cloud, charcuterie boxes are also offered.
“They have been a big hit, and everybody loves them,” Torrens said. “We will partner with them and other downtown businesses to hopefully do some themed dinner cruises in the future.”
“Our favorite part of the business is watching people just enjoy being on the boat and outside,” she said. “There’s something about those paddles going around nice and slow that is just so relaxing.”
