Wedding celebration turned to chaos after Duluth tourist boat hit rocks during cruise

DULUTH — Revelers were about six songs into the wedding dance on Saturday night when the Vista Star hit rocks near an entry point to the harbor here, upending some guests and the DJ’s speakers and shattering wine glasses — a “chaotic” scene that included intervention from the U.S. Coast Guard and a substitute captain who took the helm for the ride home.

Aboard the ship, the groom’s grandmother hit her head and was passed from the excursion vessel to the U.S. Coast Guard despite harrowing waves. She was treated at Aspirus St. Luke’s. Several other guests were treated by medical professionals — some of whom were attending the wedding. The collision caused just surface scratches to the Vista Star below the water line.

Kristine Buckman, the groom’s mother, said they left the dock around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday for a wedding on board followed by dinner and dancing. Two hours later, they felt the ship list.

Guests on the bow saw the breakwater in front of them, according to Buckman. They assumed the captain was also seeing this structure, which is built to break waves and create sections of calm coastal water.

“They started screaming,” Buckman said. “There was no slowing down; he was full bore. We didn’t just bump into it, we T-boned that breakwater.”

Justin Steinbach, who owns the Vista fleets, said that a wedding excursion typically heads out through the Superior Entry, one of two points of entry to the harbor, and on to Lake Superior. The Vista Star typically comes back to the harbor beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge. In this case, the captain left the harbor and was met with rough water.

The captain tried to turn the Vista Star around, became disoriented, and hit the rocks, according to Steinbach. The ship wasn’t traveling fast, he said. But when a 100-ton vessel hits something, even at low speed, it’s jarring.

The St. Louis County Rescue Squad reported on Facebook that there were 5-foot swells when the vessel hit the outer breakwater.

Buckman described a chaotic scene where wedding guests helped pass out lifejackets and checked to see if the vessel was taking on water, which it wasn’t. Her husband, a seasoned boater, directed her to a spot on the horizon that she should swim toward if the Vista Star went down. There were 84 people on board.

The captain, who was cleared of drug or alcohol use at the time, was rattled after hitting the breakwater, and replacements met the Vista Star on its way back to port and took over manning the vessel, according to Steinbach. He said in emergency situations, it is standard practice to rely on guests for help. Everyone on board was safe, he said, but as in flight turbulence, it was a situation that caused panic.

“Once the two captains jumped on and took control, it was much smoother and less chaotic,” Buckman said. “But probably half the entire passenger list was puking either out the back or the front.”

The St. Louis County Rescue Squad, U.S. Coast Guard and Duluth Fire Department responded to the crash, and more emergency personnel were at the Minnesota Slip, where the Vista Star docked near the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department.

The U.S. Coast Guard did not return a call for comment.

Earlier this year, the sightseeing vessel had $10,000 worth of damage when it hit a stationery object while mooring at the Minnesota Slip, according to a Coast Guard report.

The Vista Star had an unlicensed deckhand at the helm when it grounded in the St. Louis Bay in October 2021 with 136 passengers on board — including one who was injured in a fall. According to a report by the Coast Guard, the vessel’s captain was taking a round on the ship as it headed southeast under the Blatnik Bridge. The Vista Star had no notable damage and the crew did not document the injured person’s contact information.

Steinbach said the ship’s first mate was at the wheel at the time of the 2021 incident.