From the Buffalo News:
The first Maid of the Mist tour boat of the season was launched on a test run Wednesday under a cloudy sky and even cloudier concerns over the new U.S. law requiring passports to enter the country from Canada.
The 83-ton Maid of the Mist V “tested the waters” for the 2006 tourist season, which officially opens next Wednesday, 10 days earlier than last year.
All four boats will begin operating, catering to the first of an expected 2.5 million passengers through the end of October.
With the mild winter allowing an early start to the season, tourism officials expect a good year for the 160-year-old attraction.
“Beyond 2006, however, we have serious concerns,” said Christopher M. Glynn, president of the Maid of the Mist Corp.