From the Niagara Falls Review:
Maid of the Mist No. 5 was the first of its contingent to test the waters this year, as the 72-foot-long vessel was slowly lowered into the Niagara River Saturday morning.
A tradition touted as the unofficial first sign of spring in Western New York and Southern Ontario, Maid of the Mist operators will be testing and inspecting its four tour boats throughout the next week in preparation for the season opening, Friday.
The 24-foot wide vessel, built to carry 300 passengers in the 1980s, started down the marine railway at the Maid of the Mist Landing at around 10:30 a.m. and took about 15 minutes for crews to complete the launch and secure the dock.