“(The passengers) will visit our city, spend some money and hopefully see something that will make them want to come back,” Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton said.

Those facts, along with sight of the boat, made for a good morning.

“The boat looks great, don’t it?” Middleton said.

Krida said the boat will make 15 stops this year in Natchez and 30 annual stops in the following years. The first three voyages of the 446-passenger vessel are already 100 percent booked, he said. And Natchez is always a highlight for the passengers on the itinerary and the longest day trip the boat makes.

“We are just delighted with what you are here,” Krida said, though he remarked he was surprised to be greeted by a Union Soldier.

“We were occupied,” explained Natchez Pilgrimage Tours Director Marsha Colson, as if she was talking about last week.

After Middleton traded Captain John Sutton a proclamation key to the city for a portion of the mooring line posted on a piece of wood made out of the original paddle wheel, passengers matriculated up the hill to tours and shops, which opened early for them.

Ricki and Howard Isador, passengers on the boat from Orange County in Southern California, said they’ve been on a number of ocean liners, but the trip was their first on a riverboat, and they enjoyed the anachronistic feel of the experience.

“Everyone was warm and friendly, and (I enjoyed) the Victorian setting,” Ricki said.

Howard, who said the couple hadn’t been on many trips to the South, especially a modern version of the Old South, found the pace of the journey just right for a vacation.

“It’s been very relaxing, which is what we needed,” he said.

The boat enhanced the tricks Natchez can play with time, but venturing visitors were reminded to be back from their day trip promptly at 5 p.m.

During the send off, children in plaid school uniforms shouted and waved goodbye to passengers. Several workers in khaki uniforms and life jackets wrestled with lines bigger than a man’s arm as the paddle wheel started chugging north.

Passengers, mostly white haired, satisfied the school children, waving back with both arms swinging. One passenger shouted out “Thank you,” between steamy whistles.

By 5:10 p.m., the boat was out of sight, but the river town folks of Natchez braced themselves for many more visits to come.