Permission to come aboard and tiki?
On Saturday June 29th 2019 at 6:00, I got on board a boat called On the Hiyu which is a ferryboat from 1967 that Jeff Wilson and David Crellin restored and repurposed into a floating arts and entertainment venue. Past events include a haunted boat ride, a Great Gatsby party, yoga on a boat and a breweries and spirits tasting ride, but to quote my buddy Jason Craig, “Tonight We Shall Tiki!”
On the Hiyu is a pretty big boat, it used to haul cars and trucks across the sound for many years, so there’s plenty of space for people to walk around and mingle.
As soon as I got on board, I headed straight up to the tiki bar! Yes! That’s right, there’s a tiki bar on the boat. It’s called The Pau Hana Lounge.
The Pau Hana Lounge has been outfitted with tons of décor by Bosko, including tikis, signs, masks, and even the bar top and trim.
This space looks great and I could have easily hung out in the Pau Hana Lounge the entire length of the trip and had a blast.
Making a guest appearance behind the bar was Jason Alexander from Devil’s Reef …
Jason came up with three original tiki cocktails for the trip. These drinks were: the Hiyu Hai-Tai, Quartermaster’s Grog, and Deckhand’s Punch. For 55 bucks, you can even go home with your very own On the Hiyu tiki mug! Munktiki made them and you can tell, because the mugs look incredible!
I’m glad I got my drink immediately because the line at the bar got long quick!
If you like whiskey, head on over next door, to The Salish Room. The Salish Room is On the Hiyu’s Northwest Maritime Whiskey Bar. It is a full-service bar with a focus on whiskey and bourbon. The seating arrangement is from the Hiyu’s original layout and much of the traditional signage remains from its working days as a passenger ferry.
The boat left South Lake Union and headed north across Lake Union.
The first band to play on the Tiki Cruise was Seattle’s own Lushy …
I’ve seen Lushy play in a lot of cool venues over the years, but nothing compares to seeing Lushy performing on a boat with Lake Union and Seattle as the backdrop.
The boat left Lake Union and headed out to Lake Washington. They even had to raise the bridge for us to pass!
The sun started to set, and things got hotter onboard. Next up was The Dusty 45’s …
They were on fire. Literally! Check it out!
That trumpet is on fire!
As day turned into night, our Tiki Cruise came to a close. As we made our way back into Lake Union, I started to get sad. I didn’t want this cruise to end! I had such a great time and I’m pretty sure everyone else did too. Everyone walked off the boat with smiles on their faces. Hey On the Hiyu! … Let’s Tiki Again!
I’d like to thank Jason Craig (We Shall Tiki) for the pictures used for this post.
Here is the On the Hiyu website
And Facebook page