Mary M. Miller defeats Belle of Louisville in tribute to Great Steamboat Race

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The typical Great Steamboat Race was canceled this year, but that didn't stop the Belle of Louisville from getting in some competition to celebrate Derby week.

The Belle took to the Ohio River on Wednesday for a race against its sister boat, the Mary M. Miller.

In its first appearance in a race, the Mary M. Miller cruised to victory.

The Belle's crew were good sports, posting a congratulatory message to their sister boat on their Facebook page.

"Congrats to Captain Joe Kenney and the Mary M. Miller crew for pulling out a win during their first ever Steamboat Race!" the Belle said in its Facebook post. "We had a great time onboard and can’t wait to see everyone at the next one!"

The race is a staple of the Kentucky Derby Festival, with the Belle of Cincinnati usually taking part. Even though the original race couldn't happen this year, event organizers wanted to keep the tradition alive.

"It's been a rough summer for us and everybody in Louisville for a variety of reasons," said Krista Snider, CEO of Belle of Louisville Riverboats, "so it felt like the right opportunity for us to use our unique position to bring some hope and some optimism and a little bit of fun in a safe way to people."

Tickets were sold for parties on each boat during the race, which provided some much-needed revenue for the tourist attraction.

Those who attended had their temperatures checked and wore face coverings.