So, what’s it like to captain one of those Tampa Bay tiki boats?

Living up north, Vinny Passero worked as a graphic artist. But there was something about boats.

He grew up on Lake Superior and later lived in Boston, where morning cannon fire from the USS Constitution was his alarm clock. All of which ultimately led to life in St. Petersburg.

Today, home is aboard his sailboat by the Pier, where he lives with his 18-year-old son. Work is ferrying tourists and locals for Cruisin’ Tikis around the waters of St. Pete, Clearwater and along Tampa’s busy Riverwalk.

The tiki he captains is BYOB, room for six passengers, with an ice-filled cooler, cups and corkscrews on hand for 90 minutes of partying, picture-taking, history and a little schtick.

“I know a lot of captains great on tugboats or large vessels, but if they have to interact, they would hate that,” said Passero, 47. “But if you really like meeting people from all over the world, being a tiki boat captain is the best.”

A conversation with Passero about navigating Tampa Bay waters, edited for length and clarity.

From graphic artist to boat captain? That’s a jump.

I’ve always loved boats. It never really occurred to me that people did that for a living.

We lived near the Boston Harbor. I was like: I could do that.

I needed 720 days of sea time for my license. You’re working as a deckhand. It’s not like you can pay your rent on that, so you do it part time. It was about six years.

I drove passenger ferries and water taxis. I’m a 100-ton master, so I can drive vessels up to 100 tons, like the dinner cruise boats.

How did you land here?

In 2015, I realized I was tired of the snow and the cold. We found Tampa Bay. We really kind of fell in love with this area. There didn’t seem to be a reason to leave.

Did you always want to be a tiki boat captain?

Kind of a funny story: I was driving the Ice Cream Fun Boat in Clearwater Beach. We’d take people out, give them ice cream, try to find dolphins, look at celebrity homes. (It was) five or six slips down from the tiki boats.

I thought those guys were pulling my leg when they talked about tips — I mean, some days $300, $400. I was thinking about applying, but nobody would ever give up those jobs.

For a little while, I worked for (Tampa) Pirate Water Taxi and got to know the (Hillsborough) river. The owners of the tiki boat said, “Hey, we’re going to be putting a boat in Tampa. Do you want to run it?”

It was so popular they got a second boat.

Does the job require a certain personality?

If we have six trips in a day, it’s like you’re going to six parties with six different groups of friends. You have to enjoy meeting people.

There’s certain questions they always ask: Have you ever had anyone fall off? I have not.

The second: Do you ever get jerks? Funny enough, I’ve never had an unpleasant person on a tiki boat. Other boats I have.

You get people that get very drunk from time to time, but they just love you more — ”Seriously, I love you.”

What are the popular beverages people bring?

Seltzer drinks — the Bud Light Seltzer, the White Claws. We have a lot of people celebrating anniversaries or birthdays, so a lot of champagne.

A keg of beer?

Never had a keg. In Tampa for a while, people were bringing hot buttered rum drinks. We’ve had quite a few people bringing blenders out to make margaritas. Lots of food … pub subs, charcuterie plates, a lot of pizza.

Do all your passengers drink?

No. That’s what I thought when I first started. We have lots of people who don’t drink at all, they bring sodas. It’s about seeing the downtown from the river and maybe learning some history.

How different does downtown look from the water?

We’ll get people born and raised in Tampa who’ve never been on a boat on the river and it’s shocking (to them), especially at night. When the city’s lit up, the bridges, you’d think you were in Chicago.

I have to ask: What’s the bathroom situation?

One of the great things about picking up at Water Works (Park), the public restrooms are there. (And also along the Riverwalk route, plus a hotel where guests can buy a drink and use the restroom.) We’ll just pull over.

Tell me about the tiki boat.

They’re built on 55-gallon plastic barrels. It makes us sit high on the water so we can go in really shallow areas. Just a little 30-horsepower outboard.

What do you talk about with passengers?

There’s lots of really cool things in every part of the river. I’m shocked more people from Tampa don’t know it. (An example:) Over near Water Works there’s a memorial with a flag. They found a shipwreck there.

Are you a jokester, as well?

A lot of times people are nervous at first. I’ll say, “These things are pretty safe. It’s been like a week since we lost someone.”

I like to get pictures of the passengers driving the boat. I’ll take their phone and take pictures of them.

Do you see marine life?

We do. You really have to be looking for it, though. Dolphins, manatees. … There’s been a couple of times up near Water Works we see alligators because of the freshwater stream. A lot of fish. Every now and then, a nurse shark.

The river gets pretty busy with boat traffic. Does that get hairy?

(The professional captains) all are listening to the radio. We all know what to do. It’s the pleasure crafts, when the weather’s nice, people who don’t know what they’re supposed to do.

Tell me about some good trips.

Recently in St. Pete, a woman mentioned she wanted to see a manatee. Right toward the end, out of the corner of my eye I spotted what I thought was a manatee snout. It was a mother with a calf. It was interested in us, so it came right up to the boat where she was sitting.

In Clearwater, we had a wedding. These people met on the tiki boat. They were with other people at the time. Somehow they got each other’s numbers. Last year, they rented all four boats and brought a wedding officiant out. They got married standing right there in the water.

In Tampa, I’ve had two or three proposals.

Did they all say yes?

Yes.