By Michael Lynch
One of Thunder Bay’s most popular summer tourist attractions is back after a decade of absence.
Doug Stanton, an employee at Old Fort William, has purchased a 50-passenger cruise ship that will begin offering tours of the city’s harbour by the end of June.
The Welcome, a larger-sized boat, offered harbour tours for a couple of decades before being sold and moved out of the city in 1993.
“I am naming the vessel in memory of my great-great grandfather,” Stanton says. His ancestor operated the Pioneer 1, the first commercial passenger vessel on Sparrow Lake and the Severn River near Orillia.
To be known as Pioneer 11, the 50-passenger vessel will offer harbour cruises during the day and will be available for charter in the morning and the evening.
There are many options for passengers, Stanton says, including food and beverage cruises, breakfast cruises and sunset cruises with cocktails. He does not plan to obtain a liquor licence, but will rely on the licence of a caterer.
During the cruise, commentary is provided, describing the region’s Ojibwa folklore, settlements and a commercial history of the harbour.
Stanton says the Pioneer 11 is 56 feet in length.
“It offers a weather enclosed panoramic view with comfortable seating, a snack bar and washrooms.”
The city is lowering the dock at its marina to allow easy access for passengers of the cruise ship. The city is also painting a wheelhouse that serves as ticket outlet at the marina.
Prior to undertaking the venture, Stanton says he carefully studied the conflict of interest guidelines he had signed when he joined Old Fort William as manager of marketing and customer relations.
“I wrote the deputy minister and he said there was no conflict.”
The boat is limited to where it can travel in the harbour. Transport Canada regulations class the boat as a Minor Waters 11 vessel. This classification allows it to travel along the Kaministiquia River and within the breakwall on Lake Superior.
Stanton has hired a tugboat captain and an engineer to operate the vessel.
