It’s a Herculean undertaking, says Stephen Wyllie, but one that is steadily progressing.
He’s referring to the significant task of moving three sightseeing boats from Ottawa to Huntsville. That trip in a car is just a 350-kilometre, four-hour journey. But the boats have to sail from Ottawa to Orillia via the Rideau Canal, and through the Bay of Quinte and the Trent-Severn Waterway, before being lifted from the water via crane onto transport trucks to be brought further north. That minimum 12-day voyage covers more than 500 kilometres and includes dozens of locks.
Wyllie, who runs the Lady Muskoka boat cruises out of Bracebridge and at one time owned the Kee to Bala, had hoped to have the tours operational by late June, but says the first of the boats—the one that will offer tours starting at the Town Dock in Huntsville—should arrive in early August for a revised launch date in the middle of the month. Tours would run until the third week in October. A second boat will follow about two weeks later and will be docked at Deerhurst Resort, providing sunset cruises and perhaps other offerings. The third boat is headed for the Muskoka Lakes.
The boats were just placed in the water from dryland 10 days ago, a milestone Wyllie says had to occur before he could hire captains. They will start to move from Ottawa on July 23.
“We are excited,” says Wyllie. “We think it’s going to be a great addition (to Huntsville).”
The number of tours, the distance they travel and the tour schedule still need to be determined, but now that the boats are in the water, Wyllie will be looking for local historians to help write narration for the tours. (If you’re interested, contact him at 705-646-2628.)
Wyllie says a website and Instagram account are in the works, and he may include a GPS tracker on one of the boats so people can follow the journey online. Stay tuned for details.
Related story: Boat tours could return to Huntsville this summer
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