Tugfest is a maritime tugboat festival held annually in various coastal towns on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. This community event implores workboats from around the great lakes to join the parade, compete and celebrate in support of our local charities.
The Coast Guard Ship “Samuel Risley” is in town to pick up supplies and buoys for the 2009 shipping season. This is her second visit to Parry Sound Base in the last week. This is always a welcome site, for it means that the long winter is finally over. We still have some ice in the Big Sound, but the weather is getting warmer and it will not last much longer.
David Meyers, member of Tugfest since Febuary 2007, is the owner of the Tug “Torville”. She is 37ft long with a 471 Detriot Diesel. For more great pictures of the interior go to our links and pull up “History of Russell Brothers Ltd” by Steve Briggs. This tug has been completely redone from top to bottom and looks very comfortable.
Captain Vollmer sent us a picture of the “Chippewa” with a little bit of history:
1936 Wm Lafontaine hull (Sandusky Ohio), Power Volvo TAMD 40. Just under 2 acres of varnish!! A service vessel to the Pelee Islands in Lake Erie. About 1980 she was purchased by Robert Kerr and transferred to the Canadian Remg.
Captain Vollmer had a big part in her design and present condition.
Captain Andrea, Tugfest member since 2008, has a great tugboat called “Excaliber”.
Andrea has been kind enough to share some history about this impressive vessel:
Excaliber is a classic wooden Tug , 93 feet long and 220 Tons. She was built at Wallace shipyard in Vancouver B.C. in 1908. She hails from the Port Orchard Marina in Wa. Andrea McDonald is her owner ( slave) and Captain. She has had a few names in 100 years. She started out as the OSPREY VII in 1908 as a Steam powered Tug for B.C. Packers. She was bought by Vancouver Tug and Tow ( now Seaspan) and renamed LE MARS and was converted to Diesel in 1935. Her biggest claim to fame was when in 1969 she was bought by one of the few black Captains Paul Bellesen Sr. and named the S.S. LANGSTON HUGHES training ship for boys 9-14. Paul was a godsend to these kids and took them under his wing. Taught them the skills of a mariner and showed them another way of life and joined together many for a lifelong friendship. In 1973 she was the Ellen E for only a few months then in 1974 she became EXCALIBER. She towed log booms as Le Mars from Vancouver to Alaska. She towed salt barges from Mexico to California I believe as Excaliber and somehow ended up a ferry for the El Salvadorian government. So im told by the Vancouver Maritime Museum anyway. We know she got busted for running drugs ( Grandma was a bad, bad Tug !!!) and was seized by the U.S. Feds.
It’s a long story how she became mine but you can read the Seattle Times article at the link below. Excaliber and the famous Arthur Foss have a great history together as well and were runited at the Centre for Wood Boats show in Seattle July 2008. More about Excaliber.
Thanks Andrea!
Meet John Angus, a member since Feb 2009. John has a fine looking tug called the “Lady Of Dover”. It’s our hope that we will see John and the Lady Of Dover at one of this years’ events. John has sent us some pictures for your veiwing, along with details of the tug. We thank Captain Angus for taking an interest in Tugfest and sending the pictures for you all to see.
Built in 1943 by George Gamble in Port Dover as a Great Lakes Fishing Tug. Original name SHARILYN II. In the mid 1990s she was purchased by Terry Hagen of Port Dover and rebuilt in the form you see her in now. At this time she was re-named LADY of DOVER.
Presently the LADY’s home harbor is the Lord Reading Yacht Club, in Beaconsfield, Quebec.
As part of the Owen Sound Heritage Days Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 23rd - 25th 2009, we are expecting 10 -15 tugs into the harbour for the event (which is going to be great). For more info see here.
Plan to attend this annual event where everything is bigger and better!
Tugfest is a maritime tugboat festival held annually in various coastal towns on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. This community event implores workboats from around the great lakes to join the parade, compete and celebrate in support of our local charities.
