• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
South Muskoka Doppler

South Muskoka Doppler

Read Local

  • Home
    • All Stories
    • Community Guidelines
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Community
  • Commentary
    • Letters
  • Business
    • Professionally Speaking
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
  • Events
    • Event Listings
    • Add Your Event
  • Speak Up, South Muskoka!
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • North Muskoka
  • Art Fx
You are here: Home / News / Segwun to remain docked for the season
Photo courtesy of Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre.

Segwun to remain docked for the season

By Matt Driscoll On July 2, 2021 News

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print

Supply shortages, canceled cruises and construction delays – it’s been a year the Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre would like to forget.

Nonetheless, as they enter another summer hobbled by pandemic restrictions, the organization’s president John Miller says they’re doing the best work they can with the options they have and are ready to set sail in a limited capacity on July 3.

While the Wenonah will be departing from her familiar homeport at the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst, the RMS Segwun will spend a second year docked due to Covid restrictions, which severely curtail the number of passengers allowed on board.

“We’d end up losing money every time we sailed her and that’s not in the interest of the organization,” says Miller. “Even if the restrictions were loosened later on in the season there really wouldn’t be any point. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with a steam engine and we would still have to hire a crew. That’s the type of work we typically start in February.”

Nonetheless, they plan to make the most of the downtime, carrying out wood restoration and engine work on the Segwun as she sits idle.

The pandemic has also had serious ramifications on the museum’s $7.4 million expansion project.

“The delays and complications caused by the pandemic have made things extremely challenging for our Muskoka Discovery Centre construction project and the Wanda III electrification, not to mention our regular operations,” says Miller. “We’ve stopped and started multiple times which results in scheduling nightmares for trades, material pricing that is four times normal rates and huge delays in product deliveries caught in fractured supply chains.”

Despite the challenges, Miller says they expect to finish the base building in three or four months, which will allow them to begin preparing for occupancy.

A major component of the project is the electrification and new boathouse for the Wanda III, with engines, generators and batteries arriving in the next few weeks. The Wanda III is a unique working historical artifact, which was built in 1915 for Margaret Eaton, whose husband was the founder of the Eaton’s department store empire. The vessel will be presented in a specially designed boathouse and be available once again for charter on the Muskoka lakes.

Miller says they hope to have the vessel sailing for the 2022 season. He also hopes to have the vessel offer short public cruises out of the Discovery Centre on a regular basis to give as many people as possible the chance to experience being aboard Wanda III.

Another major component of the revitalization program is the creation of a permanent exhibit called Misko-Aki: Confluence of Cultures. The exhibit promises to be a profound perspective of Indigenous heritage and cultures’ 13,000 years in Muskoka, representing eight communities and four distinct cultures.

“We’re not involved in any of the planning or execution. Everything from creative to the design to the construction is being done by our Indigenous partners,” says Miller. “We’ve spent a great deal of time developing relationships with all eight of the First Nations communities in the Muskoka Area and we feel like we’ve created a partnership that could be could be used in many other areas.”

The other exhibits include Muskoka: Past, Present and Future, The Transformative Steam Era: The Disruptive Technology That Changed Muskoka and The World, and Love Muskoka ♥ Sustain Muskoka- the local environmental sustainability story shown via digital events, digital library and onsite content demonstrating ‘Finding Ways to Make a Difference’.

Miller says he hopes to have the main floor of the new space opened next year and the second floor to follow some six to 10 months later.

Don’t miss out on Doppler!

Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!

Click here to support local news

Reader Interactions

Join the discussion:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All comments are moderated. Please ensure you include both your first and last name and abide by our community guidelines. Submissions that do not include the commenter's full name or that do not abide by our community guidelines will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

  • Recent Stories
  • Popular
  • July 18, 2022 3

    Councillor proposes Bracebridge-wide item swap weekends

  • July 14, 2022 2

    Cyclist struck in Gravenhurst

  • August 8, 2022 2

    Muskoka Lakes considers indoor lighting restrictions

  • August 6, 2022 2

    Is Muskoka going to the dogs?

  • August 3, 2022 1

    Wayback Wednesday: KFC customers, Bracebridge

  • August 9, 2022 0

    Novel Marathon writers Zoom it from grabby start to climactic ending

  • August 9, 2022 0

    Gravenhurst man guilty of theft

  • August 8, 2022 0

    What on earth has happened to us? | Commentary

  • August 8, 2022 2

    Muskoka Lakes considers indoor lighting restrictions

  • August 6, 2022 2

    Is Muskoka going to the dogs?

  • 2021 Federal Election (1)
  • A Sponsored Profile (6)
  • Advertise (1)
  • Art Fx (13)
  • Breaking (2)

Footer

About Doppler

Established by a bunch of local news hounds, Doppler strives to be the go-to source for people wanting to know more about what is going on their community.

We strive to provide local news that is relevant and timely. We also look to tell local stories that inspire, inform and engage.

Notice the persistent use of the word local? Our mantra is local. South Muskoka Doppler serves the communities of Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Muskoka Lakes with features on local people doing extraordinary things, local business spotlights, news and sports coverage, all supplemented by provocative opinion pieces on topics near and far. We are working hard for you.

Feel free to drop us a line at matt.driscoll@doppleronline.ca and tell us how we are doing, what you would like to see more of, or to just say ‘Hi’.

Thank you for reading Doppler.

South Muskoka Doppler – READ LOCAL
A division of C3 Digital Media Group Inc.

Bracebridge Ontario Canada
August 9, 2022, 12:57 pm
Cloudy
Cloudy
17°C
real feel: 19°C
current pressure: 1020 mb
humidity: 77%
wind speed: 1 m/s NNW
wind gusts: 2 m/s
UV-Index: 2
sunrise: 6:12 am
sunset: 8:34 pm
© 2022 AccuWeather, Inc.
 

Recent Comments

  • Heather Boyce on Muskoka Lakes considers indoor lighting restrictions
  • Bob Braan on Muskoka Lakes considers indoor lighting restrictions
  • Bob Braan on Is Muskoka going to the dogs?
  • Bob Braan on Is Muskoka going to the dogs?
  • Kay Godden on Speak Up, South Muskoka!
  • Ramona Thorpe on Wayback Wednesday: KFC customers, Bracebridge
  • Dinny McCraney on We’re at a crossroads in this country: Sally Barnes | Commentary   
  • Patricia Kosche on Starter Company Plus Helps Small Businesses Start, Sustain and Grow

Copyright © 2022 ·Doppler Online, a division of C3 Digital Media Group Inc. · Log in
  • About
  • Support Local News
  • Advertise with us!
  • Community Guidelines
  • Contact