The MS Chee Chee Maun will celebrate 50 years in service in 2024, and a new commemorative book is planned to chronicle its history sailing Lake Huron.
The vehicle and passenger ferry, which travels between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, has operated from May to October each year since its maiden voyage in September 1974.
It serves as an important transportation link for commercial traffic transporting goods between southern Ontario and northern Ontario. However, it is also a popular tourist attraction for travelers exploring the area during the summer tourist season.
To commemorate the half-century milestone, Owen Sound-based Richard J. Thomas writer and historianis seeking stories and photos from the public to be compiled into an anthology to be released this spring.
The timing coincides with the start of the ferry’s 2024 sailing season.
“I’m always interested in people’s stories because it’s basically the same passage every time, but everyone experiences it differently,” Thomas said.
“So I’m just interested in unique and interesting stories about travel that people have had.”
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Thomas is a frequent ferry rider and long-time collaborator of the ferry. Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC)Chi Chi Maun’s parent company is an Ontario agency.
He has been creating ferry safety videos through his own videos. video production company And he calls OSTC his most longtime customer.
Thomas is an avid local historian who has published more than a dozen books under his own name, and when OSTC approached him last year about writing a book and producing an accompanying video, he gladly accepted.
“I have a very long history with this company,” he said.
Writing is progressing well, Thomas said, and he expects the final draft to be about 20,000 words, including “lots of pictures.”
It begins with the history of the ferry service and the various companies that have operated it, as well as the story behind Chee Chee Maun’s predecessors, sister ships No Risle and No Goma.
There is also a dedicated walkway to the Collingwood Shipyard where Chee Chee Maun was built.
“I interviewed about a dozen shipyard workers who actually worked at Chi Chi Maung, and it was a lot of fun,” Thomas said. “I learned a lot of things I didn’t know.”
He already knew that Ferry’s maiden season was off to a slow start. The ship was scheduled to be launched in the spring of 1974, but did not actually set sail until September.
What he didn’t know was that the main reason for the delay was an ongoing labor dispute.
The contract to build the ferry was signed by Collingwood Shipyards while the shipyard’s workers were on strike, and the work stoppage lasted 48 days.
When work finally began, the Chee Chee Maung proved difficult, as the company was used to building bulk carriers rather than passenger ferries.
“Another thing that really touched me was learning the immense pride the shipyard workers had and the fact that Chee Chee Maung is still going strong. One of them All of this is to say, ‘We built a good ship,”’ Thomas said.
“To me, that’s pretty cool for a business that’s been gone for years.”
He has already received some interesting proposals.
Two couples announced their marriage on the ferry and plan to send photos of their happy moments.
Through his research, he learned some interesting facts about marriages at sea. Because the latitude and longitude must be listed on the marriage certificate, the captain must provide the exact latitude and longitude from the time the couple got married, Thomas said.
A man wrote to share a funny story about how he tricked his cousin into thinking one of the islands he passed on his voyage was “Gilligan’s Island.”
“He said his grandma wasn’t too impressed when she found out what was going on,” Thomas laughed.
Over the years, Chee Chee Maung has grown in popularity and is no longer just a means of transportation.
Now, many people come just to see the ship itself or sign up for the ferry’s popular sunset cruise, which guides you on a round-trip journey while enjoying dinner and entertainment.
“Cheechee Maun is a destination, and for many, this is the largest ship they will ever travel on,” Thomas said.
Mr Thomas said the fact that the ferry has been loved by so many generations over the years speaks to its enduring interest among the public.
Happy memories of past family vacations, wedding celebrations, or children visiting the wheelhouse to meet the captain all represent important events in people’s lives. And those are the types of stories he’s eager to hear.
Even if someone believes their story is too insignificant or ridiculous to share, Thomas encourages them to send it anyway.
“There is no such thing as a ‘dream story’ in this world,” he says. “But we know there are stories out there, and we hope people will consider sharing them.”
Interested contributors are asked to submit their stories and photos by mid-March to be considered for inclusion in the book. Stories and photos can be emailed to Thomas. [email protected].