We were visiting the Lake Erie town of Port Dover when to my surprise, I discovered an old friend of mine, the Amherst Islander ferry, built at the Kingston Shipyard in 1955. When I lived and worked in Kingston Ontario (near the east end of Lake Ontario-250 miles east of Port Dover and a different lake!) I had ridden this ferry many times from Millhaven to Amherst Island. What was this old retired thing doing in the wrong lake? I took the picture and moved on, doing what you do in Port Dover, eating a meal of fried perch, enjoying the excellent museum, hanging out on the beach etc.
A few years go by and by chance I meet two Port Dover residents. It turns out that the wife of the owner of Townsend Lumber of Tillsonburg bought this boat for her husband for a birthday present. No word on how it was received, but it's been at the dock ever since with a For Sale sign on it.
2 comments:
This is a hilarious tale, but very comical, as this was not purchased by my mother. My father bought it, and renovated it to be an innovative “floating showroom” for his lumber business. Mom was less than enthusiastic about it. We did have many wonderful family adventures on it as well as a hot tub 😁
The Port Dover Police also used it during Friday the 13th festivities. It has since been sold and relocated again.
Thanks for the “real story” Makes me want to go out and buy a ferry:-)
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