On Thursday, July 10, Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre announced that all future cruises on the RMS Segwun would be cancelled due to a mechanical issue.
The iconic steamship had its first cruise of the season scheduled for Saturday, July 10, but during a routine inspection, engineers discovered an issue with the ship’s boiler.
“We’re working on getting the details of a repair,” says Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre president John Miller. “At this point, it’s hard to say how much time it’s going to take.”
Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre has contracted a third-party company to inspect the boiler and identify the issue. One of the reasons that the repair might take a while is that the ship’s boiler is difficult to access.
“It’s so upsetting because everything was working,” says Miller. “The engines were sounding better than they’ve sounded in a long time. We had done a lot of work this spring in the engine room, replacing piping and some pumps and things like that, so we were anxious to see how everything was going to perform.”
Despite the setback, Miller says the boiler issue won’t be enough to end the ship’s 138-year history. Built in Glasgow, Scotland and assembled in Gravenhurst, Ont., the RMS Segwun is the oldest hand-fired steamship in North America. The ship was originally a side paddlewheel steamer named Nipissing II. It transported passengers, mail, and freight from Gravenhurst to cottages, resorts, and homes across the Muskoka lakes.
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The ship was withdrawn from service in 1914. But in 1924, following World War I, the Canadian government rebuilt the ship with new engines to serve Canada Post. It was then rechristened Segwun, the Ojibwa word for springtime.
While customers won’t be able to experience the RMS Segwun for the foreseeable future, Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre has increased the number of cruises on the Wenonah II, a larger steamship built in 2002 in the style of an early 1900s Muskoka vessel. It’s also offering cruises on the Wanda III, a private steam yacht built in 1915 for Margaret Wilson Eaton, the wife of department store magnate Timothy Eaton.
For those who’ve already purchased tickets on the RMS Segwun this summer, Miller says the company is offering either a ride on one of the other steamships, a gift certificate to be used at a later date, or a full refund.
The company’s goal is to have the RMS Segwun back next summer running better than ever. In fact, Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre has a planned restoration project for the ship scheduled to start in October.
“The majority of the work is wood restoration. We’re looking at removing the entire top deck and replacing it with better wood, lighter products, trying to use methods that are better for sealing the weather out and also replacing the ship’s sides,” says Miller. “And then there’s a mechanical component as well, replacing a few aged mechanical items and piping.”
The restoration is projected to cost $1.7 million. The company has already received $500,000 in government funding and is waiting on the status of another funding application.
The company planned the restoration before discovering the boiler problem. Miller says he’s optimistic that the repair won’t impact the restoration project.
“We’re working our way towards addressing it as quick as we can,” he says. “And who knows, if we can get up and sailing in late August, then we’ll do so.”
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