As the first flakes of snow fell on Gravenhurst, Ont., the RMS Segwun and the Wenonah II, both traditional steamships, were docked safely in the Muskoka Wharf. This was Friday, November 29.
Meteorologists had called for a dumping of snow in the area over the weekend, with squalls blowing the white stuff in off the Great Lakes. But no one in town had anticipated just how bad it would get. “Usually, the prediction is worse than what actually happens,” says John Miller, the president of Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre.
Within 24 hours, Gravenhurst received 140 cm of snow. The town was forced to declare a state of emergency. Highway 11 between Huntsville and Orillia was transformed into an impassable white field. Vehicles were abandoned at the side of the road and many residents were stuck in their homes.
Gravenhurst local hands out food and drinks to stranded drivers
Throughout the weekend, Miller kept checking the feed from the camera pointed at the company’s two ships. It was on Sunday afternoon that he noticed something amiss. The RMS Segwun was tilting inwards towards the wharf’s dock. He hopped in his vehicle and headed for the wharf. It was a slow drive with trees down and swirling snow.
He’d managed to get in contact with Prestige Property Management, the company that operates the wharf’s parking lot. The property management company cleared the lot so that Miller could get to the ship. By the time Miller arrived, the RMS Segwun was so tilted that water was getting in through the gangway. He, along with eight other employees who answered the call, jumped on board and started shoveling.
Photo Courtesy of Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre
“It took about four or five hours,” Miller says. Members of the fire department showed up and helped pump water out of the ship. Most of the water was in the bilge. It was estimated that there were 60 tonnes of snow on the Segwun and a further 80 tonnes of snow on the Wenonah II. The Wenonah II, a larger ship, hadn’t started tilting.
“We really appreciated the town of Gravenhurst and the fire department for coming and assisting us, even when, obviously, their hands were full with all the emerging challenges that were going on across the region,” says Miller.
After clearing the snow, the RMS Segwun righted itself with little damage done. In fact, the historic steamship fared better than most modern ships would as it has fewer electrical components, says Miller. Built in 1887, the Segwun is the oldest operating steamship in North America and the seventh oldest in the world. It’s also only one of three active ships in the world with the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) designation, earned by carrying mail from port to port in Muskoka. Today, it serves as a touring boat, taking visitors around the nearby waters.
You have to take these boat cruises in Ontario cottage country
Miller doesn’t anticipate any long-term damage to the Segwun. For now, the crew is drying the ship out and regreasing components to ensure they don’t freeze or rust.
He adds that while last weekend’s snowfall was an anomaly, the company has looked into ways to prevent similar incidents. One proposal is to cover the ships, but Miller says this likely isn’t feasible. Instead, there will be more focus on clearing snow.
“At a bare minimum, we’ll make sure that the ships are shoveled on a regular basis, which we do anyway. But of course, we will be more vigilant with that going forward,” he says.
Related Story Why is this robot boat mapping the Great Lakes?
Related Story OPP credit man’s PFD for saving his life after he went overboard on Georgian Bay
Related Story Community heroes who stepped up during cottage-country’s massive snowstorm