  Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1573 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.14.122.57 |
From today's Freep: Bye-bye, Boblo boat ... The old Boblo boat Ste. Claire will be towed by the Gaelic Tugboat Co. from its berth in River Rouge to Toledo this morning starting around 8 a.m. And it isn't coming back. Boat owner Diane Evon of Toledo said she couldn't reach a permanent agreement with local officials over docking the vessel, so it will tie up next at The Docks at International Park on the Maumee River, across from downtown Toledo. Starting Sept. 28, the Ste. Claire's annual haunted house will be open to the public. After Halloween, it goes to a shipyard for more rehab. She hopes to have it shipshape by 2009 or 2010. "It's too bad we have to leave," Evon said. "Metro Detroit really embraced her." The Ste. Claire's sister ship, the Columbia, has been sold to a New York group and is scheduled to leave the area for good next spring. It remains in a slip in River Rouge for now. For most of the 20th Century, the boats ferried metro Detroiters to the amusement park on Boblo Island near Lake Erie. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEW S05/609130379/1007 | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1976 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
Obviously not enough to keep her here. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 90 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 75.10.91.78 |
Too bad she's leaving, hopefully she'll be back once she's restored. I heard on the radio that Windsor Community museum has a Boblo Island exhibit. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 797 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 68.96.231.230 |
Aw, come on. Those relics will never sail with passengers again. They're so rotten it would take more to restore one than to build a new one. Nothing is forever. | ||
Messykitty Member Username: Messykitty Post Number: 147 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.21.198.33 |
"hopefully she'll be back" She will not. | ||
River_rat Member Username: River_rat Post Number: 225 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 68.166.44.44 |
Ray1936 is so correct; neither the Columbia or the Ste. Claire will return to service. The deterioration and rot due to years of neglect are too much to overcome. There condition is like the city's; too far gone to reconstruct. Fortunately, the are people who will tilt at windmills like Ms. Evon and the Columbia Foundation. God love 'em. They are sort of like those who think light rail and good government will come to Detroit. | ||
Zephyrprocess Member Username: Zephyrprocess Post Number: 18 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 146.9.16.38 |
Perhaps we could have a DetroitYES field trip down to Toledo, where we could all (or at least some of us) stand around the shipyard workers and tell them what a lost cause they're working on. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1574 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 140.244.107.151 |
We enjoyed our tour of the Ste. Claire last fall...brought back a lot of memories. My son and his girlfriend loved their Haunted Boblo Boat experience during the Halloween season. They described as "awesome"!! As I understand it, the Ste. Claire attracted a decent number of people during this time, but the owners couldn't come to financial terms with the city of River Rouge whose riverfront park was being used for this purpose. And the locals didn't care for the big boat taking up their riverfront fishing spots and blocking the view. I'm just glad that I had one last opportunity to revisit that part of the my childhood! | ||
Margarite Member Username: Margarite Post Number: 52 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 63.81.122.66 |
Amen, Kathleen. My friend and I also toured the boat when it was docked in Windsor. We were the only people on the tour and the gentleman that led the tour spent a good hour with us and even took us down to see the crew's quarters. | ||
Mr_lee Member Username: Mr_lee Post Number: 3 Registered: 07-2006 |
 Columbia photo from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. Despite the nay sayers Ste. Claire will once again return to the metro area. A very aggressive plan is in place to restore and return her to service, while it may be a few years off. River Rouge wanted $36,0000 to moor the ship at Belanger Park a thirty day period where the ship would host a Haunted attraction, the Nautical Nightmare http://nauticalnightmare.com, a lot of work can be done to the ship for $36,000, this is money Ste. Claire does not have.  On the other hand Columbia is going to New York to sail on the Hudson river. http://sscolumbia.org/ Richard Anderson's New York group has a marvelous plan which will see Columbia sailing well into the 21st century. You may follow the curret news on the Ship's Forums and the history of them at http://boblosteamers.com or http://bobloboat.com Mr Lee     | ||
Harsensis Member Username: Harsensis Post Number: 77 Registered: 07-2005 |
We went down to Toledo the first year they had the haunted house about 4 or 5 years ago. It was really cool, well worth the drive down there. We went early and were one of the first groups in. They had it set up as two different houses and used the ship well, even the bathrooms were used. I didn't have the extra cash to go see it last year in Rouge. I spent half of the time looking at the ship and the other half looking at the haunted house stuff. It was neat to be on it again and see it looking so good. | ||
Bob_cosgrove Member Username: Bob_cosgrove Post Number: 360 Registered: 03-2005 |
Contrary to what's been said, both Bob-Lo boats are in good condition in terms of hull and machinery. The wood superstructures are deteriortated, but nothing that couldn't be repaired. The Columiba could have been returned to service for about $10 million. No longer within Coast Guard Regulations (not enough water-tight compartments) for Great Lake travel, the Columbia could have operated successfully on the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, if the basic reconstruction cost could have been raised. This service would have included day-time and mid-night cruises, speical events, fireworks displays, and fine dining - not the hots dogs and pop of its Bob-Lo Island days. Bob Cosgrove Steamer Columiba Foundation | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 272 Registered: 09-2004 |
Indeed, the engines and boilers were laid up very well back in 91, the last year of operation. Just the parts people actually see don't look so good anymore, and that's too bad. But wood can be replaced. historic boilers and operating systems cannot | ||
Inquisitor Member Username: Inquisitor Post Number: 20 Registered: 01-2006 |
does anyone have any pictures of boblo island now.i hear it is turned into condos. how about any other abandon or outdated amusement parks in the area. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1589 Registered: 10-2003 |
Here's the link to the developers' website: http://www.boblo.ca/ And a "Changes Coming to Bob-Lo Island" thread from earlier this summer: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/76017/78292.html |
