A tour boat that was brought to Huntsville last fall has sunk.
Witnesses say a photography class was nearby and realized the boat was sinking. A truck with a pump was brought in to try and refloat the vessel, to no avail.
The Tom Thomson, an 80 passenger boat that was formerly cruising on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, sunk at its berth today on the Muskoka River near Huntsville High School.
No cause has been given for the sinking. Boats that stay in the water year round in Ontario use bubbler units to constantly agitate the surface to prevent ice buildup.
Stephen Wyllie of Lake Muskoka Cruises was the driving force behind bringing three of the popular tour boats to the Muskoka area.
There are plans for another boat to conduct lunch and dinner cruises from the Deerhurst Resort starting this spring.
The Tom Thomson arrived in late fall after a long trip from the nation’s capital and conducted autumn leaf tours into October. It cost over $60,000 and took 12 days to transport the vessel to Huntsville by water and oversized trailer.
Video from a Promotional Cruise on the Tom Thomson in Fall 2018