Kim Shorts: Rockin’ and rollin’ on the “Big Canoe”
The Chi-Cheemaun.
Just saying the ferry’s name makes me smile. And yes, being on the ferry literally turns you into kid again. What’s not to like about being on this pretty painted passenger ship that links Ontario’s north to Manitoulin Island?
The name brings back great memories of this past summer when my husband, Jim, and I headed to Manitoulin for a family gathering. This was our second trip in three years getting to the island via the ship.
While the island is an awesome place to visit, sailing on the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun is quite simply fun, in itself!
The Chi-Cheemaun has been sailing the Bruce Peninsula for 50 years. Quite the feat for a ship launched in 1974. I read that she has had a number of upgrades over the decades. The ship is 364 feet and two inches (or 111 metres) long with a 62-foot, four-inch beam (or 19 metres across).
For me, at least, it is cool to get to the ferry dock early in Tobermory, walk around and take in the shops, the docks and sights that surround you. You meet folks who are also lining up their vehicles of all shapes and sizes to wait to get onto the ferry. This ship can hold 110-plus cars and more than 500 passengers. It has an impressive drive-on, drive-off, bow and stern loading feature.
I also noticed a lot of bicycles and motorcycles onboard too. Manitoulin has great roads for touring and biking.
Once we were given the “go wave” to drive onto the ship’s belly through the yawning opening (into the raised-up open bow), Jim then drove up the left side of the metal clanking ramp. When he came to a stop, we were now parked up a full level. At this point, I can let me hands relax after white knuckling it up that ramp! It is, after all, a very tight fit driving up those ramps.
We were parked in the “Drencher Zone,” which just brings up all kinds of connotations when you are out of your dry comfort zone! But hey, this is fun, right?
The next entertaining part is squeezing yourself out of the car because … well the ship wall or a metal railing is right there next to your car door. In fact, when we arrived at the South Baymouth dock on Manitoulin Island to get ready to drive off the boat, I had to crawl through the driver’s side to get into the passenger’s seat. Just like a kid, I thought. Then realized, hey, somebody’s got to get back on the bike this fall! Too much pie!
I know the Chi-Cheemaun is an old passenger ship, but she is an appealing ferry with lots of room onboard, with chairs and tables scattered about. The big picture windows are a nice touch. Jim likes to sit and read, while this big kid explores. I revel in walking about the ship, checking out all the rooms on each floor, the gift shop, and watching the seafaring employees go about their jobs.
The staff members are polite, always smiling, and definitely at home on the water. I understand that some of them hail from Newfoundland and come to work here in the summers.
I can usually talk Jim into wandering outside where we meet passengers with their dogs. (Jim has to stop and greet every dog.) But you do need a jacket because of the fresh billowing wind that rolls off the water. The other spot Jim likes is the cafeteria where the pie is pretty tasty. Need I say more?
The first time I saw the ferry was several years ago when she was docked in Owen Sound for the winter. In the frosty breeze, she shone with her bright and colourful painted woodland images, including the bright bird in flight on the side, and a turtle painted on the stack.
The ship’s name Chi-Cheemaun translates from Anishinaabemowin into “Big Canoe” in Ojibway. It carries on a long tradition of ships sailing across the Georgian Bay between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island since the 1930s.
After our visit on the island on the way back to Tobermory, the ride on the Chi-Cheemaun was not as smooth as it was when we crossed the unpredictable Lake Huron to Manitoulin Island. The water was a wee bit rougher, which I rather enjoyed as I filmed the ship’s railing rolling up past the horizon of water toward the sky and then dipping down below the water’s eye line.
What fun I was having with this as Jim simply rolled his eyes at me and then immediately trained his eyes back on his book.
That trip this summer and the ride on the Chi-Cheemaun leaves me with a sense of wonder and fond memories. I can’t wait to do this again in a few years.
And just like that, summertime is gone in a hot flash! It just goes by way too fast for most of us, especially if you’re a kid.
Written ByKim Dixon started her career in journalism in Manitoba, and was a writer for both non-profit and corporate clients. She writes short stories and is active with the area’s Writers' BLOC. She is also a volunteer VON fitness instructor in Kincardine. Jan. 1, 2025, she took her first polar plunge into Lake Huron.
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