Since 1965 Winnipeg has been home to the MS Paddlewheel Queen and Ms Paddlewheel Princess (1967). These boats have played host to countless graduations, weddings, proms and dances. Many Manitobans including my parents become engaged on one or the other of these boats and they have become a staple of a Manitoban summer.
However this year they are no more. The captain and owner of these two river boats for the past 41 years has retired and it appears no one wants to take his place. Rumors of his imminent retirement have been around for nearly a decade and everyone knew the day would come yet it seems odd to realize we will most likely never see these boats along the river again.
The captain of these boats has kept them going not because they were a wonderful money making venture as they certainly are not but out of a passion. It is this as well as the high river levels which have lasted longer and longer each year that make the future of these boats unlikely.
Last year it was August before the river dropped enough to allow river tours, and again this year the river has remained just as high as last. Not being able to launch the boats until August clearly does a lot of financial damage to a boating season which is already short to begin with.
They aren’t as popular as they once were and like many things traditional these boats have been forgotten by many or put off as something that will always be there to do next week or next summer. Certainly the best years of these riverboats have passed the slow deterioration and demise of these boats has been obvious but it is still sad to see their end.
Thank you to Captain Steve Hawchuk for providing Winnipeg with these tours for so many years, it was his passion and dedication that kept them going for so long and they will be missed by many.
