the isle of




man.



presents
the great lake winnipeg cruises

We will be changing the names of the ships, to serve our purpose, once we make a deal, on them. 

Stay Tuned!

THE tentative CRUISE ROUTES

cruises # 1, 2, & 3

cruise # 4

May change slightly from year to year.

this 1 hour cruise - $19.00/person

MCM’s – MS “Ms. With the Moost” Cruise Ship. 

$19.00 per person. 

We can run it for 120 days per year.  

June 1 – September 30,  each year =

400 passengers x 7 cruises per day.

1 Hour Cruises

      400 passengers x 7 cruises per day = 336,000 passengers.

                         (The total no. of people that we can fit on the boat, may be or may not, be accurate)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 Sailing Times – 

(10: am –  12:01 pm  – 2 pm – 4 pm – 6 pm – 8 pm – 10 pm)     

Subject to change.   Subject to wind restrictions.

     

 

Ritchie had the M.S. Lady Winnipeg built in 1971 to compete with the smaller Paddlewheel Princess. It first sailed in spring 1972, and had the same route as the Paddlewheel Princess, sailing from Lockport to Lower Fort Garry.

Ritchie, with his two boats, and Hawchuck and Slogan, with their two Paddlewheels, were fiercely competitive in the 1970s. They would bribe hotel staff to only advertise their river cruises, had constant price wars, and they all even bought double-decker buses from England to take people from hotel to the boats.

Ritchie sold both of his boats to Jack Weiman in 1986. Hawchuck and Slogan rented the Lady Winnipeg and River Rouge in 1991 and bought them in 1993. The River Rouge was sold again in 2006 and sporadically sailed with public until 2014. From 2014 to 2022 it was abandoned in a Selkirk slough. 

The Lady Winnipeg last sailed in 1993 due to a lack of business. It was bought by a private Selkirk buyer in 2002 and continues to operate as a private yacht.

The MS Lady Winnipeg was purchased in 2002 by a Selkirk contractor and moved to a different slough on a privately owned shoreline. You can see the Lady Winnipeg in the tall reeds on the east side of the Red River, just south of the Highway 4 bridge. 

the ship was abandoned beside the Red River in the Rural Municipality of St. Clements.

Paul M. Svisdahl
The current owner of the Lady Winnipeg boat is Paul M. Svisdahl, who has owned it from 2023 to 2024. 
 
Manitoba History

this 2 hour cruise - $29.00/person

 MCM’s – MS “Ms. with the Moost” Cruise Ship. 

$29.00 per person. 

120 days per year.  

June 1 – September 30  each year.

400 passengers x 3 cruises per day = 144,000

(The total no. of passengers we can fit on the boat, may or may not be accurate)

                                                                                            2 Hour Cruises.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 Sailing Times – (1:00 pm –  4:00 pm  – 7 pm) 

Subject to change.   Subject to wind restrictions. 

 

Ritchie had the M.S. Lady Winnipeg built in 1971 to compete with the smaller Paddlewheel Princess. It first sailed in spring 1972, and had the same route as the Paddlewheel Princess, sailing from Lockport to Lower Fort Garry.

Ritchie, with his two boats, and Hawchuck and Slogan, with their two Paddlewheels, were fiercely competitive in the 1970s. They would bribe hotel staff to only advertise their river cruises, had constant price wars, and they all even bought double-decker buses from England to take people from hotel to the boats.

Ritchie sold both of his boats to Jack Weiman in 1986. Hawchuck and Slogan rented the Lady Winnipeg and River Rouge in 1991 and bought them in 1993. The River Rouge was sold again in 2006 and sporadically sailed with public until 2014. From 2014 to 2022 it was abandoned in a Selkirk slough. 

The Lady Winnipeg last sailed in 1993 due to a lack of business. It was bought by a private Selkirk buyer in 2002 and continues to operate as a private yacht.

this 3 hour cruise/person

Sailing Cruises – 

 

MCM’s – MS “Mr. Canada’s” Cruise Ship. 

$49.00 per person. 

120 days per year.  

June 1 – September 30  each year.

400 passengers (?)  x 3 cruises per day = 144,000 passengers.

(The total no. of passengers we can fit on the boat, may or may not be accurate)

3 Hour Cruises.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 Sailing Times – (1:00 pm –  5:00 pm  – 9:00 pm)

Departing from the Bad-Finger Bay Dock. 

Subject to change.   Subject to wind restriction.

(Up to: 400 x 3 x 120 days = 144,000 x 10 years x $1.00 = $1,440,000.00) 

      

The competition for the two Paddlewheel boats was started by an ex-employee, Dan Ritchie. He was hired to handle food on the Paddlewheels but quickly quit.   

Ritchie had the M.S. River Rouge built in 1966 for 500 000$ and it first set sail in 1967. It was 37.5 meters long or 124 feet, and like its competitor, the Paddlewheel Queen, had a capacity of 400 people. These two large boats sailed the same route from Redwood Bridge North in Winnipeg, to north of the Perimeter Highway.

The River Rouge was sophisticated. There was a dress code – people couldn’t board if they were wearing jeans. There were even oil paintings and Leo Mol statues throughout the boat.

In 1971 Princess Margaret took a cruise on the River Rouge. Ahead of her visit an extra area was constructed on the boat, called the “Princess Margaret State Room”.

 

The River Rouge is a steel-hulled passenger vessel with a shallow draught and large breadth-to-depth ratio. It has 3 decks . The lower and middle decks are for passenger use while the upper deck houses lifesaving appliances, a fueling station, and potable water reservoirs. There is a walkway around the middle deck protected by railings. The vessel is powered by 2 diesel engines with twin screws and rudders, and is equipped with 2 anchors at the bow. The main hull is subdivided by 7 transverse bulkheads. The wheelhouse is located at the forward end of the middle deck along the centreline, allowing unrestricted visibility from beam to beam. The ship’s wheel, located in the wheelhouse, required some effort to turn, as it is mechanically connected via reduction gearing to a steering quadrant in the steering flat aft. The wheelhouse is fitted with a magnetic compass, port and starboard engine controls, a control panel for the navigation lights, a very high frequency (VHF) radio, and a public address system. 

STAY TUNED FOR ALL DETAILS!

We are preparing offers for these 2 ships, on condition that we acquire the property, that we are trying to get. 

We are awaiting answers, of course.

 

For the Future

If we could find an adequate ship or have one built.

We could run a 12 hour tours (maybe 116 miles) 

from maybe Glenn’s Property in Selkirk, to The Isle of Wayne.

(maybe a Long Boat)

Departing Sunday, Wednesday & Fridays.

We would include drinks, food, accommodations, shows, everything for like $299.00 per person.

Capacity would have to be about 600 passengers.

We will investigate this further.

Some 40 trips per season


However, the most logical route would be in and around The Isle of Wayne.

That is where are docks, gas & repair stations will be, and where all the clients will be at. And we can run 3 cruise per day from there. (360 cruises per season)

So, that is most likely the place to headquarter the cruises. But, we can still fit in a few long distance cruises, if we want, and for variety.


PLEASE NOTE.

These cruises are included in many of our Motorcoach Tours.

Stay Tuned! Details coming soon.

STAY TUNED FOR "tHE banjo bay bARGE"

This barge will be moored at one of the Docking Areas.

(We have to find out more information on that decommissions barge, in Selkirk)  

June 1 – September 30 each year.

To be designed for our local summer weather.

Featuring live entertainment & Fresh Lake Winnipeg Fish & Local Dishes.

Layout of whole property