Abandoned yacht in detroit

[Mr Link]

Here is an old post that has some history on the tug Queen City that sank in Conners Creek, Detroit on Mar 14, 2021. (See the BoatNerd news page for details.) As is typical, Mr. Lafferty was able to provide some very detailed information.

It's not the first time she has been on the bottom since being converted to an floating restaurant and later clubhouse.

[Coalburner]

We used to have a similar place on the Suamico River just north of Green Bay Wisconsin called Johnny Bender's marina. It was the cheapest (and most fun) place to dock a boat.
Johnny Bender was an old commercial fisherman and had a 40 acre lot filled with old boats including his 2 fishing boats The Cataract (steel sheet over wood hull) and the White Angel which was an open fishing (steel hull) boat way overpowered with a Lincoln V8 motor. He actually fished from a third steel hulled boat owned by 2 brothers.
Johnny himself was a true fisherman and his face and hands looked like 10 miles of bad road from being out in the sun too much (and perhaps other bad habits too).
The electricity for the marina came from an extension cord run across the road from his house and the marina also featured a real outhouse that had to be moved periodically as it filled up. There were usually 2 or 3 people sleeping in campers on the property as their homes.
Another feature was the "snow mobile", an old Ford Model A (I think) with a flathead V8 rigged up with crawler treads and a front mounted crankshaft driven ice drill for winter ice fishing.
Many winters in the shack with a woodburner and a beer there.

[Guest II]

I'll bet a lot of people would liken to have the Goatyard.

[Mr Link]

I had it in the back of my mind that someone once planned to use this boat as a clubhouse. I had the tense wrong: it's apparently active as a clubhouse.

The eclectic location is known as the Detroit Boat Works, AKA the Goat Yard. And the Goat Yard is the home for the Detroit Sail Club. Described as " the last Hippy boatyard", it was run by Stephen Hume, a longtime political activist in Detroit. I believe he passed away in 2013.

Below are three links related to the Goatyard and the Queen City.

Video, with scenes inside the boat (warning, the language is slightly salty): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv22EV3pUv0

Blog about the Goat Yard: http://www.detroitblog.org/?p=867

Thread about the recent history of the boat, including how it wound up at the Goat Yard. Also has a photo of the boat in Windsor:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread ... t-any-info

[Middle rouge]

Thanks for the info everyone! and because one of you asked, i found this post on detroityes.com
go to last post on last page. apparently the guy who bought it when was salvaged had plans for it, but found her draft to bee too great, started removing ballast stones, but didn't make much progress. vessel was eventually sold to the owner of the goat yard to cover dockage fees.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread ... 0d6d5d5cfa

[Mac Mackay]

I have an undated photocopy flyer advertising the Tugboat Restaurant "Ouellette on the River" Windsor, Ontario, with a sketch of the boat.
It gives some of the history, and also states "she worked many harbours on the Great Lakes" and that "in the early seventies she was retired from her ice breaking duties". Was this just wishful thinking or was she actually used in icebreaking?
It also states that in the 1970s her owner became Bob Adams a member of the Tugboat Preservation Society, and he did excursions. The boat became the official escort and base for officials for the re-started International Tugboat Races in Detroit.
The flyer was produced by her new owner, Hank Van Aspert, who would welcome you aboard to give a taste of what an old working tug was like. By this time the engine had been removed.
It also states that her diesel engine was fitted in 1942. This is incorrect as W.Lafferty points out the engine was installed in 1957, however the engine was built in 1942 (confirmed by Lloyd's Register of 1963) so was no doubt war surplus.

[Timerover51]

So who, if anyone, owns it presently, or does the dock own it for docking fees?

[William Lafferty]

Polana 126930. Steel quarantine cutter launched 4 April 1911 at Kingston, Ontario, by the Kingston SBCoLtd as hull no. 1 for the Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario. 107.3 x 23 x 12.6; 296 gt, 86 nt; compound steam engine, 18-36 x 24," 400-hp, by builder; one oil-fired Scotch boiler, 13 x 12.5,' 130 psi wp. Intended to meet vessels at Québec carrying persons with infectious diseases, stationed at Grosse-Isle. Transferred 1923 to the Minister of Marine and Fisheries (later Minister of Transport), Ottawa, Ontario, and renamed Jalobert, used as a pilot boat at Pointe-au-Père, Québec; tonnage change: 278 gt, 95 nt. Transferred 1941 to the Royal Canadian Navy and commissioned as HMCS Jalobert. Returned to the Minister of Transport, 1942. Sold 1954 to the Hamilton Harbour Commission for use as a ferry and renamed Macassa [ii]; tonnage change: 248 gt, 169 nt. Repowered 1957 with a 4-cylinder ALCO Diesel, 14 x 23.5," built 1942, 720-bhp. Sold 1965 to Waterman's Services Ltd., Toronto, and renamed Queen City. Sold 1972 to Tugs Ltd., Toronto. Registration closed 8 January 1981. Used as the Tugboat Restaurant, Winsdor, Ontario. Sank at dock 19 March 1992 and raised. Since abandoned at 95 St. Jean Street, Detroit.

Attached are photographs of her launching from the Kingston City Archives, as the pilotboat Jalobert from my collection, and at Hamilton as Macassa from the Hamilton City Archives.

[Mr Link]

Three photos from the October 27, 2002 Boatnerd News Page. Photos by Mike Nicholls.

[George Lee]

Built 1911 in Kingston, Ontario as Polana for Government of Canada, Department of Public Works. Has had several owners over the years. Renamed Jalobert in 1930, Macassa in 1954. Originally steam, was repowered in 1957 with a single 4 cylinder 720 hp ALCO diesel.

[Guest]

I have many fond memories as a 19 year old starting our evenings in Windsor with a cold Labatt's and the panoramic view of the river from the upper deck.

Anyone have pictures they can post here or send to [email protected] ?

[Guest II]

The data base states that the vessel served as a quarantine site until 1930 under the name Polana. I wonder who/what was quarantined aboard the vessel. Sometime after that it became a restaurant?? Can't imagine eating there. Registration was closed in 1981. Can't help but wonder would why it be kept all these years with no apparent purpose?

[Guest]

Appears to be the tug Polana - can't figure out how to include links here, but search BGSU and you'll find her.

[guest]

Beautiful houses with a view of. for lack of better terms looks like a garbage dump

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That was a lot quieter, more secluded slip before those condo's and houses were built.

Its just typical of the conflicts that occur when expensive houses and condos are built in areas that have been zoned and used for heavy industry for over 100 years. The Queen City, the power plant just east of the condos, and the chemical plant at the end of the street were all there long before the condos were ever contemplated.

I'm sure time and money will eventually gentrify most of that neighborhood. Unfortunately it is also driving out all the low cost waterfront housing that once dotted the area, interspersed with the factories and docks.

[j L]

Queen City, former tug and floating restaurant

[MattJ]

Beautiful houses with a view of. for lack of better terms looks like a garbage dump

[Detguy]

That is the former tugboat restaurant that was in Windsor ,Ontario back in the 1980's. It was towed to the American side back in the early 2000's I believe. I'll try and post some pictures later of this tow.

[Don Detloff]

I don't know the name, but here is a better view from Bing Maps. Maybe that will help someone to identify it.

[Guest]

Mystery yacht:


http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r1snw3 ... 0yacht____

[Middle rouge]

Was recently on google earth. looking around the area in detroit known as the marina district, which is near the old Connors Creek power plant, I noticed this yacht
Anyone have any info? by the looks of it, its been there a while, and it doesn't look like its going anywhere either, as the boat behind it apears to have sank where she sits.
I know this isn't a great view. will look elsewhere for a better view of it.