Saugeen Shores Fire Service was called out on Tuesday, September 6th for a water-related distress call as the local Fire Service is fully trained in water rescue.
The unusual call however involved the tour boat, the ‘Peerless’ that had developed engine difficulty while on a tour to Chantry Island. The Marine Heritage Society is the only government sanctioned group allowed to conduct tours to Chantry Island, which is a Federally designated Bird Sanctuary.
Although the engine problem was minor, with no power, the Peerless began to drift to the south end of Chantry Island where it threw out anchor. The Fire Service launched its water rescue Zodiac in the event it may have to transport those aboard the Peerless.
Fortunately, at the time however, the renowned Great Lakes ‘Lighthouse Bill’ and his crew, who work for the Ministry of Oceans & Fisheries maintaining and at times refurbishing lighthouses, were also on the Island tending to the maintenance of the Chantry Island Imperial lighthouse. When alerted to the predicament of the Peerless, ‘Lighthouse Bill’ and crew reached out and latched on to the Peerless and began towing her back to Southampton harbour.
When they reached the harbour mouth, the tow line was let go and the Peerless docked under her own power. “We didn’t want to let go of the tow line until we reached the harbour mouth,” said Lighthouse Bill. “Once in the harbour, we knew the Peerless could make it back to dock on her own.”
As the tour group disembarked, they were in exceptional spirits. “We cannot say enough about how professional the entire crew was,” said one of the tour visitors. “They were so calm and knowledgable that we never once doubted the situation.”
