Halifax says farewell to Theodore TOO
HALIFAX — Halifax bid a fond bon voyage to beloved waterfront icon Theodore TOO on Thursday morning, as the big-eyed, smiling tugboat set sail from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for his new home on Lake Ontario.
About a dozen onlookers lined the wharf as the fullsize replica of children's TV seagoing star Theodore Tugboat hit the waves. At first, he headed north towards the MacKay Bridge, before turning around to perform a sail past accompanied by the harbour's tugboat fleet in a V-formation.
When he reaches his new berth in Hamilton, the 21-year-old vessel built in Dayspring, Lunenburg County will undergo an engine refit so he will run on biodiesel, to suit his upcoming role as an ambassador for the sustainable, environmentally friendly use of water with the group Swim Drink Fish, as well as promoting careers in marine industries where there is currently a shortage of workers.
Theodore TOO was sold in March by Ambassatours Gray Lines to Breakwater Investments CEO Blair McKeil, who has family ties to Pugwash and a longstanding family tradition of involvement in shipbuilding and marine industries. On Thursday, he said Theodore TOO's list of duties will also include being an ambassador for Nova Scotia tourism, and is expected to return to the East Coast for periodic visits in years to come.
The boat's final glimpse of the Nova Scotia coastline will come on Saturday morning, after Theodore passes through the Strait of Canso, en route to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, around 9 a.m. Fans can keep tabs on the beloved tugboat's future voyages by using the Vessel Finder website and app or by following the #TheosGreatLakesAdventure hashtag on social media.