New pontoon boat to ferry public to Peche Island

Hourly service to old Hiram Walker estate is scheduled to begin at the end of May

The city’s new pontoon boat arrived Friday, with plans to begin ferrying passengers to Peche Island in about a month. “We’re on track to begin it at the end of May,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said Friday in an update of his $1-million plan to make the city-owned “gem” of an island accessible to all residents.

The boat itself cost well under $100,000, even when life jackets, flares and other essentials are included, he said. The rest of the money is being used to prepare the uninhabited island for visitors, including improvements to the trails and dock, and providing signage.

Up to now, you had to have a boat, canoe or kayak to get to the 86-acre island, the former summer residence of whisky baron Hiram Walker, which is filled with canals and the ruins of a 40-room mansion. It has been left to regenerate to its natural state in recent years and is lush with forests and wetlands. The city took it over from the province in 1999. It’s located in the Detroit River at Lake St. Clair. The $1 million was part of this year’s enhanced capital budget. City crews are already working there, fixing the trails and dock and erecting new signs. The boat will operate out of Lakeview Marina, providing hourly service on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the mayor said. The fee for the round-trip service has not yet been determined.

The city is still working out how many passengers the new boat can take based on Transport Canada regulations, but it will be somewhere between six and 12 people, plus their bikes and other gear, according to the mayor.

If the boat can only accommodate six passengers, the frequency of the trips will likely be increased.

The mayor said the boat operator will be keeping a list of everyone taken to the island, so no one is left there after the final trip back at the end of the day.

He said city staff are currently preparing a campaign to notify the public about the details of the new service.

NICK BRANCACCIO Jan Wilson, the city’s corporate leader for parks, recreation, culture and facilities, checks out a new 23-foot Princecraft pontoon boat at Lakeview Park Marina. The boat will ferry passengers between the Windsor shoreline and Peche Island.