from the Canadian Museum of Water
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Title: Simcoe County Heritage Groups Partner to Acquire Wooden Boat with a Message and a Mission: Atlantic Challenge gig Diversité coming to Georgian Bay
The Canadian Museum of Water and the Georgian Bay Heritage League announced today their joint acquisition of “DIVERSITÉ” an Atlantic Challenge class Bantry Bay gig to support their environmental, education, historic boat, and training programs. The arrival of Diversité will be celebrated at the Huronia Museum, Midland on Saturday, September 16th with the Red Hot Stove Pipe Band from 1pm.
The Georgian Bay Heritage League and the Canadian Museum of Water have joined forces to acquire an 11.5-metre wooden rowing craft steeped in heritage and tradition.
Built in 2010 by renowned Canadian wooden boatbuilder Peter Code, the Diversité was originally constructed for a youth organization in Mississauga. It became available earlier this year and Basil Lafrenier, President of the GBHL, moved quickly to acquire it.
“Many will know that the GBHL has been restoring, repairing and exhibiting wooden boats for over 20 years. The Diversité, although a relatively new build, embodies all that we’re interested in and also carries a message of heritage and craftsmanship that is completely aligned with our message,” said Lafreniere.
For the Canadian Museum of Water, a digital museum operated from Port McNicoll and part of an international network of water museums under the UNESCO banner, the partnership to acquire Diversité was also logical.
According to Water Museum president Dan Travers, acquiring the gig is a major step for the initiative: “Since our museum was founded in 2020, we’ve been looking for ways to fulfill our mandate for the appreciation and stewardship of water from the earliest times to the present day. We’re excited to acquire Diversité with the GBHL because it not only addresses our mandate, but provides a visible symbol for our work going forward.”
The vessel, described as a gig, and is patterned on a design based on a French Navy admiral’s barge that was captured in Ireland in 1796. The design was carried forward in 1984 when the first replica was built for youth development and adventure by Lance Lee of Maine.
CMW Director Donald Mitchell said “the acquisition will expand our community reach and youth programming”; “as we enter our third year of the museum’s business plan Diversité will enhance our physical presence as a not for profit organization, and as a registered charity by the end of the fiscal year.”
The groups have no immediate plans to operate the vessel as an active participant within the international Atlantic Challenge movement, but it is a possibility in the future. There are some 80 vessels built to the same design in over 15 countries worldwide including six in Canada and one operating out of Midland. Representing their communities and countries, they are sailed by teams of ten youth oarsmen and gather regularly for competitions, youth development and international goodwill.
We need to get to work fist, said Lafreniere. “We’ll see what we’ve got, address any immediate concerns for maintenance and preservation and then move to displaying and developing programming for it.”
The vessel arrived to a champagne reception at the GBHL’s workshop/facility in Perkinsfield on September 12th and will be on display at the Heritage Boat Show at Huronia Museum from 1-9pm on Saturday, September 16th. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the event and view the boat for themselves, which will also feature several other historic boats in the possession of the Heritage League.
For follow-up, please contact CMW President Dan Travers at 705-794-3980 or dan.travers@canadianmuseumofwater.org
Further Information:
- The Canadian Museum of Water: was established in 2022 to provide a focal point for advocacy and for water-related initiatives in Canada. From a unique Canadian perspective, the telling of the story of water spans a timeline that is centuries old, from the earliest First Nations through to the Industrial Era and on to contemporary Canada. The Canadian Museum of Water is a member of the Global Network of Water Museums – a UNESCO Flagship Initiative. https://www.canadianmuseumofwater.org/
- The Georgian Bay Heritage League is an organization devoted to restoring and preserving wooden boats. They are in possession of a number of boats obtained in collaboration with the Huronia Museum (Midland, Ontario), some completed and others waiting for attention. The GBHL displays its boats, either during public events (city festivals) or in specialized settings (such as vintage boat shows). They are always on the lookout for opportunities to sponsor organizations that require assistance in fulfilling their own mandate if related to marine heritage. www.gbhl.ca
- UNESCO Hydrologic Program: The Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET) is a ‘flagship initiative’ of UNESCO-IHP (Intergovernmental Hydrological Program) which aims at fostering water awareness education.
- WAMU-NET Water Museums Global Network is established to re-connect people with all forms of water legacy (both natural and cultural heritages) and highlight the natural, social, cultural, artistic, and spiritual dimensions related to water and inherited form the past.
- The Atlantic Challenge Program Atlantic Challenge International began in 1984 with the belief that youth and the nations they represent gain immeasurably from direct, exhilarating experience; from immersion in skilled enterprise, and most of all from contact with their peers in other cultures through such experience. https://www.atlanticchallenge.org
Huronia Museum 