The MS Chi-Cheemaun opens for the season
On Tuesday, vehicles lined up to be on the first trip of the season aboard the MS Chi-Cheemaun, which sails the water from Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island.
"Normally, I'm up May 24 to open the cottage, but now I have to do it now because I think I cancelled it three times, so finally we are going," said cottager, Alfred Vanderheydt.
The 111-meter ship has capacity for more than 600 people, but that number has been limited to 200 to ensure social distancing requirements are met.
Passengers are required to wear masks at all times while onboard. As of Tuesday, the ferry will be running three times daily all summer long.
Kaleena Sanford with the Owen Sound Transporation Company says the ferry will run from Tobermory at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. It then runs from South Baymouth to Tobermory at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Pre-paid reservations are mandatory and can be made online or by phone up to four hours before a scheduled departure depending on availability. Travellers should arrive at least one hour beforehand, and camping is not permitted at the ferry terminals.
The ferry can accommodate everything from walk-on passengers to motorcycles and even tractor-trailers transporting essential goods. The ferry is also essential for tourism in the region.
"With Covid, you can't take flights anywhere, and all of our friends have been telling us to come here, and this is the perfect timing, said newly-wed Jacob Prodan." "We are going to take a week off, and we are going to enjoy everything we can and do as much hiking and sightseeing as we can."
With the ferry up and running and provincial restrictions starting to lift, businesses around the harbour anticipate a busy weekend ahead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.