Comments (0) I didn’t want to overload you with pics in the last post about the Grande Hermine, so here are the other ones that I have on my computer. If/when I ever find some pre-digital camera pics, I’ll be sure to scan them and post them here too. It’s crazy to look at the pre and post fire pics and see where all of the now missing wooden decks used to be.
Early spring 2004:
Summer 2005:
Side of the ship – 2005:
For over a decade, I’ve had a favorite roadside attraction / landmark on the trip up north. Between kilometer markers 55 and 57 on the QEW in Jordan, rests the once beautiful and majestic Grande Hermine. Some know it as the pirate ship on the way to Toronto, some are just confused by it, and a surprising amount of people get off of the busy highway to try to figure out what on earth it is.
The Grande Hermine was built in 1914 and it was used as a ferry in the St. Lawrence River. In the early ’90s, it was converted to a beautiful pirate-esque boat. Wood was added everywhere and masts with sails were added too. The goal of all of the extra wood was to make it look like La Grande Hermine, the ship that sailed around exploring the St. Lawrence River way back in the 1500s. Wood wasn’t just added to the boat though. A big kitchen, freezers, refrigerators, and cooking stuff were also added because it was converted to be a floating restaurant!
I’m not sure if the restaurant ever opened or not, but it was towed into the Jordan Harbor in 1997 and was just left by their marina. It leans sort of sideways and just stays there year after year. Ever since its great arrival, I’ve been fascinated by it. I try to stop by at least once a year to take a picture of it.
In 2003, vandals set the Grande Hermine on fire. Most of the wood exterior and decks were burnt off and the interior was gutted. I still stop by though as often as I can. Below are some pics that I have taken over the years of this lovely boat. I’ll add some more pics in another post too.
Here are some links for more info on the ship:
-An article about the boat
-Pics of the inside of the ship – before the fire
-A photographer’s pics of it before the fire – look at the exterior of the stern where there were a couple of staff cabins and a ballroom – wow!
Me in 2002 with the Grande Hermine:
from the side, you can see it’s lovely wooden decks:
and in 2003, after the fire:
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