Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Champagne was doused on the bow of the Norman Paul on Tuesday afternoon, an official christening of sorts for the Waterfront River Pub and Terrace’s tour boat.
Napanee restaurant owners Alain Roy and Jane Adams-Roy led the official toast on the dock of the Waterfront Pub. After the bubbly was popped they welcomed members of town council, fellow business owners, regional tourism promoters and local media onboard the 48-passenger pontoon boat for a leisurely cruise along the Napanee River.
The fall colours seen from the Napanee River. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
The Waterfront began offering tours late this summer and is set to wrap up its first unofficial tour boat season Oct. 17. They wanted to work out all the details before holding an official launch event.
“This was our beta summer,” said Adams-Roy. “We didn’t know what we were doing. So we used this summer to figure it out.”
It would seem they got the formula right as the tours have proven to be a popular attraction for both tourists and longtime residents. Going forward the plan is to serve lunches on dinners aboard the boat with a tour that runs from the restaurant to the mouth of the Mohawk Bay, running about 90 minutes.
A blue heron glides over the Napanee River. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Offering boat tours has long been a dream of Adams-Roy, who was struck with inspiration while on a trip in Malta.
“After travelling to a number of places and taken many a boat tours around cities and country sides and we decided it might be really fun and cool (to have one in Napanee),” she recalled.
Getting a boat proved easier said than done, as they aren’t the type of thing that can simply be purchased and shipped to Canada. Ultimately they decided to have one custom built-which was met with a different set of challenges ranging from an aluminum shortage to a lack of skilled workers. Undeterred, the couple continued to forge ahead and found a way to make it work.
The name of the ship is a tribute to their fathers, with a bit of local history added.
“The Norman actually was a barge that went up and down the Napanee River right from here up to Deseronto in the 1800s,” said Adams-Roy. “It’s also my dad’s name who I lost in 1994, he and I were really close. Alain was close with him as well. When we went to register her last spring, the Norman Deux was already ready registered in Quebec, so we couldn’t. But we lost Alain’s dad (Paul) last March and so we decided to call it the Norman Paul.”
Through all the challenges, Adams-Roy says it was more than worth it.
“It’s a gorgeous and beautiful river and I’m so happy that we brought this to fruition,” she added.
A pair of swans drift along the river. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Startled ducks scatter from the water. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.