- 3 months ago
Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale (2022) is a nostalgic documentary that tells the story of the iconic Boblo Island ferries, which carried generations of families to the beloved amusement park. Narrated with charm and filled with archival footage, interviews, and heartfelt memories, the film celebrates a treasured piece of Detroit’s cultural history. It’s a touching reminder of community, tradition, and the joy of shared experiences.
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00:00:21This river is my home.
00:00:24I can tell you the names of every current and eddy
00:00:31that flows along the shores of Boblo Island.
00:00:35People call me Columbia.
00:00:38And yes, I do have a sister.
00:00:42Claire.
00:00:45We used to race this old river every summer.
00:00:54If you're from Southeast Michigan or the tip of Ontario,
00:00:59you may have caught a piece of our story.
00:01:02A memory glinting in your mother's eyes.
00:01:06An old sign by the river, fading but not forgotten.
00:01:11Some say we're now haunted by the spirits of passengers long since departed.
00:01:19Others less romantic claim we've been torn up and sold for scrap.
00:01:25But Claire and I know the truth.
00:01:28I want to tell you a story.
00:01:30You might say it's a Detroit fairy tale starring the oldest surviving passenger steamboats in America.
00:01:40The sister ships of Boblo Island.
00:01:43Once upon a time, they called our city the Paris of the Midwest.
00:02:05It seemed like all eyes were on us.
00:02:07Our cars could take you wherever you wanted to go.
00:02:12And our music made the ride that much better.
00:02:16But the most magical ride each year was the summer voyage to Boblo Island.
00:02:27Boblo had the Boblo bear.
00:02:30Well, ride the train. Remember riding the train around the island?
00:02:32Oh yeah, oh yeah.
00:02:33Roller coaster run.
00:02:37I remember the first time I was truly scared to death was on their roller coaster.
00:02:41And looking back, it wasn't that big, but back then it was like, it was a monster.
00:02:46The Boblo experience was the boat ride there.
00:02:50Getting on the boat, giving the man a little ticket, and you on the boat, you having fun, you partying.
00:02:54There was actually a Supreme Court ruling about integration on the Boblo boat that really did start to change history in America.
00:03:04Boblo Island is a Canadian island.
00:03:07This is how you know he's telling the truth.
00:03:08You know, you left the country, you know, because you got in a boat, you traveled across the river.
00:03:12It was really magical.
00:03:14For 80 years, we were on a dedicated hour and a half tour between downtown Detroit and Boblo Island.
00:03:23Although the park closed down in 1993, the memories live on.
00:03:27Fifty Cub Scouts running around on the boat and we'd run up to Captain Boblo and say,
00:03:32Can we have a coloring book? Can we have a coloring book?
00:03:34Captain Boblo, you know, he was maybe four foot four inches.
00:03:38I want to say his name was Joe Short.
00:03:40Don't quote me on that, I think that was his name, yeah.
00:03:43He was like kid size, so that made him not scary.
00:03:46My favorite thing ever was the third floor dance floor.
00:03:50Those were my jams.
00:03:51I'll go into a pub now and I go to the jukebox.
00:03:54My girlfriend say, you're not doing the Boblo boat music, are you?
00:03:57And I'm like, oh yes, oh yes, it's going to happen.
00:04:00I always wanted to hover near an exit so that if we didn't have enough life jackets, I could get off the boat and tread water.
00:04:08We were skiing around the Boblo boat naked, watching people running from one side of the boat to the other, to the point where the boat was listing.
00:04:19Sorry, mom.
00:04:21The best part though was taking the moonlight cruises.
00:04:25The boat would be full, but you could always find that one nook, that one little corner somewhere where you could sit and put your arm around your girl.
00:04:33Her name was Serena Artiago.
00:04:36We hugged and stopped.
00:04:39Were you on there as a young teenager kissing the boys in a hidden section of the boat?
00:04:43I mean, at one time I'm sure I was.
00:04:45You only get to spend a few hours with them, then you never see them again.
00:04:48You never see them again.
00:04:49You never see them again.
00:04:50That was one good thing, you know?
00:04:52It was a part of summer.
00:04:53It was a changing of the season.
00:04:55Some people watched for the Robins to come back.
00:04:57All the kids waited to hear the Boblo boat whistle.
00:05:00They hardly let our boilers cool overnight, and that's the way I liked it.
00:05:12But we should have known that the spell wouldn't last forever.
00:05:22All right, well, welcome to the Boblo boat St. Clair.
00:05:23This is Kevin Mary, Tony Lagenis, and let's just go take a walk and show you the different things on the St. Clair.
00:05:35What is it, 105 years old now?
00:05:36Mm-hmm.
00:05:37It's a 105-year-old engine, so it's actually older than Titanic.
00:05:38This is the mechanism that used to pick the anchors down and up.
00:05:39It was steam operated.
00:05:40But it was our backup plan, so in case we ever started drifting away, we would just unlock
00:05:42it and let the anchors drop.
00:05:43This is the part of the ship that everyone remembers, especially when you were a kid,
00:06:02everybody remembers going up the grand staircase, so I think this is the necesert map from James
00:06:09Especially when you were a kid.
00:06:10Everybody remembers going up the grand staircase.
00:06:12You know how it's a nice brass railing.
00:06:15You can see how beautiful this was.
00:06:17All right, let's go upstairs.
00:06:21So here's the team.
00:06:24I own the boat.
00:06:26I'm the primary finance behind the project, okay?
00:06:29So Mike Lewinsky, actually,
00:06:31he's been with the boat project longer than anybody.
00:06:33If I come on the ship and say,
00:06:34Ski, is there any place that's weak right now?
00:06:37Don't tell me exactly what's changed
00:06:39from when I was out previously, maybe three days ago.
00:06:41He knows that structure.
00:06:43Tony, first of all, knows a lot of people downriver.
00:06:47The best trait that he has is
00:06:48he's not afraid to ask for something.
00:06:50Kevin does all the marketing and the publicity.
00:06:52When he gets in front of the camera,
00:06:54he's got a good smile, he likes it.
00:06:56I think Kevin more than anybody.
00:06:58I mean, everyone, whoever's gonna watch this
00:07:00is gonna hear, oh yeah, I love Babu, I miss Babu.
00:07:03But Kevin would have to be at the top of that list.
00:07:07I've been building this and collecting it since 1989.
00:07:16It's not the exact layout of Babu Island.
00:07:19That's probably because I got probably twice as many rides
00:07:22as Babu Island, so I call it my future Babu.
00:07:29I found a picture of me and my mom on one of the boats.
00:07:32I was about six months old, wearing a Babu cap.
00:07:37And then when I turned 18, the first thing I did
00:07:39was go down to the boat dock and apply for a job.
00:07:41There's my uniform right there.
00:07:43This is the uniform that we had to wear
00:07:45while working on the boat.
00:07:47I worked in the concession stand right across
00:07:51from the bandstand area or the DJ booth.
00:07:54We worked 18 hour days every other day.
00:07:56We got there first thing in the morning.
00:07:58We had to get the hot dogs going, the popcorn,
00:08:01things like that, but it didn't feel like work.
00:08:03Even now, when you go on that ship,
00:08:07all your problems seem to go away, you know?
00:08:10It's the riding of the boat,
00:08:12the uniqueness of being on an island amusement park.
00:08:15It's like you're a kid again.
00:08:17So that's why if I can't have the island,
00:08:19I want to make the island here.
00:08:29This was an actual ride back in the late 60s, early 70s.
00:08:34And I mean, this thing looks cool at night.
00:08:36I mean, this thing looks cool at night.
00:08:40Bablo called it the bug, so that's what we call it.
00:08:44The bug.
00:08:45Get that dirt out of there.
00:08:50They're not going to get scared or sick on me, are they?
00:08:56Ah!
00:08:57But Genevieve, we have to figure out lunch tomorrow.
00:09:08Careful, careful.
00:09:10You know, like, it's been such a long road for us,
00:09:13like, going back to when he told me he bought the boat.
00:09:16You know, so he comes home, he's like, hey, babe.
00:09:18I'm like, hey, you know, whatever.
00:09:19He's like, remember the Babo boats?
00:09:21And I'm like, yeah, totally.
00:09:22I'm like, we had the best time on that.
00:09:24Like, all of us cousins would go, this and that.
00:09:26He's like, I just bought one.
00:09:28I'm like, what?
00:09:29I'm like, excuse me?
00:09:31Great.
00:09:32Thinking, and then I saw a picture of it, and I'm like,
00:09:34you bought what?
00:09:34You bought this?
00:09:35And I'm like, are you crazy?
00:09:36I'm like, oh my gosh.
00:09:37I'm like, what are we going to do?
00:09:39OK.
00:09:40Nice deep breath in and out through your mouth.
00:09:42Never as a child did I ever think about or dream about
00:09:46owning the boat.
00:09:48It's my own nostalgia that I have for the boat.
00:09:52My kids, you know what I mean?
00:09:54I want to pass this on to them.
00:09:56Ron works every single day.
00:09:59He'll come home at 7, totally hangs out with the kids
00:10:02and plays with them.
00:10:06Yeah, we don't go out much anymore, have date night anymore,
00:10:09whatever, so to say.
00:10:11Where's Jonathan?
00:10:12And nonstop phone calls.
00:10:13He gets phone calls all night long.
00:10:15I don't think he's had a full night's sleep in over a year.
00:10:17Meow.
00:10:18Is that a cat in the house?
00:10:20Meow.
00:10:21I mean, it's tiring.
00:10:22It's a lot.
00:10:22Like, the average person could not handle what he handles,
00:10:26100%.
00:10:27There was definitely times where the boat was more of a burden
00:10:35than a good thing.
00:10:36You know, it was financially stressful.
00:10:39But he doesn't let obstacles get him down.
00:10:42Even, like, a few summers ago, he had a brain tumor.
00:10:46And, like, that just came out of nowhere and totally just, like,
00:10:49a crazy experience for us.
00:10:51I mean, he had to, like, he would sit there and write the alphabet
00:10:55over and over to get his penmanship back and his handwriting.
00:10:59And, you know, he's just very determined.
00:11:01And, like, when he puts his mind to something, that's it.
00:11:04He does it.
00:11:05Cancer survivors don't always talk about that.
00:11:07They always want to talk about that.
00:11:09You know, I, too, am a cancer survivor.
00:11:11So I don't know, not everybody knows it, so, you know.
00:11:14But there was a time when he wasn't too sure about things.
00:11:18You know, Ron called me and, you know, you know,
00:11:21he told me he wasn't doing good.
00:11:23He's got all kinds of tubes coming off him, tons of IVs going into him.
00:11:27And it's like, you know, this ain't the same person I'm used to talking to.
00:11:31And it was, like, 4.30 in the morning.
00:11:32And he's like, are you awake?
00:11:33And I'm like, yeah, I'm awake.
00:11:34I'm at work.
00:11:35He's like, yeah, I got bad news.
00:11:37I think we're going to scrap the boat.
00:11:39And he's like, he's like, my health isn't the greatest.
00:11:41And you can't own this boat by yourself.
00:11:44I'm like, true.
00:11:46So he's like, at this time, I'm thinking we're going to scrap the project.
00:11:50After about a week, he's like, no, we're not going to scrap it.
00:11:53He's like, did you cut anything off yet?
00:11:55Nope, I didn't cut anything off.
00:11:56Just measured.
00:11:57He's like, yeah, that's fine.
00:11:58We're going to keep the boat.
00:11:59Okay.
00:12:01And that was the end of that conversation.
00:12:04I'm a very hands-on.
00:12:06I like to do everything on my own, which, you know, it's good.
00:12:09You're involved.
00:12:09But a negative side to that is that you can get overwhelmed.
00:12:13So I've been giving Kevin more and more tasks that he's very comfortable with doing
00:12:18and that I'm comfortable with him doing.
00:12:20He can literally devote all his time to this.
00:12:23If we had 100 people like Kevin, this would have been done probably 10 years ago.
00:12:29After the work is completed on the St. Clair, this is one of the places that we're thinking
00:12:34of having her as a dockside attraction.
00:12:36Utilizing the ship for public events, weddings and proms and graduations and corporate parties,
00:12:43the food, dining, a Bible gift shop, the museum itself.
00:12:47And we'd also like to, you know, reach out to a lot of the senior homes in the area and
00:12:52stuff like that and bring them all on down here.
00:12:55You know, they could be on the second deck playing bingo, listening to, you know, the
00:12:59oldies, Steve Miller, maybe some polkas, things like that, that they remember.
00:13:04We're at that point, you know, we don't want to give up on the boat, just like people don't
00:13:07want to give up on the city.
00:13:07And it's small changes.
00:13:10Clearly, if you go, you know, for those who haven't been in Detroit in a long time, if
00:13:13you go down there now, I mean, there are new buildings, new stadium, you know, they're
00:13:17bringing the railway system.
00:13:18We know a lot's going down the city.
00:13:19I mean, same thing for us.
00:13:21It's a humongous job.
00:13:23You know, I'll be the first to admit, do I want this boat back like three weeks ago?
00:13:28Heck yeah.
00:13:29But I know that's not a reality.
00:13:31Everybody wants to have a comment.
00:13:33You know, they don't take a look at the people individually and say, well, what's really
00:13:35going on, why did this happen, and it's all about, well, the boat should have been done
00:13:38by now, okay, well, great.
00:13:40Let's see what you can do that I couldn't do with all the obstacles I've had.
00:13:44But if anybody's going to do it, we are.
00:13:48That's right.
00:13:49Right?
00:13:56Hey!
00:13:57Well, well, there goes that.
00:14:00It isn't because I'm heavy.
00:14:04Whoa!
00:14:05We met in 1988 at a nightclub called Nectarine Ballroom in Ann Arbor.
00:14:12We went dancing, and then I got his phone number, and we started dating, and it just
00:14:18went on from there.
00:14:25We're opposites, but we're not.
00:14:26You know, we have the, we love each other to a point where we know our differences, and
00:14:30we know where we start, we end.
00:14:32And I think we both have that fire for life, and I think that's what brings us, keeps us
00:14:38together.
00:14:39I never went to Bablow Island, only once or twice as a child, but he brought me into
00:14:48that world.
00:14:49And he got an invitation to go to a Bablow reunion, and he wasn't going to go.
00:14:54And I said, you better go, because you love Bablow Island.
00:14:57You better be there.
00:14:58He just was so upset when the boat closed and reliving those memories.
00:15:03But I'm glad we went to the reunion.
00:15:06We had a lot of fun.
00:15:07Had a lot of fun.
00:15:08Met the owner of the boat, Ron Kutu, and we started volunteering on the boat.
00:15:13I became a volunteer, started working on the boat, and Ron asked me if I'd be the volunteer
00:15:18coordinator.
00:15:19I would email him, hey, we're going to work at the boat on this day, from this time to
00:15:23this time, and this is what we're going to do.
00:15:24I also became the general manager, designing a lot of the souvenirs that we sold at different
00:15:29events and shows and whatnot to raise money to help the project out.
00:15:35Seriously, when the island went under and stuff like that, I was devastated.
00:15:40Like I said, that whole thing, it's just like losing a family member.
00:15:44A lot of people think I'm crazy, but I never want to see that island again.
00:15:52From what I hear where the amusement park was, they've let it go.
00:15:58The buildings are falling down.
00:15:59They've been vandalized.
00:16:01You know, the Space Needle is still there.
00:16:03That's the only ride that's still there, but I want to remember it the way it was.
00:16:08I don't want to see it the way it looks now.
00:16:22This dock is where my work as a ferryboat stopped, and the island took over.
00:16:39That is huge.
00:16:53That is absolutely huge.
00:16:55In 1600, in the very early days, the French came over and started trading with the native
00:17:02peoples, the Courier de Bois, or the French woodsman, they named Babelow based upon the
00:17:08white wood of the basswood tree, Tilia Americana.
00:17:13So sure enough, Babelow Island, Bois Blanc, is probably just a mispronunciation of the French
00:17:19because it is difficult for English-speaking people for that French pronunciation of Bois Blanc.
00:17:24It's called Babelow, pronounced it Babelow, but it's based on the basswood tree.
00:17:31It does not take long for nature to actually take this back from a mowed and manicured state.
00:17:39That is an amenity to those who now live in this wonderful residential development on the
00:17:46north end of the island.
00:17:46I heard that they built mansions over where Babelow used to be, and that's unfortunate.
00:18:02I really wish we still had Babelow.
00:18:04It gives Detroiters something to do instead of just hanging out in the streets.
00:18:09Kids' first experiences going on a boat was very likely to Columbia and the St. Clair
00:18:14for people living in this area.
00:18:15Babelow was in the inner sea, you know what I'm saying, for the inner city kids.
00:18:21Like, oh, we're going to Babelow, you know.
00:18:23This is a part of history.
00:18:25When Babelow Island closed down in 1993, no one had any use for two old amusement park
00:18:33stingboats.
00:18:36Claire and I fell into a deep slumber.
00:18:39It seemed like even the motor city itself was fast asleep.
00:18:44Shops closed their doors.
00:18:46The streets were deserted.
00:18:49The fires of the factory furnaces grew cold.
00:18:53The river slowed, even down to the fish.
00:18:56And there we were, the oldest passenger steamboats in America, slumbering away.
00:19:04You look at something like that, sitting and moldering away, and it's a little like seeing
00:19:12Aunt Sadie in the hospital dying of cancer.
00:19:15I used to get the feeling from her.
00:19:17She was so lonely.
00:19:20She just hated sitting there.
00:19:23Detroiters as a whole feel really sad.
00:19:25I feel sad.
00:19:26Anybody that I knew in the family and friends are sad that we don't have this in our life
00:19:32anymore.
00:19:33There's not so many folks still around who remember a different side to Babelow.
00:19:40All these good times have a way of washing away the things people just assume to forget.
00:19:45It has a place in civil rights history.
00:19:50I did not know that.
00:19:51I don't think your average person who attended Babelow Island or rode on the boats ever knew
00:19:55that.
00:19:57But I was there.
00:20:00And I'll never forget Sarah.
00:20:03Sarah Elizabeth Ray was working in a city ordinance department.
00:20:09And that department had a special program where people could get extra training.
00:20:12And she was the only African-American in the group.
00:20:16So for their graduation, they decided they were going to ride the Babelow boat.
00:20:22I assumed everything had been segregated at some point.
00:20:25So I wasn't shocked that it was segregated.
00:20:29What's a little shocking to me is how quickly the Detroit community was willing to forget and
00:20:36forgive the racist history of the Babelow company.
00:20:42You're making people uncomfortable, miss.
00:20:46Well, that's their problem.
00:20:48Now is when you're supposed to get off my boat.
00:20:51That was a very deep cut, both to her as a human being, but also as a woman who had accomplished
00:21:06probably more than anybody in her family at that time.
00:21:09It's hard to imagine, like, the shame and embarrassment that she must have undergone in that moment.
00:21:19And there are people who kind of skulk away and don't fight.
00:21:23But for her, that was like, oh, no.
00:21:26You know, I've come too far.
00:21:29And they're not getting away with this.
00:21:30She went straight to the NAACP and reported what happened, and they took the case.
00:21:37And one thing that people don't know is that once the NAACP got involved, Thurgood Marshall
00:21:42actually got on the case.
00:21:44So according to the Michigan Civil Rights Act, you could not discriminate on the basis of race
00:21:48in public accommodations.
00:21:50But Babelow kept appealing.
00:21:52What the courts found is that it was a public accommodation, and they could not discriminate
00:21:58on the basis of race.
00:21:59So, woo-hoo!
00:22:01Sarah won.
00:22:04And that was sort of the end of that fight in that moment.
00:22:08But it had given Thurgood Marshall yet one more test of what was the Supreme Court's appetite
00:22:15for ruling that separate but equal in public accommodations and public spaces would be unconstitutional.
00:22:23And so his next trip to the Supreme Court was Brown v. Board of Education.
00:22:28So for real, Sarah Elizabeth Ray did pave the way for the change of law in the United States.
00:22:35Sarah spent the rest of her life fighting for racial justice in her eastside neighborhood.
00:22:41In 2006, she passed away, 88 years old, impoverished, and alone.
00:22:50Fifteen years later, her home still stands.
00:22:54And inside, the traces of Sarah's life remain, scattered in debris and refuse across the floor.
00:23:02My main concern right now is getting these decks clear, okay?
00:23:24And I'm like, see that?
00:23:24So this is Stephen Farage.
00:23:26He's my brother-in-law.
00:23:26He's my wife's brother.
00:23:27Stephen will be taking over the day-to-day responsibilities in terms of doing clean-up, maintenance.
00:23:35He'll be taking over the scheduling.
00:23:37So essentially, I go down there to the ship, make sure everything's going well.
00:23:43Really, what I want to do with those metal plates, just make a row.
00:23:47That way, it's somewhat protected here, okay?
00:23:49And then this room should be empty when it's done, okay?
00:23:51Right now, we want to preserve the boat.
00:23:54If you look at the boat now compared to eight years ago, there's been some big steps backwards.
00:23:59I'm here to stop that and make sure that we're progressing forward.
00:24:04My brother-in-law got this big project, and frankly, I don't think he really knew, you know, what was going on here.
00:24:10Slowly but surely, you know, we will get there.
00:24:21So I have a folder all about Sugar Island.
00:24:26I found what I think is going to be very pertinent.
00:24:31It's Sugar Island, the African-American amusement park that never was.
00:24:41In 1944, black Detroiters bought Sugar Island to develop a recreation site on 29 acres.
00:24:51They bought a ferry boat, Seabreeze, and picked up passengers in Wyandotte.
00:24:59They wouldn't be discriminated against, and it would be for their own people.
00:25:07They were going to bring bands like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington down to play for entertainment.
00:25:16But it didn't happen.
00:25:18It was said they were thwarted in their efforts.
00:25:23The power lines were cut, and the boat sunk.
00:25:28As far as the cause of the ship sinking, that remains a mystery to this day.
00:25:39Although there is consensus among downriver natives that the Seabreeze was intentionally sunk
00:25:47to thwart the efforts of the Sugar Island Amusement Corporation.
00:25:54There is no hard evidence supporting the story.
00:25:59Why does history have a tendency to remember some things while conveniently omitting others?
00:26:07That, on that corner right there, it used to be a very vibrant barbershop.
00:26:22Across the street.
00:26:23Across there, where you see all those trees.
00:26:25And we had apartment buildings.
00:26:27Yeah.
00:26:28Apartment buildings and what have you.
00:26:29There's nobody here anymore.
00:26:32You know, my mother-in-law is one of the last of the Mohegans around here.
00:26:36You know, she is the monarch in this neighborhood.
00:26:40Even though the house is so bolted up and burned out, this is where I live.
00:26:46Did you see this picture right here?
00:26:52That's all the people standing in line trying to get on the Bobolo boat.
00:26:55I met my husband over on the Bobolo boat.
00:26:59Now he's my husband.
00:27:01Now he's my husband.
00:27:04We need Detroit fix first before you can go fix a boat.
00:27:09I'm not against any, you know, the Bobolo boat.
00:27:12Don't get me wrong.
00:27:13I would love to see that.
00:27:15But before I see $10 million going to the Bobolo boat,
00:27:18I would like to see $10 million put into our neighborhood.
00:27:26Not everyone who left this city wanted to.
00:27:30Some stayed as long as they could.
00:27:33Until there was no other option.
00:27:36Claire and I waited for decades,
00:27:39hoping a prince would come to save us with his kiss.
00:27:44Praying our luck might finally change and we could witness Detroit's resurgence.
00:27:53The kiss came, but not without a price.
00:27:58I was bought by some folks out of New York.
00:28:01They seemed determined to breathe new life into me.
00:28:05In exchange, they wanted me to meet a new river.
00:28:09The Hudson.
00:28:11In order to have a new life,
00:28:13I was forced to leave all that I loved behind
00:28:16and sail into uncharted waters.
00:28:19You could not build this boat now.
00:28:29You couldn't do it sort of skill-wise.
00:28:31You couldn't do it from a regulatory standpoint.
00:28:34People's comfort and the experience was very much in the minds of the designers.
00:28:40The way the chairs, I mean the seats,
00:28:42you pick the seats up and you move them around.
00:28:44You get on a modern boat, the seats are all lined up.
00:28:46Who goes through the world like that by choice?
00:28:50It matters that she's had all those people treading upon her decks.
00:28:54It matters that she's made all those trips.
00:28:56That's why we're passionate.
00:28:57We plan to take Columbia to New York City and the Hudson River Valley.
00:29:07STEAM started there.
00:29:08STEAM essentially ended there with the Alexander Hamilton.
00:29:11So we want to bring STEAM back to the valley.
00:29:16Throughout her life, she was evolving.
00:29:19And it's only appropriate that we then continue that path,
00:29:22especially if she's the people's boat.
00:29:24Like, people change.
00:29:25And she's going to change along with them.
00:29:29My days in Detroit are numbered, but not over yet.
00:29:34They still have to finish patching my hull.
00:29:38Perhaps someday, I'll be sailing again.
00:29:42In New York, people will be able to get on board
00:29:45and experience long ago in the present.
00:29:49So she'll be like a floating time machine, in a sense.
00:29:54My dad took me on board when I was six years old for the first time.
00:30:01And the first place he took me was to the place
00:30:05where you can look down and watch the engine.
00:30:09The metal railing, the brass railing on the grand staircase,
00:30:13if you hold that and you open your palms and close your eyes and listen,
00:30:23you can hear, you can hear people.
00:30:28You can hear footsteps going up and down.
00:30:31You can hear the babble of people.
00:30:34The first time I did that, somebody was there that didn't understand what I was doing.
00:30:40She said, are you all right?
00:30:42I said, yeah, just let me be.
00:30:44I'm listening.
00:30:46Listening to what?
00:30:48I'm listening to history.
00:30:49When I had the mastoidectomy, I nearly died.
00:31:00I almost didn't come out of it.
00:31:02If you felt the bone behind my ear,
00:31:05you'd feel a depression where there was bone removed.
00:31:09And after that,
00:31:11I couldn't figure out what was happening to me
00:31:13because I was picking up everybody's feelings.
00:31:18I'd be feeling fine,
00:31:20walk down the street past somebody who had a headache
00:31:23or a stomachache or they were angry,
00:31:25and I would experience that.
00:31:33I don't know what it is,
00:31:37but the Columbia,
00:31:39she does talk to me from time to time.
00:31:43One time she said,
00:31:49restore my boilers,
00:31:50restore me.
00:31:51Restore my boilers.
00:31:53Restore me.
00:31:55Get my engine going.
00:31:58Put me in New York,
00:31:59and I'll show those youngsters a thing or two.
00:32:05She says these funny little things.
00:32:08She told me
00:32:09after they scraped
00:32:11all those zebra mussels off her hull
00:32:14that her bottom was the cleanest
00:32:16that it had been in years.
00:32:21But I've never had the St. Clair talk to me.
00:32:25And I'm not sure I would want that.
00:32:34Were her mass raised under a dark star?
00:32:39Her hull forged with sinister iron?
00:32:42If my sister isn't cursed,
00:32:46then why is she always caught
00:32:48between the devil and the deep blue sea?
00:32:51I think it was in the 20s
00:32:52that the boat stopped
00:32:54and picked up three bodies
00:32:55out of the river,
00:32:56and they brought them
00:32:57and put them in a certain room
00:32:58on the boat,
00:32:59and for years and years and years
00:33:01and years,
00:33:02everybody would tell you
00:33:02you'd see three light orbs
00:33:04shoom, shoom
00:33:05in and out of that room.
00:33:06We had that door nailed shut.
00:33:09We wouldn't let anybody go in that room.
00:33:10It was that creepy.
00:33:12A lot of people even would say
00:33:14they wouldn't ride on her.
00:33:15They would wait for the Columbia
00:33:17and not ride on the St. Clair.
00:33:20With ships,
00:33:22there's a lot of superstitions.
00:33:24When the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched,
00:33:27a huge wave crashed up
00:33:29against the dock,
00:33:30and a guy had a heart attack
00:33:31even and died.
00:33:34When the St. Clair was launched,
00:33:37she listed,
00:33:38and they all say
00:33:39these are bad omens.
00:33:41Ships do have souls.
00:33:42They do have heart.
00:33:44And they're like any kind of sisters.
00:33:45They both have
00:33:46a different personality.
00:33:47Columbia is a little more
00:33:50the stately older sister,
00:33:53and St. Clair has always been
00:33:56more of the party girl,
00:33:59younger sister.
00:34:00I'm a historian,
00:34:02and when I see something historic,
00:34:04I'd like to see it retain the history.
00:34:07And unfortunately,
00:34:08that doesn't exist for the St. Clair,
00:34:10where it does for the Columbia.
00:34:13They have taken off most of the historic parts of the ship.
00:34:17The pilot house was not in good shape,
00:34:20and they immediately took that off.
00:34:23So she kind of has lost her top,
00:34:26which is sad.
00:34:28Maybe because she's the younger sister,
00:34:29it won't be so bad.
00:34:30There's only one man in my life,
00:34:36and many people tell you that
00:34:37that wanted this boat
00:34:38and could have got that going,
00:34:39it's John Belko.
00:34:41To this day,
00:34:41he's still the only man.
00:34:42He would do it again in a heartbeat.
00:34:44I think that if John and Diane still had her,
00:34:48she'd be up and running.
00:34:50Okay.
00:34:53This shot here is one of my favorite shots.
00:34:57It's the very first day
00:35:00that I saw the St. Clair.
00:35:02Everything was in disarray.
00:35:03It just looked like she was, like, forgotten.
00:35:06When John told me
00:35:07he first wanted to do a haunted ship,
00:35:09I said, okay, go find a boat.
00:35:12Not thinking he would.
00:35:14Two new bloody floors
00:35:15with 35-foot slides to hell.
00:35:18The nightmare is open now.
00:35:19Building the nautical nightmare
00:35:20and bringing that to a reality
00:35:22was really a lot of fun.
00:35:24The folks that we hired were very good.
00:35:27We would literally have hundreds of people
00:35:29lined up prior to the opening each night.
00:35:33Scared someone so much on a dropped portrait
00:35:35that they vomited.
00:35:37And I pulled 50 bucks out of my pocket,
00:35:39I said, here, I want you to do it again.
00:35:42It was a ship
00:35:43that was essentially left for dead.
00:35:46So by making the ship even more dead,
00:35:49we were able to raise funding
00:35:50to work on the restorations.
00:35:53We had an incredible first year.
00:35:55I think this was taken probably
00:35:57two years into the project.
00:35:59Now it looks like this.
00:36:02The St. Clair ran through my veins
00:36:05every single day.
00:36:09And I had the utmost interest in her success.
00:36:15He became very emotionally attached to that boat.
00:36:19As he moved forward
00:36:21to do much more restoration
00:36:24than we ever agreed upon
00:36:26and the bills started coming back to Cleveland
00:36:29where I was living,
00:36:30you know, I was looking at bankruptcy.
00:36:33The decisions just weren't
00:36:35financially prudent
00:36:38and hadn't been for quite some time.
00:36:41Yeah.
00:36:42And we were estranged.
00:36:43Make no mistake about it.
00:36:44I fell in love with that boat
00:36:48and made a lot of things happen with it.
00:36:54And on the other side of it
00:36:56is that I ended up losing a lot.
00:37:03And she got the boat.
00:37:04She got the boat and the divorce.
00:37:06I got eliminated
00:37:08and knocked out of everything.
00:37:09So my high point
00:37:14and I say this partially in jest
00:37:17was when Ron said,
00:37:19yes, I'd like to buy the boat.
00:37:37Yeah, obviously we sit right next to Prax here.
00:37:39It's an oxygen manufacturing plant.
00:37:42So I can't do any work here.
00:37:44So, you know,
00:37:45we've been looking for a place to move to,
00:37:48you know, for almost eight months.
00:37:50And it's hard to find a spot
00:37:53that's at least 16 feet deep,
00:37:55200 feet long,
00:37:56to put her.
00:37:59The easy part,
00:38:00which is moving the boat,
00:38:01okay, somewhere,
00:38:02that's become my hard part.
00:38:04That's the problem.
00:38:09Unfortunately, you know,
00:38:13the way we're going about this,
00:38:15I mean, it's just so hard
00:38:16because every spot that we find
00:38:18falls under the Department of Natural Resources
00:38:20or it's industrial
00:38:21or it's homeland security.
00:38:23Let's reach out to the media
00:38:24and also focus on the Canadian side.
00:38:27All right,
00:38:27I'll give you a call in a little bit, okay?
00:38:28Okay.
00:38:31There we go,
00:38:32News Herald.
00:38:33Let's see.
00:38:33Hey, Jim.
00:38:42Sorry, this is Ron Coutou again.
00:38:43How are you?
00:38:45The St. Clair,
00:38:45where we're sitting,
00:38:46she's right next to the
00:38:47Praxera Oxygen Manufacturing Plant.
00:38:49Guess that entire canal shoreline,
00:38:52they're going to be redoing.
00:38:53My biggest worry would be
00:38:55if we can't find a spot
00:38:56and they want to start their work
00:38:59on the shoreline,
00:39:00I mean,
00:39:00I may have no option
00:39:02except to scrap her.
00:39:04Thanks, Jim.
00:39:05Bye-bye.
00:39:08Well,
00:39:09let's see what happens.
00:39:10Hopefully,
00:39:11we'll get some
00:39:11response
00:39:14and
00:39:14find a place to put her.
00:39:22Boy, that's busy.
00:39:26I like that roller coaster.
00:39:31You know,
00:39:32sometimes I think
00:39:33even though he's a doctor,
00:39:34I think he got
00:39:35a little overwhelmed.
00:39:38You have everybody
00:39:39and their grandmother
00:39:39telling you
00:39:40and giving you advice
00:39:41and I don't think
00:39:42he knew which way to turn.
00:39:44Well,
00:39:45that could be too,
00:39:46but you also have to look
00:39:47at the fact
00:39:47that he's a surgeon.
00:39:49He holds people's lives
00:39:51in his hands
00:39:51every day.
00:39:53Right.
00:39:53and he may have,
00:39:57you know,
00:39:57along the way
00:39:58inherited a God complex.
00:40:00I mean,
00:40:00in the beginning,
00:40:01you know,
00:40:01I had my doubts too.
00:40:02I still wonder,
00:40:04you know,
00:40:05and in all reality,
00:40:07he's had people say that,
00:40:08you know,
00:40:09ask him if you wanted
00:40:09to sell the boat
00:40:10or whatever
00:40:10and he doesn't.
00:40:13I would like to live
00:40:14long enough
00:40:15to come on board
00:40:17the St. Clair
00:40:18and feel like I feel
00:40:20when I go on board
00:40:22the Columbia.
00:40:23Right.
00:40:24Yeah.
00:40:25Like,
00:40:25she's a happy ship.
00:40:27If everything goes well.
00:40:28Yeah.
00:40:29That's why I'm hoping
00:40:30that,
00:40:31you know,
00:40:32Ron does make me
00:40:33a partner
00:40:33because I already
00:40:35told him,
00:40:35you know,
00:40:35basically,
00:40:36I'll be living
00:40:36on that boat.
00:40:38You know,
00:40:38I'll make sure everything,
00:40:39I know what the people like,
00:40:40what they remember
00:40:41and all that stuff
00:40:43and,
00:40:44you know,
00:40:45I can get them going.
00:40:57The situation
00:40:58with the St. Clair
00:41:00is beginning
00:41:01to go in a different direction.
00:41:03The Seven of Cups
00:41:07would indicate
00:41:08she will go
00:41:09in a different direction
00:41:11and the burial
00:41:11will be removed
00:41:12if the right choice
00:41:15is made.
00:41:17I don't see scrapping.
00:41:20I see an intervention.
00:41:23That's what I see.
00:41:34Looking in this room,
00:41:36actually,
00:41:36the majority of you
00:41:37actually have been
00:41:38on the boats
00:41:38longer than I have.
00:41:40This has not been
00:41:40an easy course.
00:41:42I have such a hard time
00:41:43just trying to get people
00:41:44to believe
00:41:44into the project
00:41:45and, you know,
00:41:47we got nowhere
00:41:48and, you know,
00:41:49I have my wife here
00:41:51and my two kids,
00:41:52you know,
00:41:52they have to suffer
00:41:53watching me all the time
00:41:54just driving down
00:41:55to the boat,
00:41:56working on the boat.
00:41:57You know,
00:41:58nobody wants to give up
00:41:59on the boat.
00:42:00We're not going to give up
00:42:01on the boat.
00:42:01Jim was the one
00:42:02who actually got
00:42:03the word out for us.
00:42:04After we got that word out,
00:42:06the free press picked it up,
00:42:08the stations picked it up,
00:42:09and then now we went
00:42:10from having no place to go
00:42:11to about 15 different offers
00:42:13that we got out there.
00:42:14We're getting calls
00:42:14from mayors of cities,
00:42:16private landowners,
00:42:18corporations,
00:42:20I mean,
00:42:20one guy made us an offer.
00:42:22He has 800 feet of dock space.
00:42:23He's going to let us know
00:42:24on Tuesday,
00:42:25but he said,
00:42:25listen,
00:42:26if everything goes well
00:42:27on Tuesday,
00:42:27you guys can have that spot
00:42:28for $10 a month.
00:42:31This is basically
00:42:32where we're going to be
00:42:33parking the boat now.
00:42:34This is the Rouge River.
00:42:36That's Dick Street
00:42:37right behind us,
00:42:38the Dick Street Bridge,
00:42:39and like I say,
00:42:40we got a 200-some foot boat
00:42:41and we got a little over
00:42:43200 feet to work with
00:42:44right here,
00:42:44but we got plenty of water.
00:42:46So this move,
00:42:50this move,
00:42:50finally getting here this day,
00:42:52I'm not just another step
00:42:53in the whole big process.
00:42:54You know,
00:42:54there's a thousand steps
00:42:55before she's done.
00:42:57This is step number,
00:42:58I don't know,
00:42:58800,
00:42:59you know,
00:42:59we're getting there.
00:43:16I don't know,
00:43:18but we're getting there.
00:43:19I don't know,
00:43:20but we're getting there.
00:43:20I don't know,
00:43:21but we're getting there.
00:43:22My Claire,
00:43:23so filled with pride,
00:43:25if only your story
00:43:27could end here.
00:43:30You just take it
00:43:31one league
00:43:32at a time.
00:43:37Just moving again
00:43:38feels like
00:43:39you should be
00:43:40on the way to Bob Law,
00:43:41doesn't it?
00:43:42We're not there yet,
00:43:44old gal,
00:43:46but this
00:43:47is a sunny day
00:43:48and we can pretend.
00:43:49Here we go, buddy.
00:44:16You don't want to scratch me,
00:44:17you don't want to bite me,
00:44:18you don't want to do
00:44:19any of that.
00:44:19You want to keep
00:44:20your rabies to yourself.
00:44:22Come on, buddy.
00:44:25Come on.
00:44:26Over here.
00:44:27Go.
00:44:28Go on.
00:44:29There you go.
00:44:32Raccoon number three.
00:44:36Now all the public
00:44:37knows that we catch
00:44:37and release.
00:44:38We don't catch and kill.
00:44:40Well,
00:44:41there's been a lot of changes
00:44:41since we moved here
00:44:42to River Rouge.
00:44:44Ski Mike Lewinsky
00:44:45is no longer
00:44:46with the project.
00:44:47It was kind of
00:44:48a mutual thing
00:44:49we both
00:44:49just parted ways
00:44:50and since then
00:44:52Ron came to me
00:44:53in February
00:44:54and offered me
00:44:56a partnership
00:44:57so I am one
00:44:58of the partners now
00:44:59at the St. Clair.
00:45:01We now have
00:45:02an awesome crew.
00:45:03We got Rita,
00:45:05Samantha,
00:45:06the welders
00:45:07and Stephen here.
00:45:08Stephen is the best, man.
00:45:09He is running
00:45:10everything on this ship.
00:45:11He's in charge
00:45:12of everybody
00:45:12and not only
00:45:13is he boss,
00:45:14but he takes
00:45:15the guys out
00:45:15for field trips
00:45:16and everything else
00:45:17so everybody
00:45:18just loves him.
00:45:20Well,
00:45:20we did like
00:45:20Heidelberg project
00:45:21once.
00:45:22We did
00:45:23Kevin's pool
00:45:24once.
00:45:25We're going to do
00:45:25we got the
00:45:26Renaissance festival
00:45:27coming up.
00:45:30You know,
00:45:30it's important
00:45:31that when you
00:45:32work together
00:45:33that you play
00:45:34together too.
00:45:35We decided
00:45:38this would be
00:45:39a great opportunity
00:45:40for us
00:45:41to hear what
00:45:41the public
00:45:42has been saying
00:45:42and that's
00:45:43that they want
00:45:43to see some
00:45:44work on the outside.
00:45:49In a minute here
00:45:50or two
00:45:50we're going to be
00:45:51loading up this steel
00:45:52and getting all
00:45:53the scrap steel
00:45:54that you see.
00:45:54These are pieces
00:45:56of the St. Clair
00:45:57that we've had to cut out
00:45:58that were too
00:45:59deteriorated
00:45:59and we put in
00:46:00fresh metal
00:46:01and we're going
00:46:02to send them off
00:46:02to be recycled
00:46:03and turned
00:46:03into something else.
00:46:05This boat
00:46:06has deteriorated
00:46:07because steps
00:46:08like this
00:46:08weren't taken.
00:46:17If Claire's steel
00:46:19and wood
00:46:20are replaced
00:46:21plank after
00:46:22rotten plank
00:46:23until not a single
00:46:25original being
00:46:26remains
00:46:27is she still
00:46:28my sister?
00:46:35when I got
00:46:45aboard
00:46:45I thought
00:46:45she was probably
00:46:46going to say
00:46:47something smart
00:46:48like it's about time
00:46:49and she moved me
00:46:52to tears
00:46:53she said
00:46:53welcome aboard
00:46:54dear friend.
00:46:55she's telling me
00:47:12I have to be around
00:47:13to get to New York
00:47:14when she's on
00:47:15the river there
00:47:16and I'm telling her
00:47:21unlike her
00:47:23I keep getting
00:47:24older
00:47:25she's getting
00:47:25younger
00:47:26yep
00:47:30I'm sad
00:47:33to see her go
00:47:35but happy
00:47:37but happy that
00:47:38she'll have
00:47:38a new life
00:47:39the time has come
00:47:44for me to leave
00:47:45it's the beginning
00:47:50of a new life
00:47:51for me
00:47:52the old Taurus
00:47:56herself
00:47:57the grand dame
00:47:58she
00:47:59is not about
00:48:00to give up
00:48:01as long as
00:48:02there's hope
00:48:03for her to get
00:48:04back to work
00:48:05it wasn't
00:48:15but a few months
00:48:16from when I left
00:48:17Michigan
00:48:17that I learned
00:48:18of Gloria's
00:48:19own departure
00:48:20Bon Voyage
00:48:24old friend
00:48:25from time
00:48:28to time
00:48:29I like to imagine
00:48:30I can still
00:48:31hear her voice
00:48:33only
00:48:35she sounds
00:48:36different now
00:48:37closer
00:48:50so
00:49:08as it turns out
00:49:10we do have to
00:49:10move the ship
00:49:11again
00:49:11we
00:49:13we
00:49:14we don't have
00:49:15a new location
00:49:16set as of right
00:49:17now to share
00:49:17with you
00:49:18but
00:49:19we do know
00:49:21that we're going
00:49:21to have to move
00:49:22the reason we're
00:49:24getting kicked out
00:49:25is because there's
00:49:26a larger company
00:49:26out there
00:49:27that wants the
00:49:27property
00:49:28they're willing
00:49:30to pay $100,000
00:49:31a month
00:49:31in that range
00:49:32which obviously
00:49:34you know
00:49:34we can't do that
00:49:35and we can't
00:49:35compete with that
00:49:36I mean you know
00:49:37hey if somebody
00:49:38came and offered
00:49:38me $100,000
00:49:39a month
00:49:39I'd be like
00:49:40see you boat
00:49:41you know
00:49:41you're really cool
00:49:42but
00:49:42you know
00:49:43and I get that
00:49:44you know
00:49:45that just is
00:49:46what it is
00:49:46you know
00:49:47so we're going
00:49:47to figure it out
00:49:48we're going to
00:49:49truck on
00:49:49like we always have
00:49:50so
00:49:50I mean I know
00:49:51that's how I feel
00:49:52I wanted to believe
00:50:00so bad
00:50:00that this boat
00:50:01was coming back
00:50:02how many people
00:50:04do you think
00:50:05back in 1910
00:50:06that they had
00:50:08to build
00:50:08this ship
00:50:09it's going to
00:50:10take a hell
00:50:10of a lot more
00:50:11I know he wants
00:50:12to save money
00:50:12I mean who wouldn't
00:50:14but it's going to
00:50:15take a hell
00:50:15of a lot more
00:50:16than three people
00:50:17to rebuild this ship
00:50:18I mean if you
00:50:19think about it
00:50:20if they do this
00:50:21section
00:50:21get that part done
00:50:22and move on
00:50:23to the next
00:50:23by the time
00:50:24they're done
00:50:24with the next
00:50:25this section
00:50:26is going to
00:50:26need rebuilding
00:50:27again
00:50:28you know
00:50:29I mean
00:50:29he is the kind
00:50:30of person
00:50:30that he can
00:50:31make you believe
00:50:32the sky is purple
00:50:33Pablo Island
00:50:40here we come
00:50:40yeah right
00:50:41just teasing
00:50:43that's one place
00:50:44no
00:50:44you'd have to
00:50:46pull over
00:50:46and let me out
00:50:47see this is the
00:51:02same route
00:51:02we took
00:51:03brings back
00:51:04memories
00:51:05we are at
00:51:12Sugar Island
00:51:13we think
00:51:16that might
00:51:17have been
00:51:17the dock
00:51:17right there
00:51:18is that
00:51:24this side
00:51:25of the island
00:51:26here
00:51:26yeah
00:51:26that's
00:51:27Pablo
00:51:28that's a
00:51:28space needle
00:51:29you okay
00:51:52well it's just
00:51:58sad memories
00:51:59you know
00:52:00I mean
00:52:00I remember
00:52:02what the island
00:52:03was
00:52:03and seeing
00:52:03all the
00:52:04rides
00:52:04laying all
00:52:05over the
00:52:05ground
00:52:05I just
00:52:06you know
00:52:06I don't
00:52:07want to
00:52:07see that
00:52:07those houses
00:52:10should not
00:52:11have been
00:52:11put on
00:52:11that island
00:52:12it should
00:52:14have been
00:52:14remained
00:52:14for the
00:52:15public
00:52:15I don't
00:52:18want to
00:52:18see it
00:52:18now
00:52:19you know
00:52:20what
00:52:20never mind
00:52:21in a minute
00:52:22you're going
00:52:22in that river
00:52:23then you're
00:52:23going to get
00:52:23something
00:52:24really good
00:52:24to watch
00:52:25yeah
00:52:25the Pablo
00:52:26Park
00:52:26reopened
00:52:27when you
00:52:28go see
00:52:28the park
00:52:29oh yeah
00:52:29if it reopens
00:52:30okay
00:52:31so it's not
00:52:31off the
00:52:32table
00:52:32I've been
00:52:47dragging my
00:52:48rudders up to
00:52:49now
00:52:49but you must
00:52:51hear the story
00:52:52about the end
00:52:53of Pablo
00:52:54Island
00:52:55so many of
00:52:58these trolley
00:52:59parks
00:53:00these older
00:53:00amusement
00:53:00parks
00:53:01by say
00:53:021974
00:53:031975
00:53:04the majority
00:53:05of them
00:53:05had already
00:53:06closed
00:53:07there's theme
00:53:09parks
00:53:09those theme
00:53:10parks work
00:53:11on an economic
00:53:12model that's
00:53:13much more
00:53:13effective and
00:53:14profitable
00:53:14they you are
00:53:16cutting off
00:53:17city dwellers
00:53:17who don't have
00:53:18access to
00:53:18private cars
00:53:19so you're
00:53:20ensuring a
00:53:21kind of
00:53:21population in
00:53:22those parks
00:53:22that has
00:53:23some money
00:53:23to spend
00:53:24they're also
00:53:26kind of created
00:53:27without the
00:53:27kinds of spaces
00:53:28that cause
00:53:29tension
00:53:29so Walt Disney
00:53:31had no swimming
00:53:31pools
00:53:32no bathing
00:53:33beaches
00:53:33no roller skating
00:53:35rinks
00:53:35and no ballrooms
00:53:36in any of his
00:53:37theme parks
00:53:37these were places
00:53:39where blacks
00:53:40and whites
00:53:40would come
00:53:41into conflict
00:53:41so the older
00:53:43more traditional
00:53:43amusement park
00:53:44already had
00:53:45a lot of
00:53:45strikes against
00:53:46it with this
00:53:46history of
00:53:47segregation
00:53:47and desegregation
00:53:48but now they
00:53:50had this
00:53:50competition
00:53:51what many of
00:53:53these park
00:53:53owners began
00:53:54to realize
00:53:55is that this
00:53:55land was
00:53:57actually quite
00:53:57valuable
00:53:58it was near
00:53:58the city
00:53:59and often
00:54:00park owners
00:54:00could sell
00:54:01the land
00:54:01to developers
00:54:02at quite a
00:54:02big profit
00:54:03so city
00:54:04after city
00:54:05after city
00:54:05lost their
00:54:07urban amusement
00:54:07parks
00:54:08all the people
00:54:13in those cities
00:54:14lost access
00:54:15to this
00:54:16relatively inexpensive
00:54:17incredibly
00:54:18pleasurable
00:54:19form of
00:54:20recreation
00:54:21that does
00:54:26sound like
00:54:27what happened
00:54:27to our
00:54:28Pablo
00:54:28some claim
00:54:30gangs cruising
00:54:31the park
00:54:32scared away
00:54:33the patrons
00:54:33others blamed
00:54:35Claire and me
00:54:36saying
00:54:36we were just
00:54:37a luxury
00:54:38too costly
00:54:39to maintain
00:54:40but Claire
00:54:44and I
00:54:45know the
00:54:45real story
00:54:46when we
00:54:52closed the deal
00:54:53for Pablo
00:54:53we only had
00:54:5445 days
00:54:55to get it
00:54:56open
00:54:56they had
00:54:57not intended
00:54:58to operate
00:54:58that year
00:54:59they'd
00:54:59mothballed it
00:55:00and this
00:55:02this park
00:55:02wildways
00:55:03where we're
00:55:04at today
00:55:04is a piece
00:55:05of cake
00:55:06compared to
00:55:06operating
00:55:07on an island
00:55:07everything you
00:55:08did had to be
00:55:09brought in
00:55:09by barge
00:55:10or by ship
00:55:11and to do
00:55:12that in 45
00:55:13days
00:55:13can't be done
00:55:14I don't know
00:55:14how we did it
00:55:15like today
00:55:16I'd say no
00:55:17but we were
00:55:19too stupid
00:55:19to know better
00:55:20so we did it
00:55:20in the business
00:55:22community
00:55:22yes
00:55:23everybody knew
00:55:23who the
00:55:25Benaroyas were
00:55:25because of
00:55:27Benaroyas
00:55:28Symphony Hall
00:55:28and a lot
00:55:29of philanthropic
00:55:30work that they
00:55:31did
00:55:31they agreed
00:55:33to make
00:55:33the investment
00:55:34but wanted
00:55:35to also be
00:55:36a partner
00:55:36you know
00:55:37at that time
00:55:37I didn't have
00:55:38any problems
00:55:38with that
00:55:39there's money
00:55:39and then
00:55:40there's money
00:55:40I always wore
00:55:44just a pirate
00:55:44shirt
00:55:45and a pair
00:55:45of shorts
00:55:46and nobody
00:55:47knew who I
00:55:48was
00:55:48and I'd
00:55:49start asking
00:55:50them questions
00:55:50about hey
00:55:51the park's
00:55:51looking good
00:55:52and they'd
00:55:53give you a
00:55:53whole
00:55:53we heard
00:55:54it got
00:55:54cleaned up
00:55:55and boy
00:55:55it sure
00:55:55is
00:55:55it looks
00:55:56the best
00:55:56we've seen
00:55:57it
00:55:57and once
00:55:57you start
00:55:58hearing that
00:55:58every day
00:55:59and the word
00:56:00got out
00:56:00the crowd
00:56:01started getting
00:56:01bigger
00:56:02and by about
00:56:02August
00:56:03Bob Lowe
00:56:04was finally
00:56:04turned a corner
00:56:05and the locals
00:56:06that hadn't come
00:56:06were all of a sudden
00:56:07coming back
00:56:07I think they were
00:56:10used to
00:56:10when the Benaroyas
00:56:11said jump
00:56:11you were just
00:56:12supposed to say
00:56:13how high
00:56:13and I didn't
00:56:15Larry was a
00:56:17good business guy
00:56:18but he's never
00:56:19run apart
00:56:20he wasn't a
00:56:20hands-on
00:56:21he'd never been
00:56:21a builder
00:56:22he and I
00:56:23just started
00:56:23not getting along
00:56:24the Benaroyas
00:56:27tried to stop me
00:56:28from having the
00:56:29extended season
00:56:30because they wanted
00:56:30me out
00:56:31it takes time
00:56:32to bring in new
00:56:33investors
00:56:34but I had a pool
00:56:35of investors
00:56:35that I had lined up
00:56:36and I was actually
00:56:38supposed to meet
00:56:39with them
00:56:39the morning that I
00:56:41got hurt
00:56:42September 24th
00:56:4793 I think
00:56:48I was in the
00:56:49car crash
00:56:49that basically
00:56:51almost
00:56:51should have killed
00:56:53me
00:56:53they didn't think
00:56:54I'd survive
00:56:54when I woke up
00:56:58from the coma
00:56:59I was ready
00:57:00to move forward
00:57:00and then I
00:57:02found out a lot
00:57:02of the stuff
00:57:04that had happened
00:57:04to the park
00:57:05and that
00:57:06Benaroyas
00:57:07had taken control
00:57:08of it
00:57:08and put it
00:57:09into bankruptcy
00:57:10and that
00:57:10they'd laid off
00:57:13I think everybody
00:57:16at that point
00:57:16they'd fired everybody
00:57:17and shut the park
00:57:20down
00:57:21they'd sold off
00:57:26all the rides
00:57:27all the equipment
00:57:28the only thing
00:57:29that was left
00:57:29was land
00:57:30and they sold it
00:57:32to a gentleman
00:57:32that he got a steal
00:57:34on the land
00:57:35because if the
00:57:37Benaroyas sold it
00:57:37for more than that
00:57:38they'd have to give
00:57:39my family
00:57:40a share of the profits
00:57:42it's unfortunate
00:57:47just one accident
00:57:48one bad partner
00:57:51and Bob Lowe
00:57:52paid the price
00:57:53you know
00:58:07my hope and prayer
00:58:08is that one day
00:58:09we just
00:58:09we find a spot
00:58:10whether it's the city
00:58:11that gives it to us
00:58:12or a person
00:58:13but just a long-term
00:58:14relationship
00:58:15somewhere we can
00:58:15put the boat
00:58:16and have what we need
00:58:17to complete the project
00:58:18push comes to shove
00:58:24we've got no options
00:58:25and they want us out
00:58:27and we got nowhere to go
00:58:28I mean this is like
00:58:29the equivalent of like
00:58:32towing someone a mile
00:58:33on the road
00:58:34you know what I mean
00:58:34it's like right up
00:58:35from where we're at
00:58:35right now
00:58:36you know
00:58:36so we're
00:58:37have you made a decision
00:58:38where you're going to
00:58:39park it at?
00:58:40no we're still looking
00:58:41we're still kind of
00:58:41figuring things out
00:58:42good morning
00:58:47you want some coffee?
00:58:53what's the matter?
00:58:56come on
00:58:56weee!
00:58:59weee!
00:59:00weee!
00:59:01weee!
00:59:02weee!
00:59:03weee!
00:59:04weee!
00:59:05weee!
00:59:06come on
00:59:07off to sell spectrum cable
00:59:15and talk about
00:59:16the Bob Lowe boat
00:59:17even though
00:59:18every time I bring it up
00:59:19Kevin wants to hit me
00:59:20right Kevin?
00:59:23he's going to hit me
00:59:23he's going to hit me
00:59:24he's going to hit me
00:59:25he's going to hit me
00:59:26anyway
00:59:27we still have the passion
00:59:30for the boat
00:59:30we just lost our trust with
00:59:32unfortunately with Ron
00:59:34I really liked him
00:59:35in the beginning
00:59:35it just
00:59:36I saw the writing
00:59:37on the wall
00:59:38it's a lot of broken promises
00:59:42and everything else
00:59:43that
00:59:44enough is enough
00:59:45you know
00:59:46Ron has been like a brother
00:59:48to me this whole time
00:59:49you know
00:59:50not just a best friend
00:59:51he's part of the family
00:59:53you know
00:59:54it's been eight years
00:59:57of nothing but a total
00:59:58rollercoaster ride
00:59:59you know
01:00:00and I'm starting to think
01:00:01that maybe it's time
01:00:02to get off
01:00:02I just need
01:00:04to get
01:00:05200 feet of space
01:00:06that's all I'm looking for
01:00:07I know it sounds crazy
01:00:09it's almost like saying
01:00:10well
01:00:10you know
01:00:12it's almost like begging
01:00:13but without that 200 feet of space
01:00:15we can't go on
01:00:16today we gather here
01:00:31to bless the St. Clair
01:00:33more than 100 years
01:00:34after she first sailed
01:00:35the Great Lakes
01:00:36I'm going to ask
01:00:39that you all
01:00:40close your eyes
01:00:41and envision first
01:00:44a new home for her
01:00:46someplace welcoming
01:00:48and safe
01:00:49I ask you to envision her
01:00:53not too many years from now
01:00:55her white paint
01:00:56bright in the sunshine
01:00:57her flags blowing
01:00:59in the breeze
01:01:00and her decks
01:01:01filled with people
01:01:02enjoying an afternoon
01:01:03on the water
01:01:04maybe you can even hear
01:01:06the seagulls crying
01:01:07as they dive
01:01:08to catch pieces of popcorn
01:01:10that children tossed to them
01:01:11from the side of the boat
01:01:12this can be the St. Clair's future
01:01:17and tonight
01:01:18we will it to be so
01:01:20a blessing on the St. Clair
01:01:25and a blessing on you all
01:01:27I don't know
01:01:31what more we could do
01:01:32I mean
01:01:32we've been in the papers
01:01:34we've been in
01:01:35you know
01:01:35every media outlet there is
01:01:36so
01:01:37it just needs
01:01:39somebody to step up
01:01:40how can people get in touch with you
01:01:42how can we
01:01:42if somebody's watching this
01:01:44and they've actually got
01:01:44some kind of dock space
01:01:45what do they do
01:01:46they can go to our website
01:01:48I mean we're down to the wire
01:01:50we're getting calls every day
01:01:51from the people that own that property
01:01:53you know
01:01:54and they were generous enough
01:01:55to donate it to us
01:01:57so we really have to honor
01:01:59their wishes
01:02:00in getting out of there in time
01:02:01at the 11th hour
01:02:05a marina stepped forward
01:02:07and offered a space
01:02:08for Claire
01:02:09for the first time in decades
01:02:15she sailed back to her home
01:02:17in Detroit
01:02:18and with a view of the city skyline
01:02:21behind her
01:02:22her crew got back to work
01:02:25if this was your classic
01:02:29bedtime story
01:02:30we'd be heading
01:02:31toward a happy ending
01:02:33a wizard
01:02:36or even a fairy godmother
01:02:38might arrive
01:02:39from some far away land
01:02:40she would step on Claire's decks
01:02:44wave her magic wand
01:02:46and poof
01:02:48the curse would be lifted
01:02:50but this isn't
01:02:52that kind of fairy tale
01:02:53neveress
01:03:05who
01:03:12who
01:03:13who
01:03:14who
01:03:20who
01:03:21who
01:03:22who
01:03:23who
01:03:23All the work we had put into her, just gone.
01:03:34I didn't know what to do.
01:03:37I was emotionally just wrecked.
01:03:44I kind of feel the boat relied on me.
01:03:47And I couldn't save her.
01:03:53All right.
01:03:58It's just the saddest thing knowing that a boat that we loved so much and worked on for so many years is no longer here.
01:04:08It's there, but I'm just...
01:04:11It was dead a long time ago.
01:04:13You could feel the spirit when you walked on the boat.
01:04:16The last few times, there was none.
01:04:19It was like she already gave up.
01:04:20She was dead.
01:04:21Or she knew she was dying or whatever.
01:04:25I just did not have that feeling anymore.
01:04:27I think it started when the Columbia left, too.
01:04:29Right around that time.
01:04:30The one thing I do want is I want them to find out what caused it.
01:04:36And if it was arson, I want that person to pay.
01:04:44Because this boat was all we had left.
01:04:48Of course, the arson inspectors came in and, you know, just detailed grilling us about what happened.
01:04:54I'm like, I don't know what happened.
01:04:55I wasn't there.
01:04:55I mean, there's the guy.
01:04:57He's telling you what happened.
01:04:58He was welding.
01:04:59The fire started and it got out of control.
01:05:03People understand.
01:05:05The wood was not insured.
01:05:08Okay.
01:05:08Because I couldn't get insurance for wood that old.
01:05:11I mean, the hull was and the engine, that was all insured.
01:05:17But there was no damage to the hull.
01:05:19Right?
01:05:19I mean, what I lost was all the wood.
01:05:22I mean, there are a lot of people, you know, who, they may have not said it to my face.
01:05:27But I'm, you know, I'm not stupid.
01:05:30I know the people who, you know, who gave up.
01:05:34And that's fine.
01:05:36I'm just thinking, I'm just hoping, I'm an optimist and I'm thinking maybe we can rebuild the boat.
01:05:43Not this boat, but build a new boat.
01:05:45He's a dreamer.
01:05:471902, they were able to build a boat.
01:05:50It's a great idea.
01:05:52I think it's, you know what, at this point in my life, I'm 55.
01:05:57I need to start enjoying life and I think it's time to move on.
01:06:04I want it to be done.
01:06:07The roller coaster has finally come into the station.
01:06:09Intoxicated with nostalgia, even our memory tends to forget.
01:06:30This past belongs to us all, buried and yet still breathing.
01:06:42Filing for bankruptcy.
01:06:43We must remember it all, even though it hurts.
01:07:13Claire, how about a race for old times' sake?
01:07:20could we助 an environment?
01:07:21What if it's changed?
01:07:24We're all a hump.
01:07:25But it's yeah
01:07:27We're all a hump.
01:07:28How do we zor?
01:07:29You're all a hump.
01:07:30I should just be able to 느� ox Onda.
01:07:32And that's my gut.
01:07:33And we're all a hump.
01:07:35It's just a little bit.
01:07:37Ask us if we what is what's all about a κι lifely.
01:07:39How do it?
01:07:40How do I say it?
01:07:42How do I speak?
01:07:43What does that mean?
01:07:44We're all say, how do I stop it?
01:07:45Humankind preserves and restores history in an attempt to freeze time.
01:08:08They hope against the laws of nature that if my decks glean like they did when they were
01:08:13children that their past is still alive.
01:08:20I am a vessel made from the memories of everyone who boarded the Bob Lowe boats.
01:08:32It's hard to go on after what happened to Claire.
01:08:41Not a day goes by that I don't think about what we lost.
01:08:49The foyer and the staircase and all that beautiful brass that was on there.
01:08:53But what can I do?
01:08:55It is what it is.
01:08:56I can't go back in time.
01:08:57All I can do is push forward and just do the best I can do.
01:09:03I beat stage 4 bladder cancer, I beat a brain tumor, I had my left kidney taken out, chemotherapy
01:09:11for 6 months.
01:09:16What's fixing a boat compared to all that?
01:09:17Nothing.
01:09:18I have my wife, I've got my two kids, I have the people who still support me in the project.
01:09:27That's it, that's all I need.
01:09:33Well after the boat burned on July 6, Wendy Sutton kept writing to me on our Facebook group
01:09:41because she was asking who had the bear costume and I told her I had one of them but I wasn't
01:09:44willing to come to the island and all that.
01:09:46That's when she started telling me about their plans for the future and bringing people back
01:09:53over and starting events on there and stuff like that so who knows, this could be a new
01:09:59chapter.
01:10:00It might not look the same but who knows, it could be even better.
01:10:08Oh shit, there it is.
01:10:10Huh?
01:10:11Are you okay?
01:10:12Kevin?
01:10:13It's fine.
01:10:14Mmm.
01:10:15It'll be fine.
01:10:16Why am I here?
01:10:17Give me the bag.
01:10:18Give me that.
01:10:19I got it.
01:10:20You got it, Wendy?
01:10:21Hey Wendy, we just got into the parking lot.
01:10:27Okay, where do you want us to go from here?
01:10:33Hi, Wendy.
01:10:39I got it.
01:10:40Hey Wendy, we just got into the parking lot.
01:10:43okay um where do you want us to go from here hi it was an interesting ride over yes i wanted to
01:10:55give you all of this this is um the souvenirs i developed and then had made and stuff like that
01:11:03here's all the interviews that we did here's a dvd for you wow
01:11:13what you said helped me out a great deal that you know you want people here yes we do this is a
01:11:19public park we want to bring it back and bring people back here and so many people want a really
01:11:24great idea for an event next year to bring carter shows here you know what if you were to put a
01:11:29carnival on this island and do a commercial come relive bablo oh my god wouldn't that be you would
01:11:35have to turn people away and if you remember this this was a commercial about bablo how many remember
01:11:41that come on everybody clap there he comes hey it's a new era so this is the son of the bablo bear
01:12:11there is an anchor within each of us buried deep waiting to be lifted
01:12:25are you glad you came or are you still upset i don't know yet we'll see
01:12:31events like the fire change people i mean that was the death of babo for him
01:12:42the fact that we're not working on the boat anymore you know i don't hold anything against
01:12:46him there was a lot of good you know so all i can do is say thank you to him
01:13:02i've got a place i've got time it would be done faster if i had three million dollars right now
01:13:08the real question is do i really think i could get this done unequivocally yes
01:13:24the only thing i ask him is patience look how long it's taken for the city of detroit to rebound
01:13:29after a fire and a riot and this and that and you know bad politicians or whatever i mean
01:13:35do we all just pick up and leave and say to hell with it i've been saying for the last 28 years that
01:13:41we're on the front lines of the greatest urban comeback story in this nation's history we're
01:13:46seeing people move back in for the first time in a long time no i think that detroit is having a
01:13:51resurgence it's having a resurgence in parts and i think that there are other parts that are really
01:13:58struggling resurgence suggests that it's returning to something that it was detroit is finding a new
01:14:06identity that is important to where we are right now right here there's a lot of money in this town
01:14:13certainly and people are coming from all over to experience the city and its comeback who knows maybe
01:14:20somehow hopefully it can get restored it ain't all about the money sometimes it's about people getting
01:14:25together and you know making it happen the detroit lions may never win a super bowl never been in one
01:14:32but i think one of the two babolo boats is coming back really soon you know it's funny the slogan of
01:14:38detroit is rise from the ashes if we gather enough courage to raise our masts and we anchor with all our
01:14:55our might one day our ships will sail
01:15:25so
01:15:32so
01:15:38Going on the boat dancing all night long with my sister and cousins with their coolers full
01:15:58of like all our Arabic food and this and that and like it's like a whole day event you had
01:16:03seven eight dollars you were the bablo you know your mom knew where you was at you said bye bye
01:16:09what kind of trouble could you get in that bablo you gonna not eat your hot dog or you know your
01:16:14elephant ear or something like that my family's family reunions we'd all get on the bablo boat
01:16:2120 30 of us there was a flock of seagulls that followed the boat as it went up and down the river
01:16:26but you could make bread balls and you could literally throw them in the air like a hard
01:16:31ball throw them that way and they would catch them and you'd see it knock them backwards you know
01:16:35or they'd fight in mid-air for them so you knew everybody who worked about yeah you could see
01:16:41them when they went back to school you could tell everybody that worked at bablo they had a bablo tan
01:16:46it had great music lemonade coca-colas fago i'm sorry i forget i said coca-cola it was all about fago
01:16:55you would smell the oil from the engine room you could feel the heat you felt like you were going
01:17:00on some far away adventure or maybe on the ocean or something the boat right back was always magical
01:17:07instead of oh we we have to go home now i was like now we get to get back on the boat
01:17:11it was just amazing seeing them come down the river they never made a noise they're quiet except for the
01:17:17dj on there and you could hear the the thump from the music i thought that they were driven by funk
01:17:23if you ask me my wife and i took our kids one of the last times that bablo island was open
01:17:29we rode every single ride probably four or five times and my i remember my daughter and i got sick
01:17:35on one of the rides because we rode it so much
01:17:43hi i'm kevin mayor from livonia michigan i know this is somewhat unconventional but i wanted to submit
01:17:50a video along with my resume to help you understand just how much working at one of the disney theme parks
01:17:59means to me and what i can bring to the table watch your step keep hands and arms inside the car at
01:18:07all time and enjoy your ride thank you very much i like making people happy of course you have to
01:18:14make sure that all the rules are followed and you know things like that safety precautions but you have
01:18:19to do it in a fun way you know i would have people laughing and having fun even in line
01:18:25i know you might be thinking to yourself that i'm over qualified to be a ride attendant i wouldn't
01:18:32mind doing something in the office if at you know if it's at all possible one or two days a week that
01:18:39i can actually get out there in the park be with the people be by the rides the you know that's what
01:18:45means a lot to me except for the hall of presidents you can cut that out but i had to
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