The Ste. Claire Sets Its Sights on Sailing Again

Dr. Ron Kattoo has owned the 100-year-old SS Ste. Claire, which is under renovation, for the most recent four of those years. But in his mind, he has owned the historic steamship since he was a child during the 1970s.

His family would board the four-deck Ste. Claire for excursions to Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park, and Kattoo says he cherished the rides even more than the island's attractions.

"I know it sounds a little corny," Kattoo says, "but standing on that ship as a 10-year-old and looking out over that incredible engine, I told myself, 'I would like to own this ship some day.' And as fate would have it, it turned out to be true."

A $3 million renovation plan involves Kattoo, co-owner Dr. Saqib Nakadar and hundreds of volunteers who are contributing both money and elbow grease. Kattoo says $600,000 has been raised so far, while workers restore the intricate woodwork and metal.

If all goes well, the Ste. Claire will ride the Detroit River again by 2012. And if it takes an added year or two, Kattoo and his teammates remain determined.

In the meantime, Kattoo hopes to schedule lower deck tours and other special events before the end of the summer.

"We have discovered 87 layers of paint in some places, and we are stripping all of it away," Kattoo says. "We are going to restore the original: a white ship with blue trim and natural wooden deck floors."

A Century-Old Tradition

The Ste. Claire and her sister ship, the SS Columbia, were built during the 20th century's first decade, with capacities for 2,500 passengers apiece. Bob-Lo Island at the time was simply an open green area where visitors would enjoy picnics and play baseball games. Bob-Lo Island Amusement Park wasn't fully developed until after World War II.

As the years passed, more spectacular facilities such as northern Ohio's Cedar Point caused the amusement park's eventual death. Bob-Lo Island closed at the start of the 1990s, and the rides were sold. The Ste. Claire had nowhere to go and was docked in suburban Ecorse. Kattoo came along in 2006 after 15 years of abandonment, and then Nakadar bought in.

A restored Ste. Claire no longer would have Bob-Lo Island as a destination, because private developers purchased the property during the 1990s for development of an upscale resort community, replete with condominiums and marinas.

Instead, featured Ste. Claire activities would include day sails, moonlight cruises, class reunions and wedding receptions.

"With all the dedicated volunteers we have working now, this summer will make a huge difference as to when the boat hits the Detroit River," says Shelly Gilray, public relations coordinator for the Ste. Claire restoration.

She notes that visitors to BobloBoat.com will view not only opportunities to volunteer, but also souvenir items for sale, such as T-shirts, mugs and sailor caps. Supporters also may purchase pieces of the Ste. Claire's original dance floor or pens crafted from the dance floor.

"This is all about memories," Gilray says. "Fortunately, 30-year-olds may still have memories of the Ste. Claire and of Bob-Lo Island. Today's generation has 'missed the boat.' Let's give them an opportunity to have memories of their own."

A Model for Success

If anybody knows the history of the Ste. Claire and of Bob-Lo Island, it's Kevin Mayer. He was a teenage employee on the Columbia during the early 1980s. He has invested two decades in constructing a full-powered scale model of Bob-Lo's array of rides, hand-painted on an 8-by-25-foot table in his family's Livonia home. There's a scale model of his favorite steamship, too.

"I've had an infatuation with these boats ever since I was born," Mayer says. "Bob-Lo was unique, an island amusement park, and the boats were half the fun."

When Mayer learned of Kattoo's 2006 Ste. Claire purchase, he invited the new owner for a visit to see his household creation. Soon he emerged as the coordinator of volunteer labor and fundraising. He says more than 500 "Friends of the Ste. Claire" have signed up, to the point where he now must divide volunteer labor into two shifts on warm-weather Saturdays.

Anyone who allows Mayer to get his or her ear will receive the full pitch.

"The first thing when you board the ship is the smell," he says, taking himself back in time. "You have the diesel and oil mixture and the hot dogs cooking, and the smell gets to you. You look in at the engine and see the pistons going up and down. Then you head up to the second deck, with the dance floor and the music playing, and you feel the breeze and see the land going by.

"As soon as you step on the old boat even now, you get that same feeling," Mayer concludes. "It's weird, but it makes you feel good."

(Supporters of the Ste. Claire's renovation may visit its Web site, BobloBoat.com. A minimum $100 donation guarantees a season's pass for the ship's first year back in service, and donors' names will be engraved on a plaque housed on the ship's main deck. Opportunities to volunteer also are outlined on the Web site.)

Michael Thompson contributed to this article.

Sources:

http://www.bobloboat.com
http://www.bobloisland.net/