Churchill boat will give tourists new way to see whales

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This article was published 13/10/2022 (1423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHURCHILL — Tourists visiting the “polar bear capital of the world” will have a unique way to view beluga whales up close starting next summer.

Churchill’s Lazy Bear Expeditions on Thursday unveiled a new 23-metre-long tour boat that owner and founder Wally Daudrich said is the only one in Northern Canada with a viewing area below deck.

Named after the 1700s Indigenous leader and guide Matonabbee, the catamaran will be the first and only vessel to take tourists up and down the western coast of Hudson Bay, he said.

It is capable of deploying rigid inflatable boats to explore remote areas of the bay.

Daudrich and Premier Heather Stefanson, who visited the town as part of a two-day tour of northern Manitoba, christened the boat by smashing a bottle of sparkling water against its keel at a dry dock near the Port of Churchill.

— Staff