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PORTLAND — On Saturday, July 26, The Portland on The Rideau Historical Society will be presenting the first Heritage Boat Day on the municipal dock and adjacent Gallagher Park in Portland.
Everyone is invited to this free event taking place on the shore of Big Rideau Lake from at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, weather permitting. Upwards of 20 boats will be displayed in the water along the docks as well as on trailers in the park across the street.
Donations will be accepted to the PRHS (a registered charity) towards the goal of establishing a museum in the village. It will be part fundraiser as well as a casual get together of local antique and classic boat owners and admirers alike to meet, reminisce and appreciate the fine craftsmanship of another era.
W.J. Dowsett and Son of Portland was one such builder who produced some of the finest examples of art on the water. From 30-foot elegant launches to powerful runabouts, motorized skiffs and rowing skiffs coveted by guides and fishermen alike, Dowsett boats were the epitome of grace and style on the lakes and rivers of the Rideau and beyond.
In celebration of this innovative boat builder the PRHS has been graciously gifted two outstanding examples of Dowsett’s work from Chalmers Reed, a former and long-time cottager on The Big Rideau Lake: a 1935 rowing skiff originally built for the Orr family and a mid-twenties, two-cylinder motorized skiff. These two boats will join another one-cylinder motorized skiff repatriated to Portland from a Parks Canada warehouse.
The Delta Mill Society has also kindly donated an assortment of boat building tools used by Dowsett and two cedar strip fishing boats built by Halladay Boatworks of Delta. All will be on display July 26.
Together with the Emmanuel Heritage Center (the former Emmanuel Anglican Church) this collection of local nautical history will become the foundation of The Portland On The Rideau Historical Society’s quest to establish a permanent museum here in Portland to showcase the rich and diverse stories and industries embedded within the village as well as the surrounding lakes and settlements of Rideau Lakes Township.
