Slow stories and sunken treasures 

‘Praising what is lost makes the remembrance dear.’ – William Shakespeare

There are few better places in Muskoka than out on the lakes. And when you are on a lake surrounded by boat enthusiasts it makes for a magical journey — one that I was lucky to be a part of on an early September morning.

I was at the Dispro Owners Association convention at the CNIB Camp on Lake Joseph. Dispro and dippy are the fond terms used within the club for disappearing propeller boats, many of which have whimsical names such as Serendipity or Dippty-do-da. The dippy association members had come out in droves to this convention and the fabulous boats were gleaming in the early fall sun, lined up along the sandy shoreline just busting to start their little engines and head out toward Port Cockburn at the top of Lake Joe.

One of the true wise men of the lakes, Paul Dodington had invited me to tag along with the group. Being in his boat Pinafore was like being in a floating museum, with the ancient tool chest, clothes and the boat itself.

I took advantage of this great opportunity by asking the legend many questions about the area. Seated in the stern with the man affectionately known as the “Dippy Doctor,” as Paul is a whiz at repairing the old small engines, I began: “Tell me about how Senator Sanford got the Naiad, the yacht plans owned by Queen Victoria.”

Paul positioned himself comfortably, slapping on what was left of his captain’s cap and began a great tale. The senator and Mrs. Sanford were dining in England with Queen Victoria when her daughter Princess Louise began choking on a chicken bone. Mrs. Sanford, having a nursing background, dislodged the offending piece of chicken. The Queen was beside herself and as she knew the Sanfords were keen boaters, she rewarded them with the plans for her private yacht, the Naiad, which she and her dearly beloved late husband Prince Albert planned but never built.

The yacht was built in Toronto at the Polson Iron Works and was a stunning example of boat building. The yacht was on Lake Rosseau at the senator’s cottage Sans Souci until his untimely death in a mysterious drowning accident in 1899. After his demise the yacht was used at the cottage until 1940 when it was sold to Cameron Peck, the famous boat collector on Lake of Bays. The Naiad was destroyed in 1965 but the bow of the majestic ship is intact and in a railway yard in Toronto just waiting, hopefully, to be restored one day.

I asked Paul about the Pinafore. I adore the name and felt it had to come from his theatrical and musical background. It did. Paul met his wife Nora in Toronto when they both were in the HMS Pinafore production at Lawrence Park High School, and the rest is history. They both love to sing. The entire Dodington family is musical; Paul’s father was a concert tenor and his mother was a concert pianist. “Every Sunday before TV we had afternoon concerts with the whole family,” he said.

Our excursion for the morning was not just about me asking questions and listening to Paul but to search for the location of the sunken steamer Nipissing, which caught fire at the Summit House wharf on August 3, 1886. It was cut adrift and burned until it sank just off Fraser Island at the top of Lake Joseph.

On a clear day and with a guide who knows the water you can see the hull of the steamer underwater. Paul was a riot; he was standing at the bow like Napoleon going into battle and was searching all over the water before he found it — a Muskoka treasure, still beautiful in her watery grave. I was quiet for the first time that day as I was entranced with seeing the skeleton of a great boat and thinking of her fiery Viking death.

Paul co-wrote the book Greatest Little Motor Boat Afloat by Boston Mills Press on the history of this amazing little mobile watercraft with one-cylinder copper jacket engines. He is the “go to” man for dippies and since 1955 been repairing and restoring all varieties of engines from all over the globe.

Paul could write another book on the majestic go-slow boats and still have room for more.

Make an effort to visit Muskoka this summer and be part of the 30th year of the Dispro Owners Association in July at Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst when the Antique and Classic Boat Society Toronto celebrates go-slow boats. Look for a mad hatter, totally animated, bearded and impishly cute and if you see only a derriere in the air, bent over an old engine or searching for a unique tool, that’s Paul. Thanks for the memories, Doctor, and for allowing me to be your dippy nurse for the day.

Bev McMullen is an award-winning photographer who specializes in images of Muskoka. Her most recent book, “Carve your own Totem Pole” published by Boston Mills Press, is now available in local bookstores. She can be reached in Muskoka at 705-645-8771.