Theodore Tugboat replica refloated after partially sinking at Ontario dock: owner

The beloved Theodore Tugboat replica that partially sank in St. Catharines, Ont., has been refloated.

The boat’s owner says the life-size version of the TV character was safely righted on Thursday afternoon, but there is still more work to do.

The boat called Theodore Too began taking on water earlier this week while docked in the southern Ontario town near the U.S. border.

The cause of the sinking was unclear, but the owner said no one was injured.

Theodore Too had been a longtime fixture in the Halifax harbour and since arriving in Ontario, it had made more than 20 stops along the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

The boat’s owner Blair McKeil — who is also the CEO of Breakwater Financial — purchased the tug in 2021 from the Halifax-based tourism company Ambassatours Gray Line.

The replica was built in Dayspring, N.S., and launched in 2000, delighting fans of the children’s TV show that aired on CBC between 1993 and 2001.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press