A new cruise-and-dine ship, the Georgian Spirit, is set to make waves in Midland this summer as the spiritual successor to the famously-departed Miss Midland.

Helmed by Captain Bill Thomson, owner of Stony Lake Cruises, the Georgian Spirit is his fifth cruise line business started since 1985. The 22-metre dinner excursion ship, purchased by Thomson in 2018, had been sitting out of the water since last year when Thomson learned he had to move the ship off Stony Lake and into a new dock.

“It was time to find a new location and we were literally on the verge of going to Buckhorn when we found out that the Miss Midland had been sold (to Tobermory). I thought ‘That’s a lot better spot to relocate,’” Thomson told Midland councillors at this week’s meeting.

The Georgian Spirit, formerly named The Spirit of the Kawarthas, has been renovated over the past few years with new lifeboats, life jackets, fire extinguishers, fireproof insulation, a few coats of paint and more to receive entry into Canadian waters, exceeding Transport Canada Safety Standards requirements, Thomson noted. […]