Tobermory Shipwrecks
| Avalon Voyager |
|
| Name: | Avalon Voyager |
| Built: | 1947 |
| Length: | 135 feet |
| Sunk: | 1980 |
| Depth: | 25 feet |
| Rating: | Novice |
| Description: |
The Avalon Voyager has been used as crew quarters in the Toronto Harbour in the
early 1970s and as a restaurant ship in Kincardine in the late 1970s. She was
being moved to Owen Sound in October 1980, when her engine over heated in heavy
seas near Tobermory. An attempt to anchor failed as the anchor dragged across
the smooth rock lake bottom. She grounded heavily on a ledge near Bonnet Island.
(pictured above) The Avalon remained there until the winter of 1982 when vandals
set a fire causing her to burn to the waterline. Since then, wave action has
further damaged the remaining hull.
Despite the fact that this is a novice dive, it is extremely difficult to dive. Private property prevents easy shore access. The lack of a permanent mooring and the smooth rock bottom prevent safe anchoring in prevailing westerly winds. It is only on those rare occasions when a calm east wind will allow safe access. |
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