Former Paddlewheel captain pens book commemorating 44 years on the Red River
From Pierre Elliott Trudeau to Colonel Sanders to thousands of Manitoba grads, Captain Steve Hawchuk welcomed people from all walks of life aboard during his 44-year career at the helm of the M.S. Paddlewheel Queen and other vessels.
It’s a career at sea that Hawchuk has turned into a new book, recounting the romance and glamour of the riverboats that once sailed the Red River.
“It was a Winnipeg tradition,” Hawchuk recalled. “People enjoyed it because it was something different in Winnipeg. You can go on the boat, sit beside the window, have a beautiful dinner, and watch the picturesque shoreline go by, and you always see something different.”
Hawchuk came to his career at the wheel after working as a bookkeeper.
When a number of boats came up for sale in 1969, his half-brother Joe thought they should get into the boat business together.
“I said, ‘well, I'm really tired of being a bookkeeper.’ So we bought the boats, and I dove in cold feet. July 26 1969, that's when we started to operate,” he recalled.
For 44 years, Captain Steve Hawchuk sailed the Red River at the helm of the M.S. Paddlewheel Queen and other ships. (Image Source: Steve Hawchuk)
From there, Hawchuk set sail into a decades-long career on the Red that included hosting royalty, Jets and Bombers, rock and roll cruises, fisticuffs and couples making lasting memories.
The highlights and memories have been turned into a new book, recounting plenty of tales from Hawchuk’s career on the river alongside a series of glossy photos taken aboard the Paddlewheel.
Hawchuk hopes the new book will bring back fond memories for the many passengers who had the pleasure of taking a ride on his riverboat.
“We've had close to three-million passengers over those years, and thousands and thousands of school kids, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, you name it, we've had it on the boat,” he said.
- With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.