In March 2013, Cheslatta Carrier Nation discovered that two of their tug boats – the Davis Straits and the Valerie – had sunk at their winter mooring on Ootsa Lake.
Cheslatta had purchased the tug boats less than a year prior to their sinking.
“We were really excited when we purchased the tug boats, but we didn’t have a chance to use them,” said James Rakochy, Cheslatta Land and Resource Manager.
After initial environmental cleanup, the vessels remained in place as Cheslatta and their insurance company worked out a recovery plan.
A few months later, the tug boats received a great deal of attention when a Discovery Channel film crew participated in the recovery of the sunken vessels. Jamie Davis, made famous in the television series Highway Thru Hell, was in Burns Lake to assist with raising the sunken tugs.
Earlier this year, Cheslatta decided it was time to give Valerie – a tug boat built in the 1950s - a full restoration.
“Cheslatta, being the resilient folks that they are, they are used to having things under water, bouncing back and doing what’s necessary to recover,” said Rakochy.
Rakochy was referring to the fact that Cheslatta has endured the yearly flooding of their cemeteries for decades due to Nechako reservoir’s elevation management flows.
The full restoration of the Valerie was done by Industrial Transformers Inc. from Burns Lake. Richard Wainwright, owner of Industrial Transformers, explained that during restoration, all parts of the vessel were removed to bring the tug down to just the hull.
“We repaired the hull and tower; rewired the boat and rebuilt the engine.”
Valerie is now powered by a Detroit diesel 8V71 engine with a twin disk transmission and weighs over 60,000 pounds.
“The vessel also received a new interior wood work; new dash and controls,” he said. “The original door, steering wheels and brass spot light were reused.”
The tug’s restoration started Jan 16, 2015. By May 25, Valerie was put back into Ootsa Lake.
“Valerie is completely rebuilt and restored,” said Rakochy. “It looks brand new; Industrial Transformers did a beautiful job.”
Mike Robertson, Senior Policy Advisor for Cheslatta Carrier Nation, said the Valerie is now working full time tugging Cheslatta’s barge across Ootsa Lake.
“It’s mainly ferrying mushroom pickers, but will start hauling heavy trucks soon for a full season of logging,” he said.
The Davis Straits - the second tug boat recovered in 2013 - is currently sitting in dry dock. However, Cheslatta also has plans to give this tug a full restoration.
“We got it out of the lake; so there’s no risk for any damage to it,” said Rakochy. “We’re going to hold on to it [the Davis Straits] because we’re hoping that some of the projects that we will have in the future will require this tug boat.”