After members of a sailing collective called for a half-sunken “eyesore” houseboat to be hauled from Back Bay, the unwelcome vessel has been relocated – with the help of a local revivalist.
“One person's wreck is another person's palace,” said veteran Yellowknife houseboater and houseboat restorer Matthew Grogono, as he worked to free the derelict dwelling from its watery resting place
Grogono, a champion of the Yellowknife arts scene who recovered and restored his first houseboat in 1981 on LaHave River in Nova Scotia, gave the beleaguered houseboat's owner, Archie Johnson, a call after reading a Yellowknifer article published in June.
Houseboat restorer Matthew Grogono, left, says that by helping haul out Archie Johnson's waterlogged vessel from Back Bay, it's a win-win situation for all parties involved – no more eyesores for the nearby sailing club, and the chance to turn a dump-destined boat into something with purpose.
July 2, 2018.
The article detailed concerns expressed by some members of the Great Slave Sailing Club, headquartered near the uninhabited boat. Members said the presence of the houseboat posed safety and environmental risks.
At the time Johnson said he was making every effort to get the houseboat out as soon as possible. But with mounting pressure to remedy the situation, Grogono threw Johnson a life raft.
“It's about doing something constructive. We've got a great country, one of the best cities on the planet and we need to pull that together. It's a small planet,” said Grogono.
On Canada Day, after offering to take the vessel off of owner and friend Johnson's hands, Grogono was granted salvage rights for the houseboat, and the two men, along with help from another houseboater, began draining water from the boat's bloated pontoons.
And money was the last thing on Grogono's mind.
“It's not about the money. It's about cleaning up Giant Mine. It's a great vessel, it's just got a couple flat tires,” said Grogono.
The boat has now been pulled across the bay to a new neighbourhood on the water, far from the docks that line the sailing club's turf.
After mounting calls from concerned Great Slave Sailing Club members to remove a half-sunken and uninhabited houseboat situated near the collective's docks, the vessel's owner Archie Johnson, along with Matthew Grogono, moved the boat to its temporary resting place, pictured here, beside the Government Wharf.
“I sure appreciate (Grogono's) assistance, as well as Philippe's. It's nice to have people who are extremely positive,” said Johnson following the houseboat's successful recovery.
Grogono is co-founder of Old Town Glassworks – a collective that transforms discarded bottles and more into re-purposed pieces of uniquely Northern art. So the acquisition of the houseboat is the just the latest in a long line of broken bicycles – so to speak.
“I hate seeing vessels sinking or buildings falling over. I've made the last 45 years or more of my life dedicated towards making constructive things out of unwanted stuff,” said Grogono.
Johnson's former boat, dubbed the Phoenix, by Grogono, now joins a colourful, clustered cast of houseboats the vessel-Renaissance man has rescued over the years, including The Enterprise and Peach Palace.
But what drives Grogono see the meaning in the useless, when so many equate “broken” with dump-destined trash?
Growing up with three older siblings and the hand me downs they left behind, resourcefulness was a must for Grogono.
“My father would bring home broken old cars that didn't come with manuals. He kind of lured me into helping him and I got kind of frustrated with his lack of skill doing it. So, I got better at it,” he said.
“My father was a doctor. If someone has a broken leg, what are going to do about it? Something. Get the bandages and do something about it."