Arctic Duchess Adventures

At Arctic Duchess Adventures, a wedding happens aboard a storied northern ship moored on Great Slave Lake, with Houseboat Bay all around and, after dark, the chance of the aurora overhead.

The Arctic Duchess is a retired Canadian Coast Guard vessel and the oldest steel-hulled ship still afloat on Great Slave Lake. She was built in Fort Smith in 1961 as the CCGS Eckaloo, a name meaning pathfinder, and spent decades carrying crews between remote communities on Great Slave Lake, down the Mackenzie River and out to the Arctic Ocean.

A major refit in 1988 lengthened her bow and she sailed for a time as the Hay River 2 before taking the name Arctic Duchess in 1995. Her original blueprints, engine logs going back to 1968 and the old wooden steering wheel have all been kept aboard, and captains still pass along a story that the Queen stepped on board during her 1994 visit to Yellowknife.

The ship sits near Jolliffe Island, just across the water from the heritage wharf in Old Town and only minutes from downtown. In summer, guests arrive by canoe, boat or paddleboard, or take a shuttle from the Old Town public boat launch. In winter, a maintained ice road leads right to her, and some arrive on skis, by snowmobile or even by dog sled.

Alongside nighttime aurora viewing, the Duchess hosts daytime gatherings, and weddings are among the events the team helps plan. A sauna and cold plunge are also part of the experience on board.