You only will have a couple of more weeks to check out the Tug John Purves before it heads across the bay for some much-needed tender, loving care. The Door County Maritime Museum, which began offering tours of the tug boat in 2008, secured the last piece of funding needed to make a number of repairs to the vessel’s hull among other improvements. Deputy Director and Development Manager Sam Perlman says it is important for the Tug John Purves to be preserved for future generations to tour, something over 70,000 people have already been able to experience.

Perlman says the plan right now is for the Tug John Purves to be towed by Roen Salvage across the bay to Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding where it will be put in dry dock for its repairs as other visiting vessels come to Sturgeon Bay for the winter fleet. The tug will return to its rightful spot by the Door County Maritime Museum in time for the start of the 2024 season in May.