On July 11, 1874, seven young men set sail from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto aboard a yacht called the Foam, en route to the Saturday Night Hop dance in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
But the Foam never made it to the Queen’s Royal Hotel venue that night, sinking sometime around 10:30 p.m. and costing the lives of the seven young men aboard.
A hundred and fifty years later, more than 140 NOTLers and visitors with an affinity for history gathered to memorialize the young men and the tragedy, for what organizer Ross Robinson says are “all the right reasons.”
The ceremony began on Saturday afternoon in front of the NOTL Sailing Club on Melville Street, where bagpiper Margan Stanford led the group to the gazebo at Queen’s Royal Park.
Words from Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, Royal Canadian Yacht Club commodore Kari MacKay and the NOTL Museum’s communications coordinator Barbara Worthy welcomed the group to NOTL and provided important historical context for this tragedy.
Worthy described the circumstances surrounding the boat’s sinking, adding that the lake’s unpredictability is something everyone understands— even today.
“All of us who know this lake, know how sudden it can come upon us,” she said.
She added that with the unclear history and missing knowledge, the story is not just about the loss of young men.
“It is history, it’s a cautionary tale for all of us who live with the water, by the water and love the water,” Worthy said.
MacKay echoed these feelings in an interview with The Lake Report.
She said that Even though it was more than a century ago, lessons can still be remembered from the tragedy of the Foam, she said.
Sailing and water safety procedures, and awareness, are always advancing, she added.
“I think that any tragedy we can learn from, not just this one of course. More recently lives lost and boats lost in offshore racing have taught us new rules and new opportunities for lifesaving equipment,” she said.
Along with the Foam, MacKay said the yacht club has a dense history that can be referenced when making safety decisions on the water.
“There are other losses unfortunately at times. We lost one of our classic eight meters on this 50-year-old ship just last year in a race,” she said.
In that instance everyone was safe, thanks to modern advancements, MacKay said.
Zalepa, an avid sailor, said that the memorial was a great opportunity to not only commemorate the loss of seven young men, but also to bring people together as a reminder of Great Lakes safety.
“I think it’s important for everybody. Open water is a dangerous place and the lakes aren’t the same lakes that people might be used to when they’re going to the cottage,” he said.
The ceremony spoke to the history of the town, Zalepa said.
“This is more sombre, but it’s a reminder that these kinds of tragedies happen,” he said.
Residents of NOTL and Toronto have been bound together, historically, and it was nice to see everyone come out and bond over history again, Zalepa said.
The ceremony concluded with an unveiling of the seven restored headstones and monument at St. Mark’s Cemetery along with a prayer of rededication from Rev. Leighton Lee, a tolling of the bells and a reprise of the Banker’s Boys from musician Aaron Berger.
Guests then had the chance to eat and drink at the NOTL Sailing Club, with catering from PigOut Niagara.Â
