The MS Chi-Cheemaun sails its last 2026 crossings on Sunday 18 October. Until then the ship leaves Tobermory at 8:50 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. every day, plus 6:10 p.m. on Fridays, and the crossing takes about 2 hours. An adult pays $18.05 and a car under 20 feet $38.75 on top, tax free. Every traveller needs a booking.
OSTC 2026 sailing season schedule, period 8 September – 18 October 2026 (off-peak fares apply); the 2026 season ends on 18 October and no 2027 timetable was published; checked 9 October 2026 Owen Sound Transportation Company – 2026 Chi-Cheemaun Sailing Schedule · 2026-10-09
October is the end of the line for this ferry. The MS Chi-Cheemaun works between Tobermory and South Baymouth only from spring to autumn, and in 2026 its season runs from 1 May to Sunday 18 October. After the final crossing the ship is not simply tied up for the winter: OSTC has announced that the Chi-Cheemaun goes for its five-year dry-dock inspection, and that for this reason there will be no fall repositioning cruise this year.
Until the 18th the autumn pattern is short and easy to remember. The ship leaves Tobermory at 8:50 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and South Baymouth at 11:10 a.m. and 3:50 p.m., every day. Fridays add an evening round trip, and so does Thanksgiving Monday, 12 October. The off-peak timetable is slower than the summer one: OSTC gives about two hours for the crossing now, against 1 hour 45 minutes between late June and Labour Day.
The ferry belongs to the Province of Ontario, which runs it through the Owen Sound Transportation Company, a provincial agency classed as an operational enterprise; the same company operates the MV Niska 1 on the Moose River in Northern Ontario.
Two things shape the bill on the Chi-Cheemaun. First, OSTC prices the people and the vehicle separately: the vehicle rate does not include the driver or anyone else in the car, so each person adds a passenger fare. Second, transportation fares are tax free, so what you see is what you pay in Canadian dollars.
Passenger prices do not change with the season. Vehicle fares drop in the off-peak months, which include the rest of the 2026 season, and are charged by height: under 8 ft 6 in is a passenger or low vehicle, anything taller pays the large-vehicle rate. Full payment is taken when you book.
| Adult, 12 to 64 | $ 18.05 |
| Senior, 65 and over | $ 15.60 |
| Child, 5 to 11 | $ 9 |
| Infant, under 5 | Free |
| Car or low vehicle under 8 ft 6 in high, up to 20 ft | $ 38.75 |
| Each extra foot over 20 ft, low vehicle | $ 1.95 |
| Large or high vehicle, 8 ft 6 in or more, up to 20 ft | $ 83 |
| Motorcycle, no attachments | $ 20.20 |
| Motorcycle with attachments, Can-Am or ATV | $ 30.30 |
| Bicycle | $ 8.15 |
| Car or low vehicle up to 20 ft | $ 49.10 |
| Large or high vehicle up to 20 ft | $ 99.40 |
| Motorcycle, no attachments | $ 25.65 |
OSTC 2026 fares, read 9 October 2026; off-peak vehicle rates apply from 8 September to 18 October Owen Sound Transportation Company – MS Chi-Cheemaun Fares · 2026-10-09
The crossing joins the two halves of Highway 6. On the mainland side the highway ends at Tobermory, at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, which separates Georgian Bay from the main body of Lake Huron. On the far side it picks up again at South Baymouth and crosses Manitoulin Island northward. OSTC publishes the crossing in hours, not kilometres: about two hours in spring and autumn and 1 hour 45 minutes in the peak summer timetable.
When the ferry is laid up, Manitoulin is still reachable by road, but from the north: Highway 6 crosses onto the island over the swing bridge at Little Current, which Wikipedia describes as its only land access. From southern Ontario that means driving around Georgian Bay rather than across it.
Highway 6 runs up the Bruce Peninsula and ends at the harbour in Tobermory, where the terminal sits on Eliza Street. This autumn OSTC warns of resurfacing work on Highway 6 between Ferndale and Lindsay Road 20 at Miller Lake, so the last stretch north can be slower than your map suggests. Arrive early enough to clear the ticket booth an hour before the boat.
Ferry users can leave a car in the terminal lot for $10 a day or $70 a week (tax included), paid at the terminal office, with the pass on the dashboard; cars without one are towed. The Tobermory terminal number is 519-596-2510.
South Baymouth is a small village on the south shore of Manitoulin Island, in Tehkummah Township. Highway 6 resumes here and runs north across the island towards Little Current and the mainland. The same parking rates apply as in Tobermory.
Wheelchair users board through the passenger ramp and lift at both terminals; tell the ticket agent when you arrive. For questions on the day, the South Baymouth terminal answers on 705-859-3161.
OSTC requires a reservation for every passenger, on foot or in a vehicle, made at least four hours before the sailing. Book online or on 1-800-265-3163; on Fridays to 18 October the reservations line is open until 6 p.m., other days until 4 p.m.
Reservation holders must check in at the ticket booth at least an hour before sail time. Changes made within four hours of departure can cost $3.00 at check-in.
RVs and camper trailers may carry at most 65 L of propane in total, in no more than two cylinders. If the capacity cannot be verified, boarding can be refused.
Until recall repairs are done, OSTC refuses the 2017–2021 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, the 2022–2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee PHEV and the 2020–2025 Jeep Wrangler PHEV.
Cancel or rebook 48 hours or more before departure for a full refund, between 24 and 48 hours for half, and inside 24 hours for nothing.
The name means Big Canoe in Ojibway. The ship was launched in the fall of 1974, built on Georgian Bay by the Collingwood Shipyards, and retractable mezzanine ramps added a few years later raised its car deck to 150 vehicles. Its predecessor, the MS Normac, worked the same seasonal run for some thirty years.
Nothing about the 2027 season had been published on 9 October 2026. In 2026 the first sailing was on 1 May and bookings opened on 16 March, but OSTC had not announced its dates for next year. Until it does, the road via Little Current is the way onto Manitoulin.
If the Chi-Cheemaun season is over by the time you read this, two smaller Ontario ferries stay in service much longer: the Rockland–Thurso cable ferry on the Ottawa River, which runs until the ice closes the river, and the Howe Island Township ferry near Gananoque on the St. Lawrence.
Sunday 18 October 2026. On that day the ship leaves Tobermory at 8:50 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and South Baymouth at 11:10 a.m. and 3:50 p.m.; the 3:50 p.m. reaches Tobermory at 5:50 p.m. and closes the season.
No. The 2026 season ends on 18 October and the ship then goes for its five-year dry-dock inspection. Manitoulin Island stays reachable by road over the Little Current swing bridge on Highway 6.
OSTC says reservations are required for every passenger, including foot passengers, at least four hours before the departure you want, with the fare paid in full when you book.
It is the only departure after 3:50 p.m. on a normal autumn day. The 6:10 p.m. from Tobermory arrives at 7:55 p.m., and the 8:15 p.m. back from South Baymouth arrives at 10 p.m. It runs on Fridays to 16 October and on Thanksgiving Monday, 12 October.
The off-peak rate for a car under 8 ft 6 in high and up to 20 ft long is $38.75, and each adult aged 12 to 64 pays $18.05 on top. There is no sales tax on transportation fares.