The Ontamich, a small, ferry that formerly ran between Sombra, Ontario, and Marine City, Michigan, is now parked in Sarnia, Ontario North Slip.
A ferry service known as the Sombra-Marine City (Bluewater) Ferry connected Sombra, Ontario, in Canada on the east bank of the St. Clair River with Marine City, Michigan, in the United States on the west bank.
Cars could reach the ferry from Marine City’s Highway M-29 or Sombra’s Lambton County Road 33/St. Clair Parkway, which was formerly Highway 40. The dock was on King Street in Sombra, on the Ontario/Canadian border. South Water Street was where the dock was located on the Michigan/American side.
A car would have to pay a $7.00 (CAN or US) toll on the ferry in July 2013. The first departure was at 6:40 AM from Sombra and at 7:00 AM from Marine City.
The Daldean of Chatham and the Ontamich were the two boats that the Bluewater Ferry ran. Launched in 1939, the Ontamich could carry one semi-trailer truck or nine car-equivalents, while the larger Daldean of Chatham could carry two semi-trailer trucks or twelve car-equivalents.
Heavy ice buildup on one or both shores occasionally prevented the ferry from operating during the winter months.
The ferry’s causeway was damaged by ice floes on January 11, 2018, which resulted in the suspension of operations. Because of the expense, the four million dollar repairs were never finished.
In 2019, there was a plan to sell the company, but it failed because the US government wouldn’t promise to reopen the border station in Marine City.
In July 2020, the two ferry boats were sold. At that point, a lawsuit for $6 million against the Canadian government, filed in April 2019, was still pending.