Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant

1984 - Captain John's second floating restaurant and the Toronto Star Building on Queens Quay at the foot of Yonge St, looking northeast — 1984 – Captain John’s second floating restaurant and the Toronto Star Building on Queens Quay at the foot of Yonge St, looking northeast (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 115, Item 16)

Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant was once located on Queens Quay at the foot of Yonge St, on the Harbourfront of Toronto.

Toronto’s First Floating Restaurant

In 1969, entrepreneur and chef John Letnik purchased the 120-foot ship, the MS Normac. After an extensive transformation, he converted the vessel—formerly a Great Lakes passenger ferry and, before that, a Detroit fire tugboat and icebreaker—into the city’s first floating restaurant. Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant opened on August 8, 1970. The arrival of Captain John’s in the then-industrial area marked the beginning of the gentrification process in Toronto’s Harbourfront.

The MV Jadran – The Second Captain John’s

In 1975, Mr. Letnik flew to his native Yugoslavia and purchased the 297-foot vessel, the MV Jadran, from the Yugoslavian government for $1 million. The journey to bring the former Adriatic cruise ship from Yugoslavia to Toronto took 16 days. Once it arrived, the ship was moored in a slip with its bow facing Yonge St, adjacent to the existing floating restaurant (Normac). The Jadran then underwent massive renovations to transform it into the flagship Captain John’s restaurant, which opened in the summer of 1976.

1981 - Captain John's first harbour boat restaurant (the Normac) after being struck by a ferry — 1981 – Captain John’s first harbour boat restaurant (the Normac) after being struck by a ferry (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 115, Item 10)

The floating restaurant was popular with locals and tourists. The ship hosted many special occasions, wedding receptions, celebrities, musicians, family celebrations and more.

The Sinking & Raising of the Normac

On June 2, 1981, the Normac was struck by a city-operated paddle-wheeler named the Trillium. Diners on board the berthed Normac scrambled for safety, with two people requiring treatment for minor injuries.

Two weeks later, on June 16, the Normac sank, leaving it tilted at a 30-degree angle in 24 feet of water. This incident marked the beginning of a lengthy legal battle with Mr. Letnik and the city.

In 1983, the upper portion of the Normac was dismantled, and the hull was raised in 1986. The Normac was later sold and refurbished, and by the mid-1990s, the boat was moved to Port Dalhousie, where it is once again a floating restaurant.

The Later Years of Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant

Back onboard the MV Jadran, customers began to dwindle in the early 2000s, and Mr. Letnik filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2007, a judge denied Mr. Letnik’s application asking that his ship not be assessed for property taxes since it wasn’t a “structure.”

Final Voyage to Port Colborne

2021 – A piece of Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant (the Jadran) at a marine recycling yard in Port Colborne

In 2009, the MV Jadran was put up for sale; however, there were no buyers. In 2012, the city shut down the restaurant and freshwater supply because thousands of dollars in back taxes were owed. Berthing fees to PortsToronto and licensing fees to Waterfront Toronto were also owed. In 2013, the city seized the ship. Two years later, and after 40 years at the foot of Yonge St, the MV Jadran was towed to the Marine Recycling Corporation (MRC) in Port Colborne for scrap metal.

Did You Know?

John Letnik, who moved to Toronto from Yugoslavia in 1957, came up with the idea for a floating restaurant while vacationing aboard the SS France in 1966.
Before the MS Normac became Captain John’s floating restaurant, it was known as the James R. Elliott. Launched in 1902, this boat served as a fire tugboat and icebreaker for the City of Detroit in Michigan. In the early 1930s, the fire tug was purchased by the Owen Sound Transportation Company. It was then rebuilt, repowered, and renamed the MS Normac in honour of Captain Norman McKay, the company’s General Manager. The MS Normac operated as a ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island until the 1960s.
By the 1990s, the MS Normac had been sold, refurbished, and transformed into Tokyo Joe’s Marina Bar & Grill in Port Dalhousie. In 2011, a fire nearly destroyed the boat, but it was restored once again and briefly operated as the Riverboat Mexican Grill. In July 2025, it opened as Ship Happens Bar & Grill for a few months. In May 2026, it was renamed Riverboat Social.
Before Mr. Letnik bought the MV Jadran, the ship began as one of a trio of luxury passenger cruise ships for Jadrolinija Lines. Built in 1957, the MV Jadran operated on the Adriatic Sea in Venice, Italy, as well as in Croatia and Greece. It could accommodate over 750 passengers and featured cabins, an elegant dining room and a lounge with a dance floor.
MV stands for “Motorized Vessel,” and MS stands for “Motorized Ship.”
The walkway along where the floating restaurant was once berthed is named Captain John’s Pier.

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