Lake Hurons lee shore 900Lake Huron’s lee shore, an area including Port Franks, Bayfield and Grand Bend, stretching roughly thirty nautical miles along Ontario’s west coast, has long been synonymous with summer fun.

Cascadia 400The departure for our Wine Island Adventure was delayed just a bit by a typical boat misadventure—Cascadia’s anchor, our Maple Leaf Adventures 138-foot catamaran, had snagged on an old railroad tie.

Western LO 10miles offshore 400I start every article, story or TV segment about boating out of the biggest city in Canada the same way. Citing the multiple people who told me I would “quickly get bored of Toronto harbour” or that “there’s nothing to do in Lake Ontario” and that it was only a matter of time before I moved marinas to a much more appropriate setting just north of the city.

Peterborough Lift LockLast summer Waterways TV debuted with host Steve Bull’s tour of Ontario. In this episode Parks Canada’s Chad Buchner takes Steve behind-the-scenes of the world-famous Peterborough Lift Lock (the world’s largest) and even lets him ‘drive’ it. Understanding this technology is not quite as much fun as boating it, but it will have to suffice until spring!

Sinclair Cove 400Our 2020 cruise in the North Channel was too good for a one-off, so, when a career move provided downtime in summer 2021, we sailed north for more.

Bridging North AmericaI sail on Lake St Clair. Michigan is on one side of the lake, and Ontario is on the other. My sailboat is winter-stored 23 miles away, downstream on the Detroit River. Similarly, one side of the river is USA, and the other Ontario.

Desolation SoundThe bright summer sun forces its way through magnificent Arbutus trees as I dive off our pop-up-dock finding reprieve in the 80 degree F waters. Sharing the water with a friendly seal as brilliant star fish and oysters cling to the rocky shores of Roscoe Bay. Am I really in British Columbia?

West Side story 400It was the last day of August and we were in Little Current heading south. Our Lasalle winter haul out was still over a month away.

Cowichan Bay 400Cowichan Bay is a waterfront village with a row of shops, artisan products, marine supplies and a variety of places to eat. It also has a delightful Maritime Centre.

Ladysmith Community MarinaInstant towns have sprung up in the past, especially on the BC coast. In the late 1850s, Victoria grew overnight into a tent city when hordes of prospectors stopped by to provision for their quest to get rich in the Fraser goldfields.

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Video Gallery

Regal LS36 Luxury Crossover

By Andy Adams

Regal Boats’ new LS36 is what we call a day boat. Regal says the LS36 merges their luxury yacht series with their bowrider series and the result is the LS36. This comfortable bowrider is perfect for cruising the lake or hosting friends and family for the day on the weekend.

We feel the styling deserves mention right off the top. This is a big boat at over 37-feet on an 11’7” beam but the clean and almost traditional lines give the LS36 a timeless sporty look that we think, really sets it apart. It’s a Yacht-certified vessel. I counted approximately 21 places for people to sit! You would probably never take a crowd that big but it can certainly handle a gang.

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Dufour 37

By Zuzana Prochazka

Every few years, boat builders update their lines with refreshed designs and new features that eventually proliferate throughout their entire offering. Dufour Yachts is in mid-process of such an evolution as the builder changes up their line of sleek sailing cruisers.

One sign of this transformation is the naming convention that is morphing from triple-digit numbers ending with a zero, to simple double-digits that one would guess designates the LOA – more on this later. The latest model in the refresh is the Dufour 37 which replaces the previous Dufour 360. 

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Western Lake Ontario

I start every article, story or TV segment about boating out of the biggest city in Canada the same way. Citing the multiple people who told me I would “quickly get bored of Toronto harbour” or that “there’s nothing to do in Lake Ontario” and that it was only a matter of time before I moved marinas to a much more appropriate setting just north of the city.

With all due respect to my pals who boat in Georgian Bay, I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon. Next year will be my tenth in Toronto Harbour and I love it more each year.

 

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Lifestyle

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This issue’s Photo of the Week comes from friend Katie Dudman who reports. “He’s playing with the ...
My first recollection of  Buddy Melges was on Lake Geneva Wisconsin at the first world laser ...
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POTW fan, Josh Neufeld, modestly sent along these beauties.
Roger Renaud, our Windsor Sailing in Canada correspondent sends along this Photo of the Week ...
On a leisurely summer afternoon, what could be more relaxing than a cruise up the river aboard a ...
Strategist of the Canada SailGP Team and National Sailing Team 49erFX sailor, Georgia ...
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MJM YachtsIntroducing the next graduate in our CYOB marine career path series, Nathanial Stabenow from the East Coast of Canada.

An individual of many hats, Nathanial has had a diverse career in the marine industry taking part in commercial diving, marine navigation, rigging and boat building. He now works as a marine engineer on the LaHave ferry in Nova Scotia. Here is Nathanial’s unique career path.

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DIY & How to

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Common Anchors

‘A chain is only as strong as its weakest link’ is a cliche that is quite applicable in boat maintenance. In a literal sense, a weakest link can apply to an anchor rode, and a weak link in this chain can spell disaster.

Transport Canada specifies the sizes of anchors required in the Canada Shipping Act, detailed more commonly in the Safe Boating Guide:

For Sail and Power boats up to 6 m (19’8”): One (1) anchor and at least 15 m (49’3”) of cable, rope or chain in any combination...

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Marine Products

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Pajot Hydrogen CatamaranThe Samana 59 Smart Electric is a new sailing catamaran equipped with alternative energy solutions and EODev’s electro-hydrogen REXH2.

To reduce its carbon impact, the Samana 59 Smart Electric has a virtuous energy architecture composed of a REXH2 that can provide up to 70 kW of continuous power, a battery composed of LiFePO4-EVEPOWER (Lithium Iron Phosphate) cells of 63kWh integrated by EVE SYSTEM and Alternatives Energies and 42 m2 of “slim” type solar panels that can provide up to 6145 W. This energy mix allows to take advantage of all the embarked renewable energies (solar, wind).

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