Alex Guthro
LOVES Wooden Canoes
Below are upcoming events.
“Cherry Beach Park is located at the foot of Cherry Street accessible off Lakeshore Boulevard a few minutes east of the downtown core. There is a large, unpaved free parking lot on the left just before the paved road ends in a turnaround loop. Water access is a shallow pebbly beach so bringing some proper footwear would be prudent. It's about a 20 minute paddle in open lake water and through the industrial eastern gap channel until we get to the secluded canals of the islands. The route would take us through several marinas where we can gawk at the house boats and yachts, past the islands amusement park where roller coasters and kids will be having fun, under many neat bridges, as well as through some undeveloped areas. Depending on wind / wave conditions we can paddle other parts of the inner harbour and get relatively close to the island airport where planes will be taking off and landing. We can have lunch or drinks at the Carousel cafe located right in the middle of the island cluster. They have a neat little bay with rock steps to their waterside patio where we can tie up our boats.
There are also a few historical buildings including a wooden church dated to 1884 (St. Andrews by the Lake) as well as the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Great Lakes dated to 1808 (Gibraltar Point lighthouse) at the southwest corner. Plenty of interesting bird life too including great blue herons, swans, various ducks and songbirds. A healthy population of mink are also island residents. A set of binoculars would be useful if anyone is interested in viewing.”
The plan is to meet at 10 am at the Cherry Beach parking lot https://goo.gl/maps/WXJdodm83hTGy2PP9. We would paddle around, have lunch, leisurely explore some more sites and then head back to the parking latest by 3pm.
I’ll send a reminder in early August and at that time ask who would be planning to attend.
Have a safe and happy summer!
- The National Canoe Day celebration on June 23 at the Muskoka Discovery Centre. They have expanded their program to a full day. Those who attended last year had a great time. The guided paddle around Muskoka Bay talks about the history of the area and is fascinating. We’ll have WCHA information available.
2. For something different, On August 27 (Aug 29 as a possible rain date), Murat Vadar is willing to lead a paddle of the Toronto Islands. This is a terrific chance to explore one of our urban paddling treasures. Below is Murat’s summary of a potential paddle;
There are also a few historical buildings including a wooden church dated to 1884 (St. Andrews by the Lake) as well as the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Great Lakes dated to 1808 (Gibraltar Point lighthouse) at the southwest corner. Plenty of interesting bird life too including great blue herons, swans, various ducks and songbirds. A healthy population of mink are also island residents. A set of binoculars would be useful if anyone is interested in viewing.”
The plan is to meet at 10 am at the Cherry Beach parking lot https://goo.gl/maps/WXJdodm83hTGy2PP9. We would paddle around, have lunch, leisurely explore some more sites and then head back to the parking latest by 3pm.
I’ll send a reminder in early August and at that time ask who would be planning to attend.
Have a safe and happy summer!
