Wednesday, we had another great day at Stony Lake with Meg and Sandy. Sandy joined the Captain on Katahdin for an hour and a half coffee early in the morning during which we solved most of the problems of the world. Mid-morning, the Admiral joined Meg for a dump run and provisioning safari. In both cases, well-tested Boston Whalers ferried the folks and Meg and the Admiral's Whaler also toted trash to the mainland and supplies back to Eagle Mount Island.
The Admiral and I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon at anchor on Katahdin although I did scrub the decks and go for an extended dinghy ride--you can take the boy out of the boat but it's hard to take the boat out of the boy.
In the evening, we enjoyed learning more of the history of Stony Lake and its denizens. First, we circumnavigated Eagle Mount Island with Meg, Sandy, and their daughter, Jane, during which we learned more about the island's residents of the last three quarters of a century. Next, we boated to nearby Juniper Island where the Association of Stony Lake Cottagers hosted a square dance with music by the renowned Leahy Family who have played all over Canada and the US. It was fun to sense the sociability of lake residents and to see their enthusiasm in action--enthusiasm passed down for generations over more than a century.
But for me, the story of the 1883 Canoe Meet at Stony Lake really caught my eye. Imagine 400 canoe enthusiasts from all over North America making their way by rail, steamboat, stage coach and horse and buggy to a remote lake in Ontario to celebrate canoeing. That must have been a crew of ardent canoeists with adventurous spirits. Incredible.
The history of canoeing in the Kawartha Lakes was brought home to me even more at our Thursday evening stop over--Gordon Yacht Harbour in Bobcaygeon. Founded in 1905, Gordon Yacht Harbour built hundreds if not thousands of cedar strip canoes and later moved into building pleasure boats as long as 38 feet.
After enjoying the square dancing on Juniper Island, we retired to Eagle Mount for a lovely dinner with Sandy, Meg, Jane, two of Meg's sisters, their husbands, and a half dozen high school and college age nieces. Delightful all, we had a wonderful evening with them and most engaging conversation. A beautiful sunset followed by a rising full moon capped a terrific day.
Today (Thursday) we traveled west 30 miles through three locks to reach Bobcaygeon. Our trip took us through beautiful lakes with connecting streams as we wove our way off and on to the Canadian Shield. We passed hundreds of islands, some with cottages and others without. Osprey, bald eagles and Canada geese were our fine feathered friends for the day. The trip was delightful.
However, for the first time in nearly 6000 miles on the Loop, we ran into large enough crowds at the locks that we had to wait, in two cases, for the third lift. Fortunately, we only had three locks today. It could get old waiting for multiple groups of not terribly well organized skippers to get into and out of the lock before you even get your turn.
As mentioned above, we did finally make it to Bobcaygeon and Gordon Yacht Harbour this evening.
I'll close by saying that one of the circles in my life closed this afternoon when I discovered that Gordon Yacht Harbour had a 1950s vintage 5 horsepower Johnson outboard in its event space. An engine exactly like that one though in somewhat better shape powered the 12 foot aluminum boat that began my boating career as a young boy in the mid 1950s. I'd be hard pressed to say which boat (and motor) I loved more: that 12 foot tinny and 5 hp Johnson or our 45 foot Sabre with her twin 480 hp Volvos! My grandmother made that first vessel happen and, I ran my dad's gasoline through it like it was going out of style. Sixty years of my own blood, sweat and tears have made Katahdin and our Great Loop Adventure possible. As a young boy growing up in a middle class family in a small, rural Maine town, I couldn't have imagined this in my wildest dreams!
