BIGWIN'S BIRTHDAY

The Bigwin, poised above the waiting crowd, is lowered by crane to the water in a special occasion also marking her hundredth birthday. The last of the original fleet of steam ferry boats to ply Lake Of Bays she spent decades submerged underwater before she was recovered, and over the past several years being restored to her former glory.

THE OTHER G-8

Local boatbuilder Tom Adams poses beside a replica of the Miss Canada III, a champion racing boat built in 1938. This replica was built in 1987 by Duke Marine Services and is being restored, with plans to be featured in a documentary on its famous driver Harold Wilson, in between racing around the lakes with its current owner.

LOOKING-GLASS

A view of Muskoka Bay through a frosted window below deck on the Wanda III. Although the image appears backwards from being taken inside, I felt it was appropriate as being on board was like taking a trip backwards through time to 1915, when she was commissioned by Lady Eaton and was the fastest steam yacht to cruise the lakes.

LADY MUSKOKA

The Lady Muskoka cruises past a popular scene of Muskoka chairs and flowerpots at the end of the dock, on its return journey up the Muskoka River to its berth in Bracebridge. Scenic tours start on the river before reaching Lake Muskoka and its highlight of Millionaires' Row, a passage famous for its century old cottages and boathouses.

CAMP SONGS

The Wenonah II glides past the site of a former German Prisoner of War camp during the second world war, the base of the flagpole one of the few existing relics from this period. During the wartime when any steamships passed by, the organist and passengers would break out singing patriotic songs loud enough for all the prisoners to hear.

MAIDEN VOYAGE

As peers in the tourism industry, we were invited on an introductory cruise of Muskoka Bay to the lighthouse which stands at the entrance to Gravenhurst Narrows. This was my maiden voyage aboard the Wenonah II, a diesel-run replica of the early Muskoka steamships, combining turn-of-the-century charm with modern conveniences.

SPRING EQUINOX

Winter has officially surrendered to spring and released the Segwun, North America's oldest operating steamship, named for the Ojibwa word for springtime. Many of the lakes have moats of open water separating the shoreline from the receding and deteriorating ice, conditions now deemed unsafe to travel on except with an airboat.

FLY IN, TAKE OUT

The sister ships, the Segwun and Wenonah II, are flanked by an identical pair of Advanced Ultralights that flew in to catch some of the excitement of the pond hockey and curling competitions that were underway, and in turn generated their own excitement. One pilot is known to fly in frequently to pick up his Boston Pizza order!

THE WALL

One of the first attractions I found in my new home of Port Carling was what locals refer to as The Wall. From a distance the mural features the Sagamo, the flagship of the Muskoka steamships; a closer inspection reveals a mosaic composed of 9,028 individual historic photographs depicting 100 years of Muskoka history.