SUMMER COTTAGE TOUR

The Summer Cottage Tour, a Muskoka Conservancy fund-raising event, started and ended at Touchstone on Lake Muskoka, with the Wenonah II delivering the tour group to a pair of cottages, a contrast of old and new Muskoka. Willardby, named after its original owner, Dr. Lewis Willard, is one of the oldest and most original Beaumaris cottages found on the famous Millionaires' Row. A chapter and photographs of its boathouses can be found in the coffeetable classic, Shelter at the Shore. The other is a modern log mansion and boathouse at Montcalm Point, the name inherited from a former hotel that once occupied this location. Its boathouse is also featured in print however to truly appreciate the whole property and its latest renovations a virtual tour is available online. It is currently listed on the market and can be yours for $8 million.
[Program front cover images by Nicole Lee Photography]

PREP TOUR

It was a beautiful day for cruising Lake Muskoka, where I joined Muskoka Conservancy staff and other volunteers in visiting the two cottages that will be featured on the Summer Cottage Tour. Several boats were needed to shuttle us all between locations, where we were given an orientation of both properties and learned our roles for the following day, when the sold-out tour takes place and the destinations are revealed, with the Wenonah II delivering the visitors.

MILESTONES

Today I joined several of my collegues from The Rosseau aboard the Wenonah II for a brief cruise to the Narrows, with its lighthouse the destination and highlight. This year marks the ten year anniversary for the Wenonah II and 125 years for the Segwun, with a number of special events planned during the season to celebrate this occasion.

M & M

It was sad saying goodbye to Meagan, my Amazing Race partner and colleague at work, who I have known since coming here and worked together with the past year, the other M from the Night Audit Team. I gave her a card I thought was appropriate, featuring the two ships with M on their stacks, side by side at the dock, like us at the desk.

SEGWUN SURPRISE

It isn't common to see the Segwun lock through to the other lakes unless chartered for a special occasion, the only scheduled trip its annual Thanksgiving run. This year afterwards the Segwun and the Wenonah II will be put in dry dock at the Port Carling locks for any maintenance necessary to meet the federal mandated inspections.

BOAT TOURS

Due to its waterfront location the Rosseau Farmers' Market brings a lot of visitors by boat, including the Wenonah II that makes Rosseau its destination on Fridays. I ran into Randy Potts, owner and captain of the Idyllwood, the small yacht parked at the end of the dock, who invited me to accompany him in the wheelhouse for one of his tours.

COINCIDENCE

The boys finished the day with a swim off the dock at Hanna Park, and were thrilled when the Wenonah II arrived on the scene. It was such a coincidence for earlier that day when visiting the abandoned Georgian Bay Store we salvaged a musty copy of The Cottage Times dated from May 31, 2002, announcing the debut of this newest ship.

SIBLINGS

I had my boys join me for the weekend and stayed in Gravenhurst at the Residence Inn. In the morning they reneged on their decision to accompany me while I slipped out in the early morning mist to visit and photograph another set of siblings, the Segwun, North America's oldest operating steamship, and the Wenonah II, a modern replica.

CRUISE & CREWS

Some of the crew from The Rosseau joined others from the tourism industry aboard the Wenonah II for a cruise around Muskoka Bay, courtesy of Muskoka Steamships. It was a beautiful but very windy day, and I was amazed at the prowess of her crew and the captain when we docked without a hitch. I wish I could parallel park like that.
[Thanks to my colleague Jocelyn for this photo and her permission.]

BYGONE DAYS

Like a re-enactment from bygone days the Wenonah II, a replica of the twentieth century steamships, waits to collect passengers for a cruise from The Rosseau, a modern resort modelled after the Royal Muskoka Hotel, built over a century ago, which reigned as the most luxurious resort on the lake before it was destroyed by fire in 1952.

PAYING TRIBUTE

On this occasion I was fortunate to arrive in time to witness the Wenonah II locking through, with the bridge raised and her mast lowered. I like to think that as she is passing the Wall she is paying tribute to the Sagamo, the former patriarch of the steamship line, its picture eclipsed by this newest ship, who carries on the legacy.

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.

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!