Canadian Yachting February 2021 - 66

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Set

IT WAS A SUMMER LIKE NONE OTHER
- by Bradley Schmidt

One upside to the global pandemic has been increased interest a show live from a boathouse in our bay. Everyone was invited
in our hobby.
to drop anchor and watch from the water. They positioned a
paddleboat just off the shore and visitors were asked to make
As Canadians, we are lucky to have an abundance of lakes and a non-perishable food donation for the local food bank.
waterways to explore, many right in our backyard. With the
directive from our government to not travel and to stay socially ,WZDVKHDUWZDUPLQJWRZDWFKWKHRWKHUZLVHWUDQTXLOED\ˉOO
distanced, boat sales this past summer hit an all-time high.
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boats and wake boats alike just kept coming, each making a
As we all adjusted to the new normal, we had the privilege of stop at the paddle boat to drop off their food donations. There
participating in two awesome events on our (usually) quiet were throngs of boats there - by some estimates nearly 100.
cottage lake located about halfway between Toronto and Otta- The weather was fantastic and the spirit wonderful. So many
wa. Both experiences lent themselves to being together while of us had been craving a get-together. Thanks to Mountain
being apart, each of us staying in our own social bubbles in Head, we were able to safely visit with old friends and meet
our boats. One event has been an annual tradition as long as new ones, all while keeping our distance. The band had a full
I can remember; the other was brand new, leaving many of us professional sound system and their music entertained all of
hoping for a repeat.
us, young and old. It was a euphoric moment - a couple hours
of pure joy in an otherwise utterly strange summer. What an
The Canada Day boat parade is a perennial favourite on Lake incredible idea and event to help uplift our spirits all while
Kashwakamak. Every July 1, cottagers from every end of the lake supporting a good cause.
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SDWULRWLFFRORXUVDQGJDWKHUDWWKHGHDGKHDGLQ:KLWHˉVK%D\ Rumour is this will become an annual event. In the mo(incidentally right in front of our dock).
ment, we barely noticed the drones overhead but thankfully they filmed the event. You can watch for yourself at
A boat parade follows at slow speed, navigating around the https://youtu.be/dsvZO0fnqqI or search Mountain Head Live
bays and eventually out into the main lake. From the shore From The Boathouse on YouTube. 
onlookers are treated to quite a sight - the parade of red and
white looks like a snake nearly a kilometre long! From the water,
the excitement is palpable with horns honking and scores of
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to summer after all! You can read all about our lake and see
more pictures at www.kashwakamak.ca.
Towards the end of the summer, thanks to social media, we
learned that a band called Mountain Head would be playing

CANADIAN YACHTING | FEBRUARY 2021

https://www.youtu.be/dsvZO0fnqqI http://www.kashwakamak.ca

Canadian Yachting February 2021

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