Canadian Yachting May 2018 - 13

B y P a u l a n d S h e ry l S h a rd

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t's fu n n y h o w a b o d y o f w a te r c a n sh a p e y o u . S h a p e y o u r
m o o d . S h a p e y o u r frie n d sh ip s. S h a p e y o u r fu tu re .
S in c e y o u 're re a d in g C a n a d ia n Y a c h tin g , th e n I'm p re tty su re
y o u h a v e a se n se o f w h a t I'm ta lk in g a b o u t h e re - a fa v o u rite
la k e , b a y, p o n d , riv e r o r o c e a n th a t, w h e n y o u 're n e a r it, in it o r
o n it, it m a k e s y o u r h e a rt sin g a n d g o o d th in g s h a p p e n .
F o r m e , th is is L a k e S im c o e a n d th e T re n t-S e v e rn W a te rw a y
in O n ta rio . A lth o u g h m y h u sb a n d , P a u l, a n d I h a v e sa ile d o v e r
1 0 0 ,0 0 0 n a u tic a l m ile s in th e fo u r sa ilb o a ts w e 'v e o w n e d a n d
h a v e b e e n b le sse d to v isit a w e -in sp irin g d e stin a tio n s a ro u n d th e
w o rld , w e a lw a y s re tu rn to "th e la k e ".
It's w h e re , a s k id s, w e le a rn e d to sw im , h o w to c a tc h a fish ,
h a n d le b o a ts a n d w h e re o u r lo v e fo r th e w a te r a n d fo r o n e
a n o th e r d e v e lo p e d . F ro m a y o u n g a g e , w e b o th sp e n t
w o n d e rfu l tim e s w ith o u r fa m ilie s o n L a k e S im c o e a n d th e
T re n t-S e v e rn W a te rw a y w h ic h is m a n a g e d b y P a rk s C a n a d a
(w w w .p c .g c .c a /e n /lh n -n h s/o n /tre n tse v e rn ). L a k e S im c o e is p a rt
o f th is 2 4 0 m ile (3 8 6 k m ) in la n d w a te rw a y th a t ru n s fro m
T re n to n o n L a k e O n ta rio to P o rt S e v e rn o n G e o rg ia n B a y. T im e s
in , o n a n d n e a r th e w a te r h e re stre n g th e n e d o u r se n se o f w h o
w e a re a n d , a s te e n a g e rs, w e d e v e lo p e d se lf-c o n fid e n c e b y
p a rtic ip a tin g in th e m a n y e n jo y a b le a c tiv itie s a v a ila b le u p a t th e
la k e - c a n o e in g a n d k a y a k in g , w a te rsk iin g , h o u se b o a tin g ,
c a m p in g a n d c o tta g in g .
F ro m a b o a tin g p e rsp e c tiv e , w e le a rn e d h o w to sta rt a n o u tb o a rd m o to r, h o w to ro w , h o w to d o c k , h o w to re a d a n a u tic a l
c h a rt a n d n a v ig a te , h o w to m a n o e u v e r b o a ts o f v a rio u s size s,
h o w to tra n sit a se rie s o f lo c k s o n trip s th ro u g h th e re st o f th e
T re n t-S e v e rn W a te rw a y, h o w to h a n d le a ll k in d s o f w e a th e r a n d
u ltim a te ly to a p p re c ia te n a tu re a n d w ild life . L a k e S im c o e is
in d e e d a b o d y o f w a te r th a t sh a p e d u s a n d o u r fu tu re to g e th e r.
It w a s a sh a re d lo v e o f b o a tin g h e re th a t b ro u g h t u s to g e th e r a n d
th e sk ills le a rn e d o n th e la k e h a v e sin c e h e lp e d u s c ro ss o c e a n s.
L e ft: T h e B ig C h u te M a rin e R a ilw a y is L o c k 4 4 o f th e T re n tS e v e rn W a te rw a y in O n ta rio . It w o rk s o n a n in c lin e d p la n e to
c a rry b o a ts in in d iv id u a l c ra d le s o v e r a c h a n g e o f h e ig h t o f
a b o u t 6 0 fe e t ( 18 m ) . It is th e o n ly m a rin e ra ilw a y o f its k in d in
N o rth A m e ric a s till in u s e , a n d is o v e rs e e n b y h ttp s :/ / e n .
w ik ip e d ia .o rg / w ik i/ P a rk s _ C a n a d a . It ro lls in to th e w a te r s o
b o a ts c a n flo a t o v e r it, th e n th e y s it o n th e p la tfo rm o r a re
h u n g in s lin g s to b e c a rrie d o u t o f th e w a te r a n d d o w n th e
s lo p e to th e w a te r o n th e o th e r s id e .
P h o to b y S h e ry l S h a rd

T
P
M
w

o p R ig h t: P a u l's c o u s in s a re a ls o b a s e d o n L a k e S im c o e s o
a u l a n d S h e ry l o fte n jo in th e m fo r p o w e r b o a t c ru is e s a b o a rd
/ V " L ife 's II S h o rt" th ro u g h th e T re n t-S e v e rn W a te rw a y
h e n th e S h a rd s ' o w n b o a t is d o w n s o u th .

P h o to b y P a u l S h a rd

A lth o u g h P a u l a n d I a re n o w b le sse d to sp e n d m o st o f th e
y e a r liv in g a b o a rd o u r sa ilb o a t in th e tro p ic s (w e e a rn o u r liv in g
a s sa ilin g a u th o rs a n d tra v e l d o c u m e n ta ry te le v isio n p ro d u c e rs
a n d v id e o g ra p h e rs), P a u l a n d I a lw a y s c o m e b a c k to o u r ro o ts.
O u r h o m e b a se is o n th e la k e w h e re w e a n d a ll o u r n e ig h b o u rs
h a v e a d o c k a t th e b a c k d o o r.
L a k e S im c o e w a s c a lle d O u e n tiro n k , m e a n in g "B e a u tifu l
W a te r", b y th e n a tiv e W y a n d o t (H u ro n ) p e o p le in th e a re a a t th e
tim e o f th e first E u ro p e a n c o n ta c t in th e 1 7 th c e n tu ry. Its b e a u tifu l c le a r w a te r a n d c le a n b e a c h e s h a v e a lw a y s b e e n p a rt o f th e
la k e 's a p p e a l. It is ju st a 9 0 k m d riv e n o rth fro m d o w n to w n
T o ro n to a n d c ity d w e lle rs, w h o fin d th e c ity b e a c h e s o n L a k e
O n ta rio le ss a p p e a lin g , c a n e a sily m a k e th e trip u p .
L a k e S im c o e w a s o n c e k n o w n a s L a k e T o ro n to a d e riv a tio n
o f ta ro n to , a n Iro g u o in a te rm m e a n in g "g a te w a y o r p a ss", w h ic h
in itia lly re fe rre d to T h e N a rro w s, a c h a n n e l o f w a te r th a t c o n n e c ts L a k e S im c o e a n d L a k e C o u c h ic h in g to th e n o rth . T h e
M o h a w k p h ra se to d e sc rib e T h e N a rro w s w a s tk a ro n to w h ic h
m e a n s "w h e re th e re a re tre e s sta n d in g in th e w a te r" so th e n a m e
T o ro n to a p p e a rs to b e a d e riv a tio n o f th e se te rm s. T h e "tre e s
sta n d in g in th e w a te r" re fe r to th e fish w e irs th e n a tiv e p e o p le s
p la c e d in T h e N a rro w s d u e to th e c u rre n t flo w in g th ro u g h h e re
b e tw e e n to th e tw o la k e s. T h e y d ro v e w o o d e n sta k e s in to th e
w a te r to c re a te th e w e irs. R a d io c a rb o n d a tin g o f su rv iv in g sta k e s
fo u n d a t T h e N a rro w s re v e a ls th a t th e w e irs h e re w e re in u se
m o re th a n 4 ,0 0 0 y e a rs a g o , a t a ro u n d th e tim e th e p y ra m id s
w h e re b e in g b u ilt in E g y p t. T h is la k e h a s b e e n lo v e d b y m a n y
fo r a lo n g tim e .
T h e te rm s u se d to d e sc rib e T h e N a rro w s e v e n tu a lly b e c a m e
a p p lie d to th e la k e a n d a lso to a p o rta g e tra il th a t le d so u th to
w h a t is n o w th e c ity o f T o ro n to , w h ic h w a s n a m e d fo r th e tra il!
L a k e T o ro n to w a s la te r n a m e d L a k e S im c o e b y Jo h n G ra v e s
S im c o e , th e first L ie tu e n a n t-G o v e rn o r o f U p p e r C a n a d a , in
m e m o ry o f h is fa th e r, C a p ta in Jo h n S im c o e , R o y a l N a v y.
L a k e S im c o e is 3 0 k m lo n g a n d 2 5 k m w id e a t its m a xim u m
w id th a n d is q u ite a sh a llo w la k e - 1 5 m a v e ra g e d e p th a n d 4 1
m a t its d e e p e st p o in t - so it c a n k ic k u p in to sh o rt c h o p p y d a n g e ro u s se a s in b a d w e a th e r. B o a te rs p la n n in g to c ro ss th e la k e
n e e d to h e e d th a t, e v e n a t its sh o rte st d ista n c e fro m th e T re n t
C a n a l in B e a v e rto n to T h e N a rro w s a t A th e rle y, th e y w ill b e tra v e lin g 1 5 m ile s (2 4 k m ) a c ro ss o p e n w a te r. It is p ru d e n t to c h e c k
th e w e a th e r b e fo re m a k in g th e ru n a n d h a v e a p la n to c o m e o ff
w w w .c a n a d ia n y a c h t in g .c a

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting May 2018
