A Day On The Lake

Sunday, July 25, 2010

And it’s Ho! For the open waters. Or at least, the close-to-shore waters of Lake Ontario at Toronto.

The day dawned cloudy, but by mid-day the sun was out, shepherding all the fleecy little clouds into the Pen(sylvanian foothills).

Vroom! Goes the boat, Vroom! Vroom!! And we are away out from the harbour. That’s the Toronto skyline, as if you didn’t know. The CN tower and the Skydome. It was renamed a few years back, but we still call it the Skydome.

Out we went outside the islands. Their forest of, well, forest-green allows only the CN tower and a few bank buildings to peek out.

In the grand scheme of things you go to the bank to withdraw money, then you hand it all over to the Nice People as you go into, and walk around, the CN tower.

Still bopping around …

Then back in through the Eastern gap with the harbour to our right.

The Royal York hotel pokes its copper-plated dome out. There was a time when this was the tallest hotel in the British Empire.

Or something.

Now it’s hard to spot it except in a small gap.

Here’s a big ocean-going freighter, obviously without a load and just as obviously not going to the ocean anytime soon.

And here is a more distant view. Either that or else I dis-abled the zoom on the camera.

Two of the TTC’s island ferries in dock, waiting to ferry people over to the islands. There are 3 ferries and each goes to its allotted dock at the Eastern, Central and Western end of the islands and yes, you can go on one and come back on another.

A close-up of the ferries.

For what it is worth, you can sit under shady trees while you wait for the next ferry.

Or the one after that.

Indeed, if you have packed a picnic lunch with iced tea, maybe you won’t even get on the ferry!

We cruised around and amongst the islands and spotted white swans.

Parts of the islands look like raw woodland pastures.

And parts of the islands do not.

Boats are tied up, folks are barbecuing, or just lying on a blanket.

Some of us are practicing our paddling.

Here’s a launch “done up” like a tug-boat.

This is the view from the roof of the launch. Was the water really ultramarine blue, just like in the paint-box?

No boat too small!

Another view of downtown Toronto from within the maze of channels.

We wind through the island channels. That’s Skydome peeking above the trees.

And back out again into Toronto Harbour.

I tried a couple of photos trying to capture the reflections of our wake in the cabin windows.

Here’s Mister Porter coming in to land at Toronto Island Airport.

We stopped for drinks at one club, and for a light supper at another club.

I wanted you to know that the day just got better as it went on.

Here is the abandoned customs terminal for the ill-fated Rochester ferry.

Many larger boats ply between the mainland and the islands.

Mister Porter, again.

You can rent canoes and, I suspect, kayaks by the waterfront.

Tall Ships are available for cruising.

This is the Toronto Island Airport ferry, docked at the airport as we putt-putt-putt through the channel.

It is a short ferry ride, described by the Guinness Book of records as the World’s Shortest Ferry Ride . To the right you can see the ferry leaving the airport; to the left, part-hidden by the trees, is the end of its route.

Proof that the earth is not flat!

These buoys mark the extremities of the airport, in case a plan overshoots the runway.

The cluster of buildings is, I think, Mississauga Town Centre, Burnhamthorpe and Highway 10.

We head west from the harbour, past Exhibition Place.

Into Ontario Place, a facility built over water, with pods.

Walkways link Ontario Place to the mainland. That’s the Molson Amphitheatre noisily barging its way in from the right.

Walkways criss-cross as links between the pods. The IMAX Cinesphere is partly visible at the right centre.

Another pod.

Another pod.

Some walkways disappear into a small wood.

We went to the eastern end of Ontario Place. It would be a cul-de-sac, were it un sac.

Another view of downtown Toronto, this time from the west.

Then back out again past the pods and the IMAX Cinesphere.

Until we came to rest safely back in the yacht club harbour.

Where did we go?

Search