You probably don’t need me to tell you that the city of Toronto is awesome. The awesomeness of this place has been thoroughly documented over the course of its history, particularly recently as it lands on multiple Top Destination and Must Visit lists around the globe. Sights, sounds, tastes — the place has got a lot to offer. You know it. I know it. But what you might be less aware of is the awesome sailing scene that Toronto has to offer.
When a body of water is involved, travel brochures will stereotypically tell you that a location is nestled on its shores. That isn’t the case for Toronto. The city is spattered, dense and off-beat, and it all takes place on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario. There’s nothing quaint about it. On a clear day, you can still see the sharp relief of its famous skyline from the opposite shore — 50 kilometres away. What’s great about this fact? It means there is 50 kilometres worth of water south of Toronto.
In actuality, there’s way more. Lake Ontario has a shoreline of more than 1,000 kilometres, not including all the islands dotted on the more eastern extremes.
That’s a lot of space to float around in, and a lot of beaches, bays, and boatable space to discover.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
(While Sailing in Toronto)
Have you ever stopped to consider just how many places are connected to Toronto by water? Technically, you could travel all the way to Santorini, or even O’ahu, uninhibited by little more than a few locks and the most awesome sailing adventure of your life. Thunder Bay to Tahiti. Detroit to the Dominican. The St. Lawrence to Somalia — maybe steer clear of that one, actually.
If you don’t have quite have the freedom or finances to devote to more global pursuits, there are quite a few worthwhile destinations within just a day’s sail from the city. The Cathedral Bluffs in Scarborough will help hone your instagram game, and Port Dalhousie has all the craft beer that you might need to quench your thirst after a long lake crossing. Further afield, there are quaint All-American towns that dot the southern shoreline. Along the northern , stereotypical small-town Ontario match town for town, antique shop for antique shop.
And let’s not forget our hometown hero here. Toronto itself is home to a lively sailing scene, an array of beaches to anchor from, and one of the best skylines in the world to bob around in front of.
Leave the City, Without Leaving the City
Torontonians are well aware that the summer season is short lived. You have to make the most of what you’ve got and if you have ever witnessed a Canadian spring, the change in dynamic is palpable. As soon as the temperatures crest double digits, the parks and patios start to fill up, and the smiles and sunnies take precedent. Everyone is chasing the same sunny vibration, because winter is inevitably coming back.
And while the city itself has a great scene in the summer, the place does tend to swell with tourists looking to enjoy what’s on offer. There’s also those weird smells from the street vents that really start to come into their own. Good excuses to escape the downtown jungle, right?
This leads us to cottaging: one of Toronto’s favourite summer season pastimes.
And as the state of the highways travelling north out of the city on a Friday night are anything to go by, Toronto digs a cottage getaway. Fresh air, room to breathe, and a cool dip in the lake — it can all be yours with just one two three hours of staring at the bumper in front of you.
What if I told you that there was a way to enjoy the cottaging experience, without having to take a single highway on-ramp?
Sailing in Toronto is not a “seen one, seen it all” experience. There’s the inner harbour and the outer harbour. Woodbine Beach and Hanlan’s Point. Ashbridges to Humber Bay. Aquatic Park to the RCYC. Ontario Place, Toronto Island, the Leslie Spit. Dinghies and keelboats, beer can and off shore racing leagues. The list goes on…
And the harbour is perhaps the best kept secret viewing place for Toronto’s various firework and air shows. But let’s keep that one between us, okay?