Made In Canada

This past weekend I was talking to a friend that I hadn't seen in a couple of years. Being a boater himself, I told him about our trip from Lake Simcoe to Lake Ontario last year and he was impressed that we had traveled so far. I went on to say how I was struck with the wanderlust to go farther & see what lied beyond. To me it was more than a simple boat trip, but more of an adventure. I then told him how one could travel from to virtually anywhere in the world that was accessible by boat from the very spot we were standing (a dock in the Port of Orillia). This came as a bit of news to my friend.


OK, so maybe not anywhere in the world, but, given the fact that we could reach the Atlantic Ocean via a water route, we would be able to travel to any spot that is accessible from an ocean. Clear? Good.

Take a look at this map to get an idea. The line in red (circled in red) is the Trent Severn Waterway. Lake Simcoe (home) is located approximately 2/3 of the way from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.

Starting fairly close to home, major cities such as Toronto, Detroit, New York, Montreal and Chicago are all within a 2 - 3 week travel time. Beyond that, the 'Americas Great Loop' carves a path to Florida and the Gulf Of Mexico via the Mississippi River and Atlantic eastern seaboard and all points in between. Now that's an adventure.

Other 'local' routes include the Rideau Canal and the Erie Canal. Add to that a number of regional canals/routes through the mid/eastern U.S. and one could spend years traveling on the water in the area. Then, of course there's the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Europe + + + and, given the resources and a capable vessel and a lifetime could be spent heading out across the world - without ever having the boat leave the water.

Let's get packing :-)