It was a soggy, windy Saturday morning for the annual boat lift and launch at the Barrie Marina.
Beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting until about 11:30 a.m., a crane lifted sailboats into water at the north end of the Lakeshore Drive marina.
All the while, the rain came down.
For Sebastien Visser, it wasn’t necessarily a sign of things to come in the upcoming boating season.
“For a sailor, it’s the wind. A nice day with a nice breeze is perfect, right? The wind’s good today, but the rain and the temperature’s not great,” said the Barrie resident, who’s had a sailboat for more than 15 years.
“Nobody’s out there,” he said, gazing at Kempenfelt Bay. “Put it that way.”
Richard Osborn, also from Barrie, has a 30-foot sailboat named Mischief and he’s optimistic about summer sailing.
“I hope it’s going to be a very good boating season,” he said. “Nice and warm, and a nice, moderate breeze.
“A day like today, when it’s raining and cold, it’s not very pleasant to be out,” said Osborn, who’s in the marine industry and says he’s been sailing all his life.
Osborn and Visser were both out for the lift into the Barrie Marina at 7 a.m.
“Today is not a great day. We’re just committed to putting the boats in the water, because that’s when we got the crane,” Visser said. “It doesn’t matter what the weather’s like. Unless it’s really bad, we have to do it.”
But he’s also looking at a good summer boating season.
“It all depends on the weather, so the best person to ask about that is the weatherman,” said Visser.
The Barrie Marina, located at 55 Lakeshore Dr., has 128 slips for boats 22 feet and smaller, and 215 slips with hydro hookups for boats more than 22 feet, to a maximum of 60 feet.
More information is available here.
