With the ice long gone from Kempenfelt Bay, thoughts now turn to the pristine open waters of Lake Simcoe for the many boaters who call the City of Barrie Marina home.
Boat-launching day for slip owners at the Lakeshore Drive marina happens on the last weekend of April. This year, sailboats will be craned in on Friday, April 28 and other vessels on Saturday. April 29.
With the many boats parked on land near the marina, it's no wonder some people are getting a jump on the big day.
George Moore and his partner were cleaning their sailboat, Priscilla, and enjoying a sunny Thursday morning.
Moore says they have enjoyed their time using the city marina and are heading into their third summer.
“The staff are wonderful and accommodating. Also, we live about a 10-minute bike ride from here, so I’ll make dinner, pack it up and we’ll bike down here and eat it on the boat,” Moore told BarrieToday.
“I also like that we’re by the walking trails and near the hubbub," he added. "The Barrie Yacht Club is very nice and private, but you don’t see anything, which for some is the benefit. We like being near the people passing by.”
Barrie Marina has 128 slips for boats 22-feet long and under, and 215 slips with hydro hook-up for boats over 22-feet long, up to a maximum of 60 feet.
For Moore, their 1988 Canadian-made Mirage 25 is exactly what the couple wanted as they consider themselves “cruisers, not racers.”
He says there's also the benefit of a sailboat for them as they try to be very environmentally conscious.
“It's less fossil fuels. It's like a teacup of gas to just get out of the marina and then it lifts the sails and we’re off,” Moore said.
On the day the boats go in the water, Moore says there will be a large crane on site to plant the vessels in the sheltered marina.
“It's all as smooth as can be, and a lot of people come down to watch it,” he said. “We love it every year, because it's nice to see folks excited about it and making a day of it.”
Moore was also asked why he thinks people are so fascinated with launch day in Barrie.
“Maybe it's living vicariously through the boaters, I don’t know," he said. "But I do know that some people are former sailors who just remember what it was like.
"We love that they do come down.”
