Toronto, the capital of Ontario and Canada’s largest city, is naturally one of the Lake Ontario’s premier cruising destinations.
As you approach from the west, the first popular stop for cruising boaters is Ontario Place.The most accessible dockage here can be found by heading directly into Ontario Place’s outer marina basin between East and West slands. Watch for the flashing green buoy marking the western entrance to Toronto harbour and a red spar buoy closer to shore marking a shoal.You may turn to port before the green buoy, leaving the red buoy to starboard and head to the entrance at the eastern end of the breakwater formed by two sunken freighters.
Turn to starboard at the observation tower on the end of the starboard breakwall and head to the fuel dock to check in. Although Ontario Place has plenty of transient slips, it is a very popular destination so staff recommend that you confirm reservations in advance or call on VHF 68 before you arrive to confirm slip availability.
The fuel dock, just inside the observation tower, has full diesel, gas and pump-out facilities. This is an excellent modern marina with 12 feet of depth throughout its floating docks, which are serviced with 15-, 30- and 50-amp power and water. There are excellent shower and washroom facilities as well.
Ontario Place’s picturesque park setting offers hours of fun spent exploring – and its all included in your marina fee. It is particularly fun if you have teens or children with you, as there is so much for them to see and do! Whether it’s an IMAX film in the Cinesphere, waterslides in the water park, floating bumper boats, relaxing in a paddleboat or catching a featured stage show, both youngsters and adults will have great fun.
In addition, there are restaurants overlooking the water and a full schedule of summer concerts at the Molson Amphitheatre. You can also take a front row seat along the breakwall for the “Festival of Fire”fireworks display, then head to downtown to enjoy Toronto’s city lights and night life.
Next issue,we’ll highlight the attractions and marine facilities of Toronto’s inner harbour and its sheltering islands that attract boaters and non-boaters alike to Toronto’s waterfront and the parklands of the islands. We’ll then continue the cruise east along Lake Ontario’s north shore, touring the more popular ports-of-call en route to Kingston.This route is travelled by many boats heading for the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Rideau Canal and the Thousand Islands.