Instead of venturing south, boaters leaving Erieau can also head west to the area known as “Canada’s Sun Parlour.” Coming from the east means a trip around Point Pelee through the busy Pelee Passage – the favoured route for commercial ships as well as pleasure boaters.
Leamington Municipal Marina is located on the east side of the ferry terminal for the MV Jimaan car ferry that runs to Pelee Island, and the MV Pelee Islander serving Sandusky, Ohio.
The marina is part of a waterfront development that also includes a park and an indoor special events pavilion. With 338 slips, the marina reserves 175 for visiting boaters, many from the U.S. There’s a launch ramp for trailer boaters, showers, laundry facilities and washrooms, plus indoor and outdoor lounging areas. Gasoline, diesel fuel and pump-out are available and slips have water, power and wireless Internet.
The patios are resplendent with hanging baskets overflowing with flowers. The marina is well used by locals, but also focuses on welcoming visitors. The town itself also has much to offer.
Leamington Marina harbourmaster, Ronan Oliver, explains that the marina takes good care of its local seasonal guests, but is clearly focused on bringing boating visitors to town. Plenty of transient docks are available and ready to welcome boaters. A series of special events and theme dinners are planned each summer, so boaters will always find something happening on the waterfront. For those who want to head to town, there are buses or taxis to take them to restaurants and shopping.
Flowers that flourish under the hot sun add to the town’s ambience, but tomatoes grown in greenhouses and local fields are the area’s largest cash crop. Some are sold fresh, but many go to processors. The biggest in the area, Heinz Ketchup, is also the most visible industry in Leamington, taking up a large block of land in the middle of town. Ketchup is probably still the best known bottled product of the Leamington area, but another – fine wine – is now joining it in the spotlight.
New vineyards and skilled winemakers are bringing recognition to more than two dozen wineries in the region. The 100-acre Mastronardi
Winery, located near the town of Kingsville (Leamington’s closest neighbour), is one of these. Just six years old, it’s producing fine wines and offering visiting boaters – arriving on their own or with a trolley-style tour that picks up at the marina – an inside look at the winemaker’s art.
To visit the area’s oldest and best known winery, though, boaters have to get back onto the water and head 19 miles south to Pelee Island.Home to more vineyards, the island is also a great cruising destination.