Height of the Summer
03rd August 2011
By Tim Du Vernet
Ah, the August long weekend and it’s the height of summer! What to do? There are so many options. Rosseau has set this weekend as the date for its annual Classcf Cruise of vintage cars and boats.
As in the past, the cars capture most of the attention and their numbers and range were truly impressive. Despite the word being kept very close to home, the public dock area at Rosseau was filled with entries and the highway lined with cars ferrying spectators. One thing about the Rosseau event, be sure you get there before 2:30 or you will miss most of the action.
Cars are nice to be sure, but it’s the small and loyal group of boat owners that I prefer to give my attention. About 12 boats came out for the show including Shania, a 1949 Greavette owned by John and Mary Storey, that traveled all the way from Gravenhurst, nearly the entire length of the lake system.
Paul Gockel steamed Seraph from Avon Bay for over three hours to make the trip specially for the boat show. It doesn’t take much for Paul to find a good reason to take out his steam boat, as long as there is wood or coal to keep him going! This year, Paul wasn’t alone as he was joined by another very unique steamboat from Rossau. With a steam engine installed into a modified yawl hull, built by Mark Harwood, and a hard canopy overhead, this unique boat was completed in 2005 by George Lang.
Two Dispros and an electric powered replica made by Mark Harwood also came out. Gord Wilson drove his 1988 Hackercraft up from Windermere to participate. Morley Sellens brought his most unusual of Muskoka boats, a 1948, 22’ sea sled built by the Ames Brothers. With a large open cockpit and a Ford V-8, she looks a bit like a hot rod for the water.
Saving the best for last, of course, is the show winner for the boats. Jack Law’s canopy launch won the “Best Boat Award”, which was sponsored and presented by Emmanuel Thuiller, of Rosseau. Jack rescued this boat from the floor of Lake Rosseau and spent two winters restoring her.
It wouldn’t be a long weekend without a boat portrait or two, and this weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Chris and Julie Bullen in their wonderful fleet of boats. For a long time Chris wanted a wooden boat and he chose to challenge himself by building his own outboard racer from plans in 2001. This is a speedy 15’ outboard is powered by a 60hp Mercury.
More recently, Chris and Julie acquired Gatsby, a 1947 W.J. Johnston triple cockpit runabout. This is their favourite cruiser to enjoy the Muskoka waters of East Bay.
Ah, the August long weekend and it’s the height of summer! What to do? There are so many options. Rosseau has set this weekend as the date for its annual Classcf Cruise of vintage cars and boats.
As in the past, the cars capture most of the attention and their numbers and range were truly impressive. Despite the word being kept very close to home, the public dock area at Rosseau was filled with entries and the highway lined with cars ferrying spectators. One thing about the Rosseau event, be sure you get there before 2:30 or you will miss most of the action.
Cars are nice to be sure, but it’s the small and loyal group of boat owners that I prefer to give my attention. About 12 boats came out for the show including Shania, a 1949 Greavette owned by John and Mary Storey, that traveled all the way from Gravenhurst, nearly the entire length of the lake system.
Paul Gockel steamed Seraph from Avon Bay for over three hours to make the trip specially for the boat show. It doesn’t take much for Paul to find a good reason to take out his steam boat, as long as there is wood or coal to keep him going! This year, Paul wasn’t alone as he was joined by another very unique steamboat from Rossau. With a steam engine installed into a modified yawl hull, built by Mark Harwood, and a hard canopy overhead, this unique boat was completed in 2005 by George Lang.
Two Dispros and an electric powered replica made by Mark Harwood also came out. Gord Wilson drove his 1988 Hackercraft up from Windermere to participate. Morley Sellens brought his most unusual of Muskoka boats, a 1948, 22’ sea sled built by the Ames Brothers. With a large open cockpit and a Ford V-8, she looks a bit like a hot rod for the water.
Saving the best for last, of course, is the show winner for the boats. Jack Law’s canopy launch won the “Best Boat Award”, which was sponsored and presented by Emmanuel Thuiller, of Rosseau. Jack rescued this boat from the floor of Lake Rosseau and spent two winters restoring her.
It wouldn’t be a long weekend without a boat portrait or two, and this weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Chris and Julie Bullen in their wonderful fleet of boats. For a long time Chris wanted a wooden boat and he chose to challenge himself by building his own outboard racer from plans in 2001. This is a speedy 15’ outboard is powered by a 60hp Mercury.
More recently, Chris and Julie acquired Gatsby, a 1947 W.J. Johnston triple cockpit runabout. This is their favourite cruiser to enjoy the Muskoka waters of East Bay.