Virtual Boat Show 2020
19th July 2020
Virtual Summer
By Tim Du Vernet
This summer has seen it’s share of virtual representations of normal summer happenings. Why should the boat shows be any different! While it isn’t easy to capture everything, there will still be lots of magic to enjoy. I suppose boat owners could all share something online at a magical time, but in honour of all the cancelled boating events, I have put together a special web album of photos spanning decades of boat shows. Not all the images will be up at once so keep checking back to see what’s new. I will dig through my archives to see what I can discover.
If you would like to go directly there, here is a link:
https://duvernet.photium.com/boat-show-sampling
There has been at least one boat show in Muskoka every summer since I began covering them in 1977. The unforgettable boat, car and air show at the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club, set a standard that has yet to be surpassed. The venue was perfect, but never before had the spectacle turned to the sky. Anyone who was there will remember what I believe was a C-130 Hercules come in low, low enough so that my pictures show it below the height of people in their boats. But all of a sudden, it did the most remarkable stunt. It pointed skyward and let loose rocket launchers. The surprise was enough that many a spectator sitting on the edge of something feel over. Where does any boat show go from there to surpass that spectacle?
Highlights over the years have included the last showing of Miss Canada IV with Harold and Lorna in the cockpit, Miss Supertest and Canadian racing champions, the presence of wonderful boats such as Rita, Rambler and of course Heather Belle, which was brought all the way from Lake of Bays by Tim Butson. The recreated Rainbow I and Rainbow III showed the world that Muskoka could compete against the best.
This summer would have featured Rainbow IX for the ACBS and the 1936 Minett-Shields, Caprice, for the bi-annual MLA show. She is owned by Jonathan Blair, grandson of Alf Mortimer, Port Sandfield Marina. Ninety-six year old Alf Mortimer rides shotgun with Jonathan as they take the recently restored boat out for a spin. Alf took Caprice in on a trade for a new fiberglass boat, near the time when the marina was just beginning. Caprice stands out from the field of Muskoka boats with her dramatic transom that seems to disappear into the water. Hopefully we will get to see her next year, with Alf riding with Jonathan.
We can still enjoy these remarkable boats in virtual form through a sampling of highlights over the years.
By Tim Du Vernet
This summer has seen it’s share of virtual representations of normal summer happenings. Why should the boat shows be any different! While it isn’t easy to capture everything, there will still be lots of magic to enjoy. I suppose boat owners could all share something online at a magical time, but in honour of all the cancelled boating events, I have put together a special web album of photos spanning decades of boat shows. Not all the images will be up at once so keep checking back to see what’s new. I will dig through my archives to see what I can discover.
If you would like to go directly there, here is a link:
https://duvernet.photium.com/boat-show-sampling
There has been at least one boat show in Muskoka every summer since I began covering them in 1977. The unforgettable boat, car and air show at the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club, set a standard that has yet to be surpassed. The venue was perfect, but never before had the spectacle turned to the sky. Anyone who was there will remember what I believe was a C-130 Hercules come in low, low enough so that my pictures show it below the height of people in their boats. But all of a sudden, it did the most remarkable stunt. It pointed skyward and let loose rocket launchers. The surprise was enough that many a spectator sitting on the edge of something feel over. Where does any boat show go from there to surpass that spectacle?
Highlights over the years have included the last showing of Miss Canada IV with Harold and Lorna in the cockpit, Miss Supertest and Canadian racing champions, the presence of wonderful boats such as Rita, Rambler and of course Heather Belle, which was brought all the way from Lake of Bays by Tim Butson. The recreated Rainbow I and Rainbow III showed the world that Muskoka could compete against the best.
This summer would have featured Rainbow IX for the ACBS and the 1936 Minett-Shields, Caprice, for the bi-annual MLA show. She is owned by Jonathan Blair, grandson of Alf Mortimer, Port Sandfield Marina. Ninety-six year old Alf Mortimer rides shotgun with Jonathan as they take the recently restored boat out for a spin. Alf took Caprice in on a trade for a new fiberglass boat, near the time when the marina was just beginning. Caprice stands out from the field of Muskoka boats with her dramatic transom that seems to disappear into the water. Hopefully we will get to see her next year, with Alf riding with Jonathan.
We can still enjoy these remarkable boats in virtual form through a sampling of highlights over the years.