Port Dalhousie

43.2313214,-79.2120732

Toronto Island

43°37′43″ N 79°23′5″ W

We arrived at Port Dalhousie Marina at 6:00am. We were all so tired that we fell into bed as soon as the boat was secure on the dock and slept until about 10:00am.

Catherine & Emily needed to return to London & the car was at the marina in Port Colborne so I arranged for a taxi to come & pick them up at noon.

After they were on their way home I evaluated my options: stay at the marina until the next day & then head to Toronto or go to Toronto right away.

I checked the wind & wave forecast for this section of Lake Ontario & found that the forecast for July 2 was for strong winds. That meant there would be water too rough to travel in so I would have to stay in Port Dalhousie an additional day.

I had planned to meet a friend in Toronto on the 2nd so it didn’t take me long to decide that I had to leave for Toronto right away in order to get there before dark. I cast off from Port Dalhousie at 2:30pm.

The trip across the lake took about 5 hours. I wasn’t even halfway when I could start to see Toronto’s skyline on the horizon. The photo below shows Toronto when I was still 90 minutes away from my destination.

It was Canada Day so there were lots of people boating on the water & the public parks were packed. Navigating through Toronto’s inner harbour required as much concentration as if I was driving through the city on the 401 highway.

I had booked a slip at Toronto Island Marina and was able to get docked well before dark. No partying or fireworks for me! That night I was in bed before 9:00pm & I slept straight through to 8:00am the next morning.

Cheers!