How I spend my summer on the Big Rideau Lake

When summer comes around, you can find me leaving the city every weekend (mostly) to spend time on the Big Rideau Lake. With just an hour and a half drive, I look forward to packing up and driving to the lake on Friday nights. As a third generation of my family, it has a very special place in my heart. It also lets me enjoy things I’m passionate about such as water sports and boating. Here’s a glimpse of how I spend my summers on the Big Rideau Lake, the place that I love the most.

Boating

While I’ve grown up around and on boats my whole life and have driven anything between 13 and 40 feet, my best memories have been from my family’s current towboat, a 2008 X2 MasterCraft. There’s just something thrilling about taking the boat out for a ride on a nice summer day. MasterCraft boats has given me the opportunity I love being able to take the boat out on my own with my friends, explore the lake, soak up the sun, and pass on my passion for the water down to my friends by teaching them what I love. Another great thing I got to do with the boat this year was take it through the Narrow Locks all the way to The Opinicon Resort at Chaffey’s Locks for lunch. This destination point has had some major improvements over the last couple years since it has acquired new owners, Fiona McKean and Tobias Lütke. It was great to go there many times this summer with the free lock passes, courtesy of Canada’s 150. To learn more about the Opinicon Resort click here.

Water Sports

From waterskiing to wake boarding and wake surfing, I’ve had fair share of good times and wipeouts, which never stops me to keep going. My favourite sport to practice is wake surfing, since 2012 I’ve been passionate about getting better and learning new tricks. Especially after being able to design a custom surf board courtesy of Brigade Wakesurfing. This passion started out because of MasterCraft boats, but also due to Len’s Cove Marina’s water sport professional Timmy McNamee. For about 10 years, Timmy has been coaching helping me and some of my friends improve our water skills. Being on the water often has turned this sport into a passion. There’s something about jumping in the water, letting the boat pull you up, and then letting go of the rope to ride the wake. Yes I did say no rope! This happens by letting the wake of the boat push the board while using your weight to control the balance. To summarize, water sports are one of my favourite summer activities on the Big Rideau Lake. Want to learn how to wake surf? Chec‍‍‍k out Timmy’s website!

Cottage Life

While boating and water sports are a big part of my summer time spent on the lake, there’s more to why I am passionate about spending time at the lake. First, it gives me the opportunity to spend time with my family and disconnect from the city. Second, I love being able to chill at the dock with friends and family all day. It’s a great place to be social with neighbours, have friends stop by on their boats and enjoy the company with a beautiful view. Third, it never gets old. Each summer keeps on getting better and better with new adventures and great memories.

Overall, when I’m not working in the summer, the Big Rideau Lake is where I like to escape and make memories with friends and family.