Destination: Northern Ontario

Cruisin' Ontario

Rollin' down the province's lakes and rivers

All aboard! ... The Wanda III peeks out from behind Muskoka's 110-year-old Segwun.

 NORTHERN ONTARIO -- Barrie's Serendipity Princess is a piece of perfect nautical whimsy. Resembling a three-tiered wedding cake, the red and white Disney-like craft with its make-believe paddle wheel plies the waters of Lake Simcoe daily in search of the elusive but friendly sea-monster known locally as Kempenfelt Kelly. A reward is offered.

 The lady at the rail whispers rumours of foreign intrigue as we pass two mysterious waterfront mansions within a massive compound near the village of Shanty Bay. The big diesel engines throb in the noonday sun. The bar is active. The paddle wheel splashes serenely at the stern. It's the perfect summer idyll.

 In contrast, Muskoka's Segwun is serious business. Here history, understated elegance and wealth are on prominent display. The Segwun, built in 1887 in Clyde, Scotland and assembled in Gravenhurst, is the last of a number of carriage-trade vessels which catered to monied gentry who wished to experience the northern wilderness -- without the frontier inconveniences.

 Recovered from neglect by the Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society, this coal-fired beauty was re-launched in 1974 by Pierre Trudeau and now carries on the tradition for a new generation of day-trippers.

 Alongside the Segwun lies the Wanda III, Lady (Timothy) Eaton's personal steam launch commissioned in 1915 and now a private charter craft. Steam power buffs travel from afar to experience what Russ Brown, long-time General Manager of Muskoka Lakes Navigation Company calls "the two finest steam vessels in North America."

 Gumwood-paneled lounges and sumptuous dining create an atmosphere redolent of a bygone age. As fellow passenger Rock Gervais said, "It is a chance to sit back and glimpse our past."

  His wife was more succinct. "It is a pure escape."

An officer takes the wheel.

 I might add that our view was coloured by a glass or two of Segwun Private Label.

 The lakes of Central Ontario have offered residents and foreign visitors alike an inexpensive and convenient escape for more than a century. As the railhead extended north to Central Ontario in the 1970s, so began the summer influx of the wealthy, and primarily American visitor, and the need for a ferry service to transport both themselves and their supplies for their summer "in residence."

 Today only North Bay's Chief Commanda II still carries on this role, providing cargo transport across Lake Nipissing on the longest of its daily tours to a remote French River outpost.

 These early travellers either built massive summer homes or grouped themselves around luxury hotels, such as the Royal Muskoka and Beaumaris, long since gone. The Timothy Eaton summer estate on Lake Rosseau (the kids have their own palatial "cottages" in the 30,000 Islands) is another indication of past opulence. To see "Millionaire's Row," you can take the 4 1/2-hour cruise on the Segwun, or if time is short, a 2 1/2-hour tour on Bracebridge's Lady Muskoka.

 Last year, in Central Ontario alone, nearly a third of a million people toured the lakes district. Ian Campbell, of the Canadian Passenger Vessel Association, puts the industry figure nationally at between eight and nine million. The Island Queen carried over 60,000 tourists, and the 99-passenger Segwun carried an astounding 42,500 people in 1998.

 For pure scenic beauty, the 30,000 Islands is unparalleled. The 550-passenger Island Queen slips through tiny channels, such as Hole-in-the Wall and Seven-Mile Passage. Cottagers wave, and Captain Salt blasts a reply on the ship's whistle. Islanders seem to appreciate their twice-daily visitor.

 Also moored in Parry Sound is the M.V. Chippewa, which offers daily sunset dining cruises and mid-summer, two-hour cruises. The southern portion of the 30,000 Islands is also accessible from Midland aboard the Miss Midland, and from Penetang on the M.S. Georgian Queen.

 Each of these central Ontario communities has a summer festival, with the premier event Parry Sound's Festival Of The Sound, a month-long celebration of music and literature, now in its 20th season.

 The Island Queen is a central part of this fete, with five special concert cruises. They're sold out every year, so reserve soon.

 Barrie's mammoth arts and craft show, Kempenfest, Orillia's Mariposa Days, North Bay's Heritage Festival and the exquisite antique boat show in Gravenhurst promise yet more opportunity to combine all your pleasures.

BOTTOM LINE:

 Readers should be aware that reservations are essential, particularly in mid-summer.

 BARRIE: Serendipity Princess -- Cruises Kempenfelt Bay, Lake Simcoe, 80 km north of Toronto. Phone: 1-705-835-3011, Web site: www.pmcl.on.ca/, 11/2 hrs., five times daily. Lunch/dinner cruises.

 BRACEBRIDGE: Lady Muskoka -- Lake Muskoka, Muskoka River, 160 km north of Toronto, Phone: 1-800-263-5239, Web site: www.ladymuskoka.com, 21/2-hr. cruises, twice daily.

 GRAVENHURST: R.M.S. Segwun -- Tours Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau, 160km north of Toronto, Phone: 1-705-687-6667, Web site: www.gravenhurst.com/segwun, Trips vary from 11/2 to 8 hr. resort cruises.

 MIDLAND: Miss Midland -- Trips to southern end of 30,000 Islands. Midland is 140 km north of Toronto. Phone 777-9510, Web site: www.pmcl.on.ca/, 21/2-hr. cruises, three times daily in summer months, with sunset cruises in mid-summer. Lunch/dinner cruises.

 NORTH BAY: The Chief Commanda II -- Lake Nipissing/French River, from North Bay, 345 km from Toronto. Phone 1-705-494-8167, Web site: www.city.north-bay.on.ca/northbay, Trips vary from 1 1/2 to 5 hrs.

 ORILLIA: The Island Princess -- Lake Couchiching, 120 km north of Toronto. Phone: 1-705-325-2628 Web site: www.obcruise.com, daily, 1, 1 1/2 or 2 hr. trips. Dinner cruise Thursdays.

 PENETANGUISHENE: M.S. Georgian Queen -- 30,000 Islands, 145 km north of Toronto via hwys., Phone: 1-800-363-7447, Web site: www.georgianbaycruises.com, 3 1/2 hrs., three times daily. Lunch, dinner, jazz cruises.

 PARRY SOUND: The Island Queen -- 30,000 Islands, 190 km north of Toronto. Phone: 1-705-746-2311, Web site: www.island-queen.com, Twice daily, 3 hr. duration. Concert cruises. The M.V. Chippewa -- 30,000 Islands, 190 km north of Toronto. Phone: 1-705-746-6064, Web site: www.chippewa@zeuter.com, 2 hr. sightseeing, 1 1/2 hr. sunset dinner cruises daily.

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