Innisfil couple circumnavigates frozen Lake Simcoe to raise funds for local conservation group
The homemade, wind-powered iceboat that was used to circumnavigate Lake Simcoe.
by Claire Malcolmson Barrie Advance
Texas Constantine and Leslie Stevens of Lefroy circumnavigated Lake Simcoe on a homemade, wind-powered iceboat this past weekend to raise funds for the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.
The trip was broken into three legs, starting at De Grassi Point in Innisfil, with stops at Big Bay Point, Orillia and Beaverton, and sailing past Lagoon City and Georgina Island. They started two weeks ago, sailing when wind and ice conditions allowed. The final leg between Barrie and Orillia happened Feb. 22.
“Last winter, we skated across Cook’s Bay. We attempted to use a power-kite to pull us across, but the surface was too rough, and we came up with the idea to build an iceboat,” Constantine explained.
“We modified it with skis and used an old sail from our Sunfish sailboat. Our experiment was a success and we wanted to do something meaningful with it. We understand the provincial government is reviewing the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, and we wanted to raise awareness of the threat to this ecosystem if the protections are weakened.”
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