2018 Great Lakes Area

Port of Orillia – Ontario, Canada on the Trent Severn Waterway
Dates:  August 17, 18 & 19th

Registration for this Rendezvous is Now Underway. Registration has been extended to May 31, 2018

• LINK TO REGISTRATION FORM •

Since 2014, the Great Lakes Area Rendezvous has moved to different areas on, or near, the Great Lakes. This way, we can explore different ports of call. Last year’s event was held on Round Lake in Charlevoix, Michigan. This year’s rendezvous will be held in Orillia, Ontario, on the beautiful Trent Severn Waterway, Canada. A must-see boating destination for any serious cruiser.

Check Out Last Year’s Event…

Ranger Tugs Cutwater Boats 2017 Charlevoix Rendezvous

These Fun Rendezvous Fill Up Fast!
Register before May 31, 2018

Come by water, if your homeport is in the area. If your tug is far away, load her up onto the trailer and tow it nearby. Aren’t trailerable boats wonderful? You won’t regret exploring the Trent Severn Waterway with a group from the event, or on your own, before or after the rendezvous. For example, the crew of Kismet is thinking about either launching in Alpena, Michigan, crossing Lake Huron to Georgian Bay, or entering the Trent Severn Waterway to Orillia. Or, we will tow straight to Orillia and splash her there.

This year we are working closely with Ryan Stovold, of Lefroy Harbour, Ontario’s Ranger Tugs dealer, and Fluid Motion. Ryan has attended and co-sponsored all our area rendezvous so far. There may be groups formed, during the rendezvous, to cruise the scenic Trent Severn Waterway before and after the rendezvous. Or do it solo, on your own schedule.

Don’t miss this opportunity to cruise a historic waterway. Sign up soon to grow social relationships with other tug owners from all over the United States and Canada. In our world, when it comes to boating activities, it’s more about making memories and sharing adventures, than almost anything else.

See you in Orillia!
Jim and Lisa Favors
M/V Kismet
Ranger Tug R29S

Orillia Ontario, Canada…

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Lefroy Harbour Resorts is Also a Ranger Tug dealer –

Lefroy Harbour Resorts is located in Lefroy, Ontario, on Simcoe Lake. They have been a sponsor of our Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous’ since we started the first one in 2014. During the initial planning stages, last spring, Ryan Stovold offered to host a pre-rendezvous reception at Lefroy for the participants, Thursday evening, the night before our event started in Orillia. The friendly staff at Lefroy welcomed everyone as if we were all long-time friends. Just as when we arrived at Lefroy a few days ago to launch our boat, the owners and staff greeted everyone as if we were part of their friendly community. Great conversations developed, new friends were made and everyone went away well-fed.

Lisa and I were happy to reconnect with several Ranger Tug owners who have come to our other rendezvous in Little Current, Ontario, and Charlevoix, Michigan. Lefroy’s staff prepared a colorful BBQ and seafood boil with salads and plenty of cold drinks to quench our thirst on the extremely hot and humid day. The feeling Lisa and I had last night was this felt almost like our homeport of the past, Charlevoix, Michigan. It felt like home. A big thank you to everyone at Lefroy Harbour Resorts for the effort everyone put into last night’s festivities.

Ryan and Linda (above-left and below). Andrea and Tim Bates, Tim is a customer service representative for Fluid Motion (above-right).

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DAY ONE – 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous –

We all came for this! A gathering of TugNuts and Tugettes. We love our boats, and there’s nothing like a rendezvous to bring this happy group of boaters together to have a good time.

We started the festivities before the actual event began, with the BBQ dinner at Lefroy Harbour Resorts, on Thursday night. On Friday more boats arrived at Port of Orillia, by Happy Hour Ranger Tugs littered the docks, every shape, size, and color, and one Cutwater Boat. Several people came but didn’t bring their boats, they stayed at motels or RV parks nearby. At last count there were 24 boats, 56 attendees, 6 dealer personnel from Lefroy Harbour Resorts and two joined us from the factory, Fluid Motion.

Meet & Greet at Happy Hour and Potluck for Dinner

The only thing, on Thursday’s agenda, was the “Meet & Greet” during Happy Hour and the potluck that followed. Jim gave a short speech ahead of digging into the food, thanking Mark and Jodi Renshaw for their local knowledge of the Orillia area and help before and during the event. He introduced the crew at Lefroy Harbour Resorts and went over the agenda. Then we dug into the amazing pot luck spread laid out on the dock by our boats.

What camaraderie we found amongst the attendees. Even with a storm brewing on the horizon of the marina, intermittent rain did not dampen the mood. Light sprinkles of rain only seemed to cool us off on a very hot, humid day.

Although Mark and Jodi have a Ranger Tug R29, they are attending the rendezvous on Mark’s son’s Carver (above). Their tug, Irish Mist, is currently docked in Victoria, British Columbia.

You can’t pay somebody to provide a feast like this. We are always pleasantly surprised by the food that shows up on the potluck table at these events.

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Yesterday Was Fun, But the Rendezvous Day Two Was Action Packed! –

The scheduled meals and presentations, of the rendezvous on day two, were easily accessible, located across the street from Port of Orillia, at the Royal Canadian Legion, which worked out well. The RCL folks were easy and delightful to work with, they made us feel like members. After breakfast Ranger Tugs Customer Service Rep Tim Bates conducted a Q & A for everyone, which continued on the docks with one-on-one sessions on attendees’ boats. Much appreciated by all. We left open a 3-hour window for “free time.” Attendees could explore downtown Orillia for shopping, eating, or walking the large, 20th Orillia Classic Car Show. One of the best I’ve ever attended, and I go to these every chance I get.

Two more boater education sessions filled the afternoon agenda

First up was a presentation, about the history of the Trent Severn Waterway, conducted by waterway Lockmaster Alec. We all learned a great deal about this Canadian treasure. Our own, Mark Renshaw (R29 owner of Irish Mist and an Orillia local), presented a talk about local boating. A big thanks to Tim, Alec, and Mark for their presentations today.

We concluded the day with a group photo and happy hour on the docks before dinner back at the RCL. The second day of the rendezvous was complete when Jodie Renshaw won a $250 Ranger Tugs parts certificate, during the Last Person Standing contest.

Tim Bates, Fluid Motion’s Customer Service Representative gave a Q&A presentation after breakfast.

Lisa and I spent our free time during the rendezvous on day two at the Orillia Car Show. There were some unusual cars on display. There were so many crisscrossing the streets of downtown Orillia, it was almost hard to see them all.

Did I ever tell you how much Lisa like the color red?

Alec (above) gave a very informative talk about the Trent Severn Waterway and the locking system.

Mark shared with us his local navigation knowledge, pointing out some hazards and what to watch out for, on the waterway.

Before we knew it… it was Happy Hour again. Dinner was at the RCL again, so we only met on the docks for drinks before we walked to shore for dinner.

Hendricks, (with his mom, Andrea-above) Tim’s son was a real trooper during the event. Easily entertained with a good disposition, we think he enjoyed being at the rendezvous.

Our Facebook group Ranger Tugettes (a private group for women Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats) met on the dock for a group photo. As with many of these rendezvous, there are always some Tugettes present.

Introducing the 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous Attendees.

The last person standing was Jodi Smith (below-left), on Irish Mist. She won a $250 parts certificate.

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Rendezvous Day Three – Started Off on the Docks with a Big Pot of Coffee and the Best Butter Tarts we’ve ever had –

Baked fresh at Wilkes Bakery, in downtown Orillia, that morning. These tarts are so fresh and buttery,  if you eat one it’s hard to stop! After mingling on the docks with our “sweets,” we reconvened at the Royal Canadian Legion for John and Laurie Gray’s presentation on the Great Loop. The presentation was followed by lunch. There was a huge interest in this presentation by the attendees. Many would like to do the “Loop” on their tugs.

We spent a leisurely afternoon on the docks having a “boat crawl.” This is a voluntary event meant to open your boat for others to see what personal touches or enhancements you’ve made. Or conversely, attendees could visit boats, meet other owners and talk about their current or future boats.

The last official activity of the rendezvous day three was a blindfolded dinghy race

Always fun for those watching, but sometimes frustrating for those taking part. However, rewarding for participants and onlookers, but especially for the winners. We had four brave couples taking part, with each dinghy/paddle board having the blindfolded paddler taking instructions from their sighted partner. The goal was for the navigating team member to direct their blindfolded partner to a halfway point where they turned around to head to the finish line. Todd and Anita from Audrey Rose took home the $100 prize after competing on their paddle board.

We concluded the rendezvous on Sunday, with pizza delivered to us on the dock. Usually, attendance is light on the third day, as many owners had to leave for one reason or another. This created a more intimate gathering for those staying for all three nights.

For Lisa and I, the last day of the rendezvous closes one part of our Canadian adventure. Tomorrow morning we head out on the Trent Severn Waterway with the Rideau Canal and Montreal as our endpoint to our 2018 summer cruising.

Can’t tell you how many times the owners of these two boats, Trilogy and Kismet, have bumped into each other at random docks all over the country. Alabama, Florida, British Columbia, and Washington State are the places that come to mind. Now we can add Ontario to the list. Most of the time, we met John and Laurie Gray by circumstance, not even knowing we were in the same area. Ontario was a touch-and-go situation as the Grays were not sure they could make it to the rendezvous until the last few days, due to their cruise schedule.

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