The tranquil edge of urban life

Shoemaker, a financial advisor with Winnipeg-based In-vestors Group Inc., has always liked water; he is drawn by its peacefulness and beauty. The lake is where he spends much of his spare time — sailing, swimming, rowing or running along waterfront trails — and, in a big city like Toronto, the lake provides welcome serenity.

“As long as I live in Toronto, I’m going to be living on the water — just because I enjoy being around it,” says Shoemaker, who has a condo on downtown Toronto’s waterfront, overlooking Lake Ontario. While he loves living in the city and working in the heart of the financial district, he appreciates escaping from the lights, the traffic and the noise.

“I can walk home,” Shoemaker says. “And when I look out, I basically can’t see any of the city. All I see are the trees on the island and water. So, if I need to be removed from the city, if I’ve had a long day, I can just go home and be removed from it.”

Sailing is a pastime Shoemaker is most passionate about, and his proximity to Toronto’s waterfront gives him the opportunity to engage in this hobby fairly often throughout the warmer months of the year. A member of a local sailing club, Shoemaker is within walking distance of sailboats that he can easily rent and take out on the water for the afternoon.

He typically goes sailing about a half-dozen times per season, depending on how often the weather co-operates, and often brings a couple of friends along for the ride. The boats Shoemaker sails are small Snipe-size boats, which hold about three people.

The social and interactive aspects of sailing are among the facets of the sport that Shoemaker likes most: “It’s a team-building exercise — you have to work with other people on it.”

He also enjoys the peacefulness of being on the water, and the stunning scenery that it provides. “It’s beautiful to look back,” he says, “to have a different perspective on the city.”

Growing up in Guelph, Ont., Shoemaker, who’s now 25, spent a lot of time on the water as a member of a local rowing club. Around the age of 12, he became interested in sailing and began taking lessons on Guelph Lake.

By the time Shoemaker was 19, he was giving sailing lessons at a summer camp in Algonquin Park in central Ontario. For a full summer, he spent about seven hours a day on the water, teaching 14-year-old campers how to sail. “That kind of confirmed my love of it,” Shoemaker says.

In contrast, the sailing in southern Ontario tends to be considerably less serene. The patch of the lake adjacent to Toronto, in particular, buzzes with activity on days when the conditions are favourable. “The days that it is nice out for sailing,” Shoemaker says, “the water is just swarming with boats.”

But even when the waters are crowded, Shoemaker thoroughly enjoys sailing. It provides an exciting physical challenge — and, in certain weather conditions, a bit of a thrill. “It’s definitely a physically demanding sport,” Shoemaker says, adding that everyone on board a small sailboat must be on guard at all times. If it’s a windy day, for example, the boom — the pole that runs along the bottom of the sail — can swing unexpectedly, forcing everyone to quickly duck out of the way.

On extremely windy days, it’s fairly common for the boat to capsize — which can be a frightening experience for those on board. “The first time that happens, it’s a little bit startling,” Shoemaker says, explaining that it often takes at least three people to flip the boat back upright.

But, most of the time, Shoe-maker finds sailing a relaxing way to spend time outdoors: “It’s a very peaceful thing.”  IE