A worthwhile marathon to raise awareness of shoreline preservation.
Glenn entered the Lake of Bays 8c water, in an insulated wet suit from England, at South Portage Public Dock on May 19th, 2018. He completed this magnificent achievement on August 6th, back at South Portage wading ashore from 25c water and without the need of a wet suit.
A core group of volunteers and four major sponsors established this important initiative. Glenn’s wife Arlee was joined by Judy Vanclief, the Andrew Daniels Fish Stewardship Foundation’s Director Jacquie Godard, Bruce Jamieson owner of Lake of Bays Boat Tours, Debbie Vernon and Daphne Curtis. With help and publicity were the Lake of Bays Boat Tours, The Friends of Muskoka Watershed Council, Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, Lake of Bays Association and Andrew Daniels Fish Stewardship Foundation.
What a reception! After many swimming legs and Glenn visiting 72 cottage docks along the way, “The Fish” (his nickname) arrived at South Portage Public Dock on Monday, August 6th. A crowd of 60 plus enthusiastic supporters welcomed Glenn. His escorts were 10 swimmers, with a few others joining in along the way, 8 kayakers, 1 paddle boarder, 2 power boats and the Lake of Bays pontoon touring boat.
On shore the crowd were mostly dressed in the “Glenn’s Swim Lake of Bays 2018 PRESERVE OUR SHORELINE” t-shirts. Celebratory music was broadcast over the P.A. from Northern Nerds Computer group and their announcer Jason Tereszko did a super job covering the concept of this magnificent 220 KM swim and its supporting volunteers and sponsors.
On the microphone and broadcast to everyone dockside Glenn gave an effective summary of his project. He said, but not limited to, the following:
“This effort was born out of the spirit of Lake of Bays. Swimming into 72 cottage docks I felt the personality and strong commitment to community on the lake shores. Being joined by other swimmers made the journey enjoyable. My wife Arlee, who I cannot thank enough, was accompanied in her kayak by other paddlers. This flotilla was special. What is obvious is we have a strong community committed to the environment and our lake. This is a foundation for the next hundred years. Thank you to the many volunteers, supporting organizations and sponsors for making it a meaningful fun project.”
Dr. Norman Yan said, “The friends of Muskoka Watershed Council are thrilled to be a sponsor and beneficiary of Glenn’s swim. His vision to protect the lake for the next hundred years matches perfectly with the Friends vision. “
The Andrew Daniels Fish Stewardship Foundation said that Glenn’s ‘preserve the shoreline mission’ is integral with the Foundations mission statement.
Judy Vanclief said “ The message is clear.. we should be proud of this lake and its community. Kayaking around the lake with Glenn & Arlee’s entourage of paddlers has been the highlight of my summer and I’m sorry it’s over” while Jacquie Godard said that she will miss the comradery of this journey. She met so many supportive people along this journey and photographed some spectacular shorelines along the way.