Boaters Meet On Frozen Water Again

The texts and Facebook messages started last Thursday as many of the same folks who attended the fourth annual International Snowmobile Rally in Saratoga, Wyo., a month ago (read the story) were gathering north of the border near Toronto to do a little ice fishing on Lake Simcoe, aka “Scotto Land.”

During the first “Friends Without Borders” ice-fishing trip on Canada’s Lake Simcoe, Dave Scotto and company went all out with the sponsor logos on this Bombardier Bus that seats 10 to 12 people depending on how cozy you want to get. Photo courtesy Dave Scotto

“Are you coming? You should be.” “Why aren’t you here? You’re going to miss a great time.” Each person who messaged me was right, but I didn’t have a choice (not that I was dying to go sit in freezing temperatures hoping to catch a fish). I was on my way to Washington, N.C., to possibly witness history as the Fountain Powerboats camp was attempting to set a new American Power Boat Association V-bottom kilometer speed record.

But back to the ice fishing. Like his friend, Dr. Michael “Doc” Janssen, who owns the host location—Saratoga Hot Springs Resort—of the snowmobile rally that attracts boaters from across the globe, Scotto decided to invite his boating friends to his neck of the woods to experience what his friends and family enjoy doing on Lake Simcoe when it’s too cold to boat.

I know, ice fishing isn’t boating, but the group got together because of its common bond—performance boats. In this case, many of the attendees—including Michigan’s John and Julie Tokar, Pennsylvania’s Dave and Nicole Weschler, Washington’s Jason and Laurie Moe, Michigan’s Evan Singer and Toronto’s Jay Anthony Cooke—own a boat from Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats.

Read more: Boaters Meet On Frozen Water Again

Related stories
Boating Friends Come Together for One-of-a-Kind Snowy Range Experience
New Outerlimits SL 50 Hits 144 MPH in Testing, Heading for Key West
Performance Boat Owners Take Wyoming by Sled for Second Year