St. Catharines Outdoor Activities

In a natural wharf provided by the Toronto Islands, Harbourfront Centre Sailing and Powerboating offers avenues to a world of unbroken horizons and wave-splashed winds. Along with education and licensing services and boat rentals, the knowledgeable navigators curate special events, such as a swashbuckling Tall Ships festival for Canada Day and annual voyages to prove the harbour is round.

From the warm-water fish habitat at Humber Bay Park to the jaw-dropping clay precipices of Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto's scenic waterfront lends itself to exploration. Power- or sail-boaters with appropriate licensing and a completist's perspective on panoramas might pursue membership for multiple voyages. With rental options for all experience levels, Harbourfront Centre Sailing and Powerboating provides a sense of freedom otherwise accessible only to boat owners and their boats' wise-cracking GPS systems.

At Paddleboard Addict, stand-up paddleboard enthusiasts and novices learn to glide over water in private lessons or group classes that hold no more than six students or three curious dolphins. The fast-growing sport not only provides unobstructed views of water life but also builds cores by offering a full-body workout. Paddleboard Addict provides students with a life vest, paddleboard, and paddle before setting out on flat water. The outfit also offers 10 per cent off paddleboard merchandise once beginners fall in love with the sport and decide to go get matching tattoos.

With backgrounds that include teaching yoga and running marathons, WSUP instructors Gudrun Hardes and Diana Turnbull share their love of being outside and on the water through stand-up paddleboarding lessons. Appropriate for all ages and fitness levels, the crisscrossing paddle motion lets boarders control their own pace for an up-tempo workout or a zen-like glide. For more adventurous boarders, Hardes and Turnbull lead on-the-water fitness classes, which include yoga and boot-camp workouts. WSUP's team also rents stand-up paddleboards for experienced riders, as well as guides sunrise and sunset paddles set to Disney sing-a-longs.