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Dogs on Fleas :  Fleafest Part 2

Fleafest

Oct 10, 2024

Story and photos by Dan Pickard

At Rockhaven Inn on Kashe Lake, the Muskoka Fleafest (Read Part 1 here) put speed on full display at the event’s “Dogs in Fleas Race” in which drivers raced against each other with furry companions as their co-pilots. These pups either belonged to the drivers or were volunteered by other attendees. The flapping ears and tongues of joy displayed by the dogs were contrasted by the grit and determination in the faces of their human captains as they desperately circled the impromptu course set up just beyond the boat launch. The course consisted of a construction barge (conveniently already in place) and a pontoon boat with a flag waver to signal race starts and to wave the checkered flag of the final lap.

“It was a lot of fun racing; it was scary around the turns but the rest of it was great,” reported Xavier, a young driver who won his heat of the race. This event truly showcased the speed and nimble nature of these vessels, with some cutting through the waves with ease and others struggling in the turns but excelling on the straightaways. Each race was a true test of the build quality of the vessels. Unfortunately, some did have to drop at the last minute due to mechanical issues, but thankfully there were many willing and able captains ready to take their place.

The same day that Muskoka Flea Fest was occurring, the Raceboat Hall of Fame was being opened to the public by Murray Walker in Bracebridge. This building is where Chris Taylor hopes to get a Seaflea workshop up and running so he can offer classes to the public. Currently, there are three Seafleas on permanent display at the museum to help showcase the legacy of the hobby and its importance to the boating industry as we know it today.

Racing is an essential part of Seaflea culture. Many of the original boat racers owe their interest to these Seafleas! Taylor elaborated on this point: “All of the professional boat race drivers started out with these. Murray Walker has these big antique unlimited hydroplanes, but he had one of these little Seafleas on Lake Simcoe. The whole boating thing starts with these tiny boats and then it takes off from there. The Toronto Outboard Racing Club with their competition hydroplanes, they started here. We know so many people who start with these and then they move up a level to faster boats and then they go bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s a very good entry point for people to get in on the water.”

Xavier and his brother next to their winning boat.

More information on the Seafleas can be found at https://muskokaseaflea.ca/StaticWeb2/ and you can visit the Race Boat Hall of Fame at 1512 Muskoka District Road 118 West, Bracebridge, ON

Dan Ford-Pickard is a digital media generalist who works in sales, design, and marketing for Canadian Boating.

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