Hard to believe that I'm already reviewing my third event of my favourite annual music festival, which hasn't even officially opened!
And just in case you're wondering, this review has nothing whatsoever to do with Handel.
Every year, the Festival of the Sound sponsors a Canada Day cruise concert on the Island Queen V tour boat out of Parry Sound. Even though I'm heading into my 25th annual season attending the Festival, this year's event was the first Canada Day cruise I had ever attended.
The 3½-hour Canada Day cruise sails from the town dock at 7:00pm, and in just a few minutes the music gets fired up. This year the entertainment was provided by "End of the Road," a great example of a traditional down-east band.
They played three sets during the cruise, with a lively mix of toe-tapping folk songs and dances, traditional songs, Maritime and Newfoundland standards and not-so-standards, and more. Easy to listen to, easy to set the toes and fingers going, and even got a few people up and dancing -- more power to them! The singing and playing were both excellent and engaging.
The performance on these cruises always takes place on the lowest deck of the ship, which has the largest enclosed space and the most seats. An excellent sound system relays the music vividly and clearly to the middle enclosed deck and the open-air top deck. The ship cruises along the winding channels between mainland shore and islands, or between islands and islands, while the sun slowly descends into the western horizon.
And on a very hot weekend, such as we've had this year, there's no better place to be for some moving air and fresh breeze.
The scenic highlight comes in the post-twilight sunset glow as the ship navigates the narrow, rock-walled channel called The Hole in the Wall, separating Wall Island from Huckleberry Island.
With perfect timing essential, the Island Queen V approaches the harbour just a few minutes before 10:00 pm, to be joined in a parade by several of the smaller sightseeing vessels, and the OPP patrol boat. Inside the harbour are dozens -- probably hundreds -- of smaller private boats, many decked with multi-coloured lights. The ship's speed drops to dead slow.
At 10:00 on the dot the first fireworks rocket upwards from a barge on the east side of the harbour. The real bonus value of the cruise becomes apparent at this moment. The top deck of the Island Queen V is the highest thing afloat in Parry Sound harbour, and has a perfect and completely unobstructed view of the entire spectacle. The show carried on for fifteen minutes, full of colour and drama, and ending with what I can only call a fusillade of about 20 set piece fireworks going off at 1 and 2 second intervals, all in a string.
The end of the show is greeted with cheering, applause, and boat and ship horns from all corners of the harbour -- and then the ship makes its way slowly to the dock, arriving at 10:30 pm.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to taking this special cruise, but I certainly plan on returning next year!
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