My team, and others who have my sincere thanks

The Old Man in a Boat Tour would not have gotten off the ground without the support and encouragement of my wife June, and daughter Maya. They have helped keep my feet on the ground with timely advice and suggestions throughout this project.  June has put up with my absences while building the boat with wonderful good grace even as it meant a lot of extra work in the garden for her. Maya is my go to for all things technical.

Here they are after a pre-Covid climbing session at a local climbing gym in Hamilton.

I am blessed to have a wonderful family and both my sisters have been very supportive with insights and donations.  Leslie and Kathie live in Ottawa and Kelowna respectively and I haven’t seen them now for far too long.  As soon as I get this little adventure under my belt, and when it is Covid-safe to do so, I will be visiting them.  

Early on in the planning stages I made the decision to not have or seek corporate sponsorship.  It’s an expensive choice, since it means I have to finance all of the costs of the build and the tour, but I wanted to keep the focus entirely on the World Wildlife Fund. All donations are made directly to them and are then matched by an additional donation from my own funds, also directly to the World Wildlife Fund.

However, here is a short list of the suppliers of tools, boat parts, boat building materials, and hardware that I have found especially helpful:

Composites Canada -Mississauga 

Fogh Marine -Etobicoke

Noah’s Marine – Mississauga

Aircraft Spruce – Brantford

Brewer’s Marine – Hamilton

Lee Valley Tools – Burlington

Sportech Sails – St. Catharines

Also, my thanks to Laura at the Blue Water Motel in Grand Bend and Ann at the Parker House Hotel in Clinton for providing accommodation, often with only last minute notice.

The staff at the World Wildlife fund have been very helpful and supportive and have promoted my fundraiser with their members. 

I also should mention the members of the two sailing clubs I belong to – Hamilton Bay Sailing Club and Water Rat Sailing Club (Toronto) – who have shown a lot of enthusiasm and support for the project.  

Finally, as of today (July 24) we are over the $5,900 mark and I owe a huge vote of thanks to all 28 supporters who have donated to this fundraiser so far.