Monday, November 29, 2010

Welcome To Winter

Welcome to Winter Cottage Country

When I turned into Marina Rd and the snow bubbled up over the hood of my truck and onto my windshield, I knew that winter had hit us with a bang. The mild fall temperatures and dry forests are now laden with 45cm of snow in the Lake of Bays region. The overnight storm ended as quickly as it began today and we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunny day, though I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle - unsure if I had only slept through one evening.
It will be another few weeks before the main lakes freeze, but the small ponds are becoming solid and I actually saw a snowmobile go by my window today. Welcome to winter cottage country!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Seasons Changing


GREETINGS from Pride West


Well it looks like we are down to the last of the hard core boaters now. With Doug throwing in the towel yesterday and Alex with his daughter Debbie getting off the water last evening in the pitch black during a hail storm we now have only 2 left going back and forth to the island. Although Peirre is always one of the last to shut it down he will never beat Greg who lives on the island year around.


Although it looks like we are winding down it is not that way at all. We are still very busy completeing winter work so that boats are ready for the spring splash, training both in our service and sales deptments, and getting ready for the fast approaching boat show season. Please come and and say hi if you do attend any of the shows.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you.
From all the crewmwmbers at west.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Balsam in November


It’s a beautiful day here at Pride of Balsam, and the big news around here is our new Location manager…please welcome Tom Bath to our crew. We are all very excited to have him. He brings a ton on experience and great energy to the table.

The boats are all tucked away ready for a long winters’ nap. There is a skiff of snow on the docks and Jim finally had to put his pants on.

We are now getting our 185SS Crownline ready for the annual Fenelon Falls Christmas parade this Saturday at 5pm. It’s always a great time…last year’s attendance toped out at 15,000 people and this year we anticipate more. The showroom looking very nice so please stop in and take a peek

"Jimmer"

Friday, November 12, 2010

Wrapping Up

It has been a wonderful week in Muskoka Lakes with temperatures between 10 C and 14 C daily. The crew at Pride of Rosseau has been busy winterizing your boats, boat houses and our property. The photo was taken at 4:00pm today depicting the view from the marina with all of the boats and finger docks safely stowed away. - "Christina"


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Lest We Forget

A quick reminder to support our veterans unconditionally, just as they defended our country unconditionally. Take time on November 11th to reflect on the freedom they won for you and shake a veteran’s hand. A thank-you is all they ask for. I found a great website that creates a post-secondary scholarship legacy for the children and spouses of Canadian fallen military heroes. The charity is represented and chaired by some heavy weight Canadian industry and political icons. It is building positive outcomes for the families that were affected by military tragedy.

Check out the Canadian Hero Fund at www.11for11.ca

A Great Year

2010 is wrapping up into a successful season, with a much different character than 2009. Bad weather and a poor economy were replaced by great weather and an improved economy. The traffic on the lake and the customer visits here were stronger than I have seen in several years and the feeling going into the Toronto Boat Show is that Canada is really starting to hit its stride economically.
Driving to work this week feels more like we are heading out of fall and into winter. All the ponds have a skin of ice on them and there is a dusting of snow hiding in the ditches. All of our customer boats are off the lake and safely in our storage yard. We will be finishing the last few shrink wrapped boats before getting a head start on our winter work load. With over 300 boats in storage at Pride of Lake of Bays alone, it will take several weeks just to get through the regular maintenance, impeller services and tune-ups before we embark on the long term projects of fiberglass repairs, engine and drive work. We will be busy right up to the Boat Show, so we will be exciting to get a break from winter to visit with customers again