My watermark is Colpoy’s Bay and Owen Sound Bay, Georgian Bay, Ontario.

When I was 54 years old I moved away from Toronto to live in Owen Sound. Part of my decision to move was fuelled by my summer swimming experiences in Colpoy’s Bay near Wiarton on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, Ontario. Though I had access to Lake Huron and Sauble Beach I preferred the cool, clean limestone waters of the Georgian Bay side of the Peninsula. I swam almost every day and the cold water helped me relax and I felt the pressures of the world melting away, and I was able to purchase a fresh fish right off a fishing boat that usually docked around 4pm. This was heaven to me!

Here in Owen Sound, for the last 5 years, I swim every day in the warmer months, it has become a a ritual. My bathing suit and towel are always in the car ready to jump in to any swimming spot I can along this beautiful turquoise body of water, melting away my tension, cooling me down and deepening my connectivity with nature. One of the most popular posts on my Instagram feed was a small pen and ink drawing I did of myself walking into the Bay, with the caption “when I swim all my worries melt away”. Not surprisingly it was mostly women who responded to this.

What was new to me was the amounts of passionate people (men, women and children) who take their rods and fish along the Sydenham River, the Harbour walls and the shores along Owen Sound. Sleet, rain, sunny or cloudy, there they are, and there is something about this deep passion that triggers an emotional response from me. This connection to nature is what brings us peace of mind, gives us pleasure, food and something to live for. Water is a right of life for everything on this Earth and without clean water life will not survive.