The Adventures of the Festival Nomad: Sunset Cruises

It's summertime and time to cruise the Muskoka Lakes. This is the first part of an article about just that, cruising the Muskoka Lakes with Captain Randy Potts and his restored 1920's yacht, the M.V. Idyllwood.

I would not have believed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! One day last spring I drove to Bracebridge to meet Captain Randy Potts. Randy owns Sunset Cruises and the M.V. Idyllwood. The Idyllwood is a 40 foot 1920’s era yacht that was faithfully restored by Randy. He has the photographs and memories to prove it! It took Potts several years to complete the restoration, but the end result is a boat that any owner would be proud of! The Idyllwood, under the capable hands of Captain Randy cruises the Muskoka Lakes. Don’t let his youthful looks deceive you, he has been a licensed Captain for over 20 years and has been at the helm of some mighty impressive ships, including the famous R.M.S. Segwun. The Idyllwood accommodates 12 guests in refined luxury. When I traveled all the way to Bracebridge, I did want to see the M.V. Idyllwood, but, frankly I was more interested in Randy’s latest restoration project, the Peerless II. For 49 years the Peerless II roamed the Muskoka Lakes delivering gasoline and home heating fuel to the cottagers and residents of the lakes. In 1994 the Peerless II was taken out of service and sold to become a private vessel. Then in September of 2003, Captain Randy Potts and Sunset Cruises purchased the Peerless II. You would have thought that Potts’ experiences of restoring the Idyllwood would have made him think twice about taking on a project of this magnitude, but obviously that was not the case!