Why Supporting Canadian Businesses Matters: Experience Toronto with Gone Sailing Adventures

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The Value of Choosing Local Experiences

Supporting Canadian businesses isn’t just about keeping money in the country—it’s about preserving unique experiences, strengthening communities, and ensuring local small business entrepreneurs continue to thrive. In Toronto, a city known for its iconic waterfront and vibrant tourism industry, businesses like Gone Sailing Adventures offer more than just a sailing experience; they provide a connection to the city’s history, natural beauty, and peoples’ adventurous spirit.

Gone Sailing Adventures is a Canadian-owned company that offers memorable sailing experiences on Lake Ontario. Whether you’re a local exploring your own backyard or a visitor looking for a fresh way to experience Toronto and the Toronto Harbour, setting sail with a Canadian business helps support local jobs, promote sustainable tourism, and ensures authentic experiences remain available for generations to come.

Why Buying Canadian Makes a Difference

  1. Keeping the Economy Strong

Every dollar spent at a local business contributes directly to the Canadian economy. Companies like Gone Sailing Adventures create jobs, pay taxes that support public services, and reinvest in their communities. Choosing a Canadian-owned tour operator ensures that your money benefits the local workforce and keeps independent small businesses thriving.

By supporting Canadian tour operators, you’re also helping to sustain industries like hospitality, transportation, and food services. Whether it’s the local marina, the suppliers that maintain the sailboats, Niagara wineries, or the restaurants where guests dine after their sailing trip, the economic benefits ripple far beyond just one company.

  1. Showcasing the Best of Toronto

Toronto’s waterfront, harbour and islands are some of the city’s most stunning features and seeing it from the deck of a sailboat provides a completely unique perspective. Gone Sailing Adventures offers experiences that allow guests to sail past landmarks like the CN Tower, the Toronto Islands, and Gibraltar Point Light House, Ireland Park, and Harbourfront all while learning about the history and ecology of these famous landmarks and evolution of Lake Ontario.

Sailing connects people with both the urban and natural elements of Toronto, providing a peaceful escape from city life. These experiences highlight the best of what the city has to offer, making them an essential part of Toronto’s tourism landscape.

  1. Supporting Sustainable and Responsible Tourism

Not all tours are created equal. Many mass tourism activities have a negative impact on the environment, but sailing is one of the most eco-friendly ways to explore a city’s waterways. Gone Sailing Adventures operates wind-powered vessels, reducing the need for fuel and lowering emissions. Their commitment to sustainable tourism ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy Lake Ontario without harming its delicate ecosystem.

In addition to using wind power, Gone Sailing Adventures follows strict environmental guidelines to protect marine life and maintain water quality. Supporting businesses that prioritize sustainability means making travel choices that align with responsible environmental stewardship.

Experiences That Highlight Canadian Adventure

  1. Scenic Harbour Tours & Lake Sailing Experiences

For those looking to experience Toronto’s waterfront in a unique way, Gone Sailing Adventures offers a range of tours, from quick 75-minute harbour sailing cruises to more immersive 3-hour sailing adventures on Lake Ontario. These tours allow guests to take in breathtaking views, learn about the city’s history, and even participate in hands-on sailing.

  1. Romantic Sunset & Champagne Cruises

For couples or special occasions, there’s nothing quite like a sunset sail. With a glass of champagne in hand, guests can watch the sun dip behind the Toronto skyline in one of the most intimate settings the city has to offer. Supporting Canadian businesses means having access to these kinds of thoughtfully curated experiences, designed with local beauty in mind.

  1. Corporate Team-Building and Private Events

Sailing is a natural team-building exercise, requiring coordination, communication, and adaptability. Gone Sailing Adventures offers customized corporate sailing events where teams can learn to navigate, race against each other, or simply enjoy a relaxed networking experience on the water. Investing in locally owned event providers helps keep corporate spending within Canada, benefiting small business owners and their local partners rather than international or multinational chains.

  1. Learn to Sail Programs

Canada has a strong maritime history, and sailing is an integral part of it. Gone Sailing Adventures provides introductory advanced sailing lessons for those looking to learn the ropes. When you choose to learn at a Canadian sailing school, you’re contributing to a tradition that has shaped the country’s relationship with its waterways for centuries.

How You Can Support Canadian Businesses Like Gone Sailing Adventures

  1. Choose Local for Your Next Experience

Rather than booking with large international travel providers, consider choosing locally owned businesses for your adventures. Whether it’s a yacht charter, a restaurant, or a guided tour, spending money with Canadian businesses keeps your dollars circulating within the country.

  1. Purchase Gift Cards for Future Travel

A great way to support local businesses is by buying gift certificates for experiences. If you’re not ready to sail right now, a Gone Sailing Adventures gift card is a perfect way to plan for a future adventure or share an experience while providing immediate support to the business.

  1. Leave Reviews and Share Your Experience

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways to help a local business. If you’ve had a great experience, leave a review on Google, TripAdvisor, or Yelp and share photos on social media @gosailto. Tagging the business and using hashtags like #SupportLocal, #ExploreToronto or #BuyCanadian helps more people discover these homegrown experiences.

  1. Encourage Corporate and Group Bookings

Many businesses book team-building events, retreats, and client outings. If your company is looking for a unique experience, suggest a local provider like Gone Sailing Adventures. These types of bookings provide significant support to small businesses and give employees a chance to engage with local culture and outdoor adventure.

  1. Attend Seasonal and Special Events

Gone Sailing Adventures offers a variety of themed sails throughout the summer, from Canada Day fireworks cruises to the Indigenous Sailstice Festival and monthly Full Moon Sails. Booking seasonal events not only provides an incredible sailing experience but also helps businesses thrive during different times of the season.

Why Supporting Local Businesses Creates Lasting Change

Buying Canadian isn’t just about financial transactions—it’s about creating a sustainable, diverse, and thriving community of businesses that reflect the country’s values. Every time you choose a local company over an international chain, you contribute to:

  • Local job creation and economic growth
  • Unique, high-quality experiences tailored to the Toronto community
  • The preservation of cultural and environmental heritage

Gone Sailing Adventures is a prime example of how a local business can offer world-class experiences while staying true to its Canadian roots. Whether you’re looking to explore Toronto’s waterfront, celebrate a special occasion, or learn to sail, supporting this Canadian-owned company ensures that these opportunities remain available for years to come.

Set Sail and Support Local!

Toronto’s waterfront is best experienced from the deck of a sailboat, and there’s no better way to do it than by choosing a proudly Canadian company. Supporting yacht rental businesses like Gone Sailing Adventures, shows you are investing in local tourism, sustainable travel, and unforgettable experiences that celebrate the best of Canada.

Let the journey begin, a world of adventures, relaxation, and memories awaits!

YOUR SAFETY IS AT RISK

When considering chartering a yacht in Canada, we know you have many options. Some of these options look super exciting and at ridiculously great prices. Recent trends in the industry have opened the door for many unqualified individuals to purchase boats and offer charter services to the unsuspecting public. It’s easy to create a website and even easier to just list a boat on sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Getmyboat, Boat Setter and many others.

Unfortunately, many of these operators are NOT licensed, insured or qualified to accept your trust on the water.

In order to be licensed and insured a number of items MUST be in place. Listed are just a few.

  • The operator must be licensed by Transport Canada with a commercial license known as either:
    – Limited Master under 60tonne.
    – Small Vessel Operators Permit (SVOP).
  • The name of the vessel must be visible on the stern (back) or the registration number beginning with the letter “C” must be visible on the side of the vessel near the front. Boats with a registration number beginning with “ON” are not licensed for passengers.
  • If the vessel is under 12m (40’) it should participate in the Transport Canada Small Vessel Compliance Program and display a “Blue Decal” and have corresponding certificate.
  • If the vessel is over 12m (40’) or carries more than 12 passengers, it MUST BE INSPECTED by Transport Canada and have an inspection certificate on board.
  • All vessels must have commercial liability insurance and coverage specifically for the number of passengers approved to be carried on board.
  • The vessel must comply with commercial safety requirements beyond recreational standards. Many of these illegal operators do not have the proper training, carry proper safety equipment, nor do their recreational boats meet the design/construction requirements of a commercial, passenger carrying vessel. These illegal operators try to stay under the radar of Police/OPP/RCMP/Transport Canada by:
  • hiding the name of their vessel by hanging items over the stern
  • not letting you know where they will have you board until just before the start of your charter.
  • pick you up at a public park (where docking is not permitted).
  • suggest to you that you are friends of the owner/operator out for a ride and not a paying customer.
  • allow you to drink alcohol while the boat is underway (illegal-same as a car) but tell you to hide your bottles etc.
  • insist on a cash transaction or part of it as a way of defrauding the internet listing company.
  • Make you sign a “Charter Agreement” just before you board without giving you details of the document beforehand.

    Over the last few years there have been a number of deaths and even more accidents resulting from these types of operators. Be safe and know who you are getting on a boat with. All licensed operators should willingly display their credentials, and most are members of the Passenger & Commercial Vessel Association (PCVA).

    Link to Global News Report on Charter Accidents

Check before you book
&
Know before you Go!