They had a great time on a Great Lake

"It was better than we thought it would be and we are going to do Lake Michigan next year," were the words Gwen Comstra used to wrap up the "Wautoma Beach Wenches" (as they dubbed themselves) trek around Lake Ontario.

Comstra and her cohorts, Susie Cotsworth and Vicky Thomas, decided early in the summer that they wanted to drive their jet skis around Lake Ontario. "Actually, we were discussing it and someone said it probably couldn't be done," Comstra said. "So we decided we had to do it."

"Doing it" involved riding their jet skis from their home port in Hilton all the way around Lake Ontario. The trip encompassed 640 miles and took nine days. "We had good weather for the most part and everything worked out," Comstra shared. "We did get fogged in at Toronto and we hit a few waves here and there, but it was great!"

The women were celebrities in almost every port where they docked. In Cobourg they were greeted by people standing on the dock and cheering. "At one of our stops people were waiting for us to dock, they drove us to a hotel, took us out to dinner then brought us back the following morning," she said. "Some people said they saw us on television so they knew we were coming."
The trip took about one year of planning. They read charts, figured out which ports they could stop in that would have hotels or camping facilities and restaurants. Because the only storage available for the trip was under the seats of their jet skis, the ladies didn't want to have to pack food for the trek. "We will definitely bring air mattresses for our next trip," Comstra said. "We slept on a few rocky beaches and we don't want to do that again."

Comstra also said that she has to learn to be a better packer before they make their next trip. "I had about 17 bungee cords tying my stuff to the ski and it kept falling off, Vicki and Susie had one or two straps and theirs never came loose."

After making their way around the lake, the women decided to stop in the Thousand Islands and spend a few days relaxing and sightseeing before making their way home. Comstra said there were a few difficulties with port authorities and one of the immigration officers told them that in all of his time on the job they were the first jet skiers he had ever encountered.

When asked what they will do now that they have conquered one Great Lake, Comstra said that they are already looking into a ride around Lake Michigan. "We picked that because Susie said she heard it's one of the most beautiful of the lakes," Comstra said. "It's about twice the size of Lake Ontario so we will have to do a lot of research and we will be taking a GPS with us to help us navigate."

When the three friends pulled into the docks at their homes in Hilton, friends and family were waiting to welcome them home with a Hawaiian luau party. "We're a bit famous now," Comstra said, adding that they already have offers of places to stay along their upcoming trip to Lake Michigan.