THE LIFE AQUATIC

Welcome to Bluffer’s Park Marina, a hidden beach at the city’s edge

It’s a hot July afternoon, and Paul Peic is leaving the city behind.

The engine roars as his boat speeds out into the open waters of Lake Ontario, until Peic can see a stretch of both the Scarborough Bluffs and the downtown Toronto skyline. Then he shuts off the engine.

And suddenly, there’s complete silence, but for the lapping waves and distant bird calls.

“When I come down here, I’m relaxed and calm,” says the typically fasttalking local entrepreneur, who owns one of the 24 float homes nestled in a cove at the end of Brimley Rd. South in Scarborough.

Hidden by the towering Bluffs, this unique community in Bluffer’s Park is a water-lover’s dream, where residents of the area can step out their front door and onto a paddleboard, into a boat — or right into the cool waters of the lake.

“I always say it’s the city’s best-kept secret,” says Peic.

ALLEN AGOSTINO/TORONTO STAR Paddleboarders Lisa Didomizio, front, and Nadine Dahdah make their way through the float homes community. For more on lakeside living in the city,

ALLEN AGOSTINO PHOTOS/TORONTO STAR Paul Peic, who owns one of 24 float homes, drives his boat to the mile marker in Lake Ontario.