Rent a canoe or kayak and explore the beaches and bird sanctuaries of the Toronto Islands, or polish your paddling with the help of a certified instructor. Evening courses cover the basics—rescues, strokes and portaging in the case of canoes—while weekend courses take you into the Toronto Islands archipelago and offer a more nuanced sense of the boat. A one-night course in kayaking is often enough to give people the confidence they need to go out in a boat on their own, especially when taken in conjunction with an in-pool rescue course. There are guided group paddles followed by barbecues on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings during the summer, and in-pool practice sessions from January until the end of September.