海角社区官网

This singles afloat event has been put together by a聽聽organization called聽, which as you may have guessed, puts on events for singles every Thursday in Toronto, as well as Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal. They have lofty aims for this venture: to transform the city鈥檚聽sometimes miserable digital dating scene聽with in-person events and real life connections.

Thursday鈥檚 海角社区官网chapter leads are Felisha Liu and Ben Davies, who are both extremely social; it makes sense that this is how they spend their time. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not just meeting potential partners; you鈥檙e becoming part of a vibrant community of singles who value real connections,鈥� says Liu. 鈥淲e know that mindless app swiping and impersonal messages are a thing of the past and we embrace the excitement of a new in-person dating movement.鈥�

They book out venues such as bars, clubs, restaurants鈥攁nd now, a boat鈥攆or singles鈥� mixers. The age range is pretty wide, but usually runs early twenties to late thirties.

I鈥檝e never been romanced on a water vessel but I鈥檓 open to it. So I go with a few of my girlfriends who are there for one of two reasons: to meet a man, or to be on a boat. Both seem good enough. When we get onboard, we are directed around by the organizers, who give us a few options. There are three floors: the lower level for those of us 30-plus, and the second floor plus the roof deck for鈥� everyone else. Almost everybody鈥攊nclusive of the thirty-pluses鈥攅nds up on the roof. The basement, which has low ceilings and smells of hot dog water, ends up being tragically empty most of the night, save for a few people in chairs and one guy who everyone keeps whispering was a contestant on “The Bachelor Canada.”

We head up to the deck, where the drinks are flowing. There鈥檚 a special three-for-one shooter deal, and the music consists mainly of top 40 and throwback hits. We sip on watered down, fruity cocktails while Sean Paul鈥檚 鈥淟ike Glue鈥� blares through the boat鈥檚 speakers. I chat with a guy who is shy but sweet, and we have a nice enough conversation about his recent dates and who he hopes to meet on the boat. Then he says he believes in aliens. The conversation goes south.

Someone jokingly notes that a pitfall of being onboard is that you have nowhere to run should an interaction with a potential suitor not go your way. This proves to be correct a few times. One man I speak with on the roof is a cute 31-year-old recent divorc茅e. By the third sentence, he discloses that he met his ex-wife on the floor of a Skrillex concert. Once he asks for my Instagram it鈥檚 time to make my exit鈥攐nly to keep bumping into him every 30 minutes for the rest of the night.

While most girls are here with their friends, a lot of guys came solo. A few tell me they signed up because they saw a Facebook or Instagram ad for the event. One says he鈥檚 looking for commitment but doesn鈥檛 think the girls are 鈥渉ere to talk to me.鈥� Another guy in a baseball cap tells me his background is Syrian but he grew up in Germany. He says he doesn鈥檛 understand why people in Canada split bills on dates, and that he used to think he liked Russian girls, but now doesn鈥檛 have a type. He鈥檚 on the boat because he thought he would be able to find more girls at once this way. I momentarily admire his efficient approach.

I steer away and ask some girls why they鈥檙e here. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been on a boat,鈥� says content creator Tina Cho. Chris Hong, an artist, says 鈥渢his seemed like a fun way to cap off the summer,鈥� and that she wanted to meet someone organically.聽

Some people have luck with this: as the night gets underway, quite a few new couples start sucking face on the rooftop in plain view, and there are whispers of amorous couples headed to the boat鈥檚 bathrooms.聽

鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e not working in offices as often or incentivized to get out and about as much, we feel less confident socializing during the times we do still hang out in public, like going to bars and restaurants,鈥� says Kate Lindsay, a writer who has covered dating culture for Bustle and is co-founder of the popular Substack . 鈥淲hen I鈥檝e interviewed people who are frustrated with dating apps, they describe their dream app as something that just gets single people all together in a room, but then the humans take it from there. They鈥檇 feel more confident approaching one another knowing they鈥檙e all looking to meet someone.鈥澛�

Enter third parties trying to meet that need by creating environments for connection鈥攁nd not just in a bar. Next January, for instance, Thursday is hosting a singles鈥� ski trip to the French alps. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a huge request for more events outside of just bars and nightlife,鈥� says Liu. 鈥淢ore activity-based events such as run clubs, dance lessons, holiday-themed activities. These are definitely on our radar.鈥澛�

By the time 10 p.m. rolls around, I鈥檓 itching to get back on land, and by 10:30 I鈥檓 feeling seasick. When we finally dock, I almost kiss the concrete. As I walk through the parking lot with all the other singles, I reflect that maybe this exact format isn鈥檛 for me. I feel like a spark isn鈥檛 something you can force by just putting a bunch of single people in the same place, even if they do all crave connection. Maybe I鈥檇 have better luck at a JPEGMafia concert.