Warm water and hot racing are guaranteed at the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival, March 25-31, 2013!
With less than three weeks to go until the 42nd edition of the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival at Nanny Cay, a truly international cast is making ready to take centre stage in the beautiful sailing grounds off Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
The BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival has always attracted sailors from around the world to take part and this year is no exception. Entries from at least 12 different nations will compete and include: Australia, Germany, USA, Netherlands, Sweden,
As winter progresses into spring, it's never to early to dream wistfully about those cool 'sweater-weather' evenings 'downeast' in Maine and Nova Scotia, cocktails in hand, with delicious munchies of cheese and crackers and lots of veggies with yummy dips at hand, watching the spectacular sunset settle across the bay and the distant rolling hills-- it's simply magical for those lucky enough to have experienced them over time.
Perhaps one of the world's best kept secrets is Chester Race Week, held in Chester, Nova Scotia, just a stone's throw away from the bustling metropolis of Halifax. Chester Race Week (scheduled August 14-17, 2013) has been sailing since 1856 and in recent summers has had consistent entries of 130-150
Barry Goodyear of Ra Kon Marnie Surveyors in Innisfil, Ontario was telling us about a boat he recently surveyed. Severe electrical problems prompted the owner to re-wire an accessory. A 6’ length of wire was carefully stripped and even in the middle of the insulated area, there was the tell-tale green “fuzz” corrosion that results from saltwater exposure.
The boat had sunk in saltwater. Years later, the damage was coming to light.
The BoatUS organization is a major American marine insurer and
Visitors to Saanich Inlet will find a dramatic new Mill Bay Marina on the site of the old marina on the inlet’s western shore. The old wooden pilings and floats have been replaced by steel pilings, concrete floats, 91 wide permanent berths for boats to 55’, and 700’ of transient moorage for vessels to 200’, all protected by a state-of-the-art floating breakwater.
The new marina, on the edge of the Gulf Islands, also has a fuel dock (gas and diesel), while a dockside bistro called Bridgemans and a marine store are set to open this spring.
Marine meteorologist and educator Lee Chesneau offers his two-day seminar “Toward Self-Reliance in Marine Weather and Forecasting” March 14-15 at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Washington.
Chesneau is a veteran forecaster for the US Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and private industry who now focuses on teaching marine weather and advanced weather routing techniques to mariners. His aim is “to provide every capable seagoing mariner with the knowledge, tools and culture to embody self-reliance and independent decision-making in weather forecasting, route planning and heavy weather avoidance.”
As the May target date looms for the federal government’s planned closure of Kitsilano Coast Guard Station, opponents among first-responder organizations and at all levels of government are stepping up their campaign to reverse the controversial decision.
Among recent developments:
At the Vancouver Boat Show, hard-working volunteers from the Jericho Sailing Centre Association, a leader in the campaign to save the station, collected more than 3,000 signed letters to Prime Minster Stephen Harper. The letter sets out key arguments against the closure, accuses local Conservative MPs of “abandoning ship” on the issue, and concludes: “I will not vote for a party that closes the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station.” The letters were sent to the PM at no cost using MPs’ free letter-mail privileges.
Read more: Opponents of Kits Base Closure Step Up Pressure...
The 51st Vancouver International Boat Show drew steady traffic throughout its five days, including BC’s first Family Day, Monday, February 11. Strong boat and retail sales at the show bolstered confidence in the local recreational boat industry heading into the 2013 season.
To take advantage of Family Day, organizers switched from the show’s usual Wednesday-Sunday slot to open the show on Thursday, which may have been the show’s single best day. Field and concourse exhibits at BC Place were busy from the opening and exhibitors began reporting strong sales almost immediately. One dealer was surprised to find they had made 20 major sales of boats or motors on Thursday alone.
The 45th Annual Southern Straits Classic is set for March 29-31, 2013. The West Vancouver Yacht Club (WVYC) is making preparations to host its Annual Southern Straits Classic for the 45th time. The Easter Weekend racing tradition will see sailors criss-crossing Georgia Strait testing their strategy, skill, and endurance while racing overnight in early season conditions.
The Classic Short, Medium, and Long courses range from 55 to 132 nautical miles. The race committee has redesigned the Medium course, eliminating the leg from Ballenas Is. to Entrance Is., opening it up to new tactics for racers.
Read more: West Vancouver Yacht Club’s race hits milestone...
The British Virgin Islands is home to Conch Charters, operated for the past 25 years by Cindy Chestnut and Brian Gandey, a young couple from Montreal.
Everybody that I have met that has taken a winter trip to the Caribbean spends at least one moment fantasizing about “cashing it all in” and starting a
business in a tropical paradise. I know because I have done it many times. The British Virgins Islands is one of these special places; beautiful blue water,
swaying palm trees, gentle people and perfect sailing weather almost all year long. In today’s world this is all but impossible with all regulations, quotas,
bureaucracy maturation of the of the local business society in the islands. But 25 years ago the dream was alive and for the taking for Cindy and Brian.
Nova Scotia Islands documentary airs Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 12 Noon. With intriguing pasts and mysterious happenings, the islands of Nova Scotia have been the setting of stories that stir the senses and rouse the imagination. Abandoned settlements and homesteads, lighthouses and keepers, fisherman and fishing grounds, pirates and treasure, contagious diseases and mass burials, ghostly apparitions and lost cemeteries are all highlighted in this homage to Nova Scotia's colourful island history.
Islands are part of the geography and history of the Maritimes, nowhere more so than Nova Scotia. Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, there are more than 3,800 islands that lie scattered along nearly 5,000 miles of
Boat Reviews
CY Virtual Video Boat Tours
We all love boats and nothing can break us up! So, what better way to spend our time than looking at interesting boats and going aboard in a virtual ride or tour. We have asked our friends at various dealers and manufacturers to help us assemble a one-stop online resource to experience some of the most interesting boats on the market today. Where the CY Team has done a review, we connect you to that expert viewpoint. Our Virtual Show will continue to grow so visit frequently and check it out. If you can’t go boating, you can almost experience the thrill via your screen. Not quite the same, but we hope you enjoy our fine tour collection.
Read more about the CY Virtual Boat Tours....................
Beneteau Oceanis 30.1
As boat builders clamber to create ever-bigger platforms for ever-more generous budgets, the entry-level cruiser has become an elusive animal. Sure, if you want to daysail, there are plenty of small open boats from which to choose, but if you want a freshly built pocket cruiser, you’re in for a long search. Enter French builder Groupe Beneteau, which identified this gap in the market and set about creating the Oceanis 30.1, an adorable little cruiser that resembles her larger siblings in all but length and price. With all she offers, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call her a mini yacht.
Read More about the Beneteau Oceanis 30.1..................
Destinations
Canadian Cruising - There's No Place Like Home!
By the Canadian Yachting Editors
Canadians are blessed in many ways and especially when it comes to boating. We enjoy some the world’s most beautiful cruising waters and many places are as sheltered as they are scenic.
British Columbia and the Pacific North West plainly have the most breath-taking scenery with the combination of the majestic ocean views and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. It’s like no place on earth when you have a Killer Whale breach beside your little fishing boat.
Read more about Canadian Cruising...........
Lifestyle
Burlington Sailing & Boating Club – a successful four-way partnership
By Katherine Stone
It’s always amazing to me how life has degrees of separation that are incredibly small, even when you spend your adult life in another country than the one you grew up in. I grew up sailing on Lake Erie and when my father’s health was on the decline it was decided that I would be appointed to sell his boat. As fate would have it, an older gentleman came to see the boat and decided on the spot to purchase it. Off it sailed, out of Lake Erie, through the canal and into Lake Ontario to reside happily at the Burlington Sailing & Boating Club. Little did I know that many years later, I would be doing their profile for Canadian Yachting.
Read more about Burlington Sailing & Boating Club...............
Katherine Stone
Like many other harbours on Lake Ontario, Cobourg has seen its fair share of changes. Screams used to be heard from kids piled into a toboggan on wheels that went hurtling down a wooden slide into the harbour. Above it all was the bustling din from the waterfront of ship’s whistles, train engines, foghorns and thundering coal cars. It is now a rather serene place for the locals and visitors to enjoy various watercraft. Fortunately, the beautiful beach that lines the waterfront is still a star attraction for the town.
Located 95 kilometres east of Toronto and 62 kilometres east of Oshawa on the north edge of Lake Ontario, United Empire Loyalists first starting arriving in the area as early as the 1780s. The first settlement in 1798 was called Buckville, later renamed Amherst, then called Hamilton (after the township) and also nicknamed Hardscrabble. It wasn’t until 1819 that they finally settled on the name of Cobourg, which was incorporated as a town in 1837. In the late 1820s large schooners with passengers and cargo had to anchor well off shore, as there was only a landing wharf. A group of Toronto businessmen formed the Cobourg Harbour Company which built the wooden Eastern Pier from tolls charged for the use of the harbour.
DIY & How to
The Rules Guy: An overview of the right-of-way rules III
In the past two issues we have been doing an overview of the right-of-way rules. In the first, we did a review of Section A of Part 2, in the second we did a review of the definitions. This issue, we will look at Section B of Part 2, General Limitations, which is essentially limitations applying to boats that have right of way according to Section A.
GENERAL LIMITATIONS
14 AVOIDING CONTACT
A boat shall avoid contact with another boat if reasonably possible. However, a right-of-way boat or one entitled to room or mark-room
Read more about the right-of-way rules.......................
Marine Products
New Wash Mitt Cleans Fast, Without Swirls and Scratches
Anyone who has repeatedly used a rag to clean gelcoat, paint and delicate surfaces has seen the results accumulate over time: scratches and swirls. Shurhold's new Chenille Microfiber Premium Scratch-Free Wash Mitt provides the confidence to wash the most sensitive boat part without worry and holds a massive amount of soapy water for fast work.
The Microfiber Wash Mitt is made from a premium, scratch-free 80/20 blended microfiber that traps dirt and debris deep within the material. This is essential when cleaning touchscreen displays and other soft, easily marred surfaces.
Read more about the Wash Mitt...............
Blue Guard Introduces Next-Gen Bilge Pump Switch with Integrated Oil and Fuel Detection Sensor
Blue Guard has announced the general availability of the BG-One, a solid-state bilge pump switch, oil and fuel detector. Having no moving parts or mechanical float switches, BG-One will automatically turn off the bilge pump when oil or fuel is detected, preventing potentially costly oil or fuel discharge.
BG-One was designed with boat owners, environment and operational durability in mind, and protects the owners and operators from fines and clean up costs due to unwanted oil discharge from bilges.
Read more about Blue Guard's Bilge Pump Switch........................
