By the Canadian Yachting Editors
The Pacific North West has an incredible population of marine life like this pod of Dolphins racing ahead of the boat. - Photo: Outer-Shores-Expeditions
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. 
Georgian Bay has many secluded coves for privacy. - Photo: Brad Frangakis
B.C.s inland lakes are also spectacular and offer generally easy boating. There are great boating and fishing lakes and rivers in Alberta, Saskatchewan. We rarely mention Manitoba yet Lake Winnipeg is simply vast and that province also borders on Lake of the Woods in North Western Ontario.
Of course, Canada’s Great Lakes; Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area, and second-largest by total volume, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. The province of Ontario borders on all but Lake Michigan but they are all interconnected and all offer grand boating vistas as well as countless marinas, yacht clubs and resorts to visit this summer.
The BC Gulf Islands offer a lifetime of spectacular cruising. - Photo: Craig Ritchie
This issue of Canadian Yachting Magazine features the Rideau Canal and the St. Lawrence to Lake Champlain but don’t forget the Trent Severn Waterway. The “Trent” offers sheltered cruising and great recreational boating as well as being the top of the “Great Loop” – North America’s grand round’ trip from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and back, but with Covid-19, those places in the Great Loop are off-limits so stay in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence through the lakes of lovely Quebec and out to the rugged beauty of Atlantic Canada.
If you prefer some company, Covered Portage Cove in Killarney is popular. - Photo: Jadzia von Heymann
Whatever type of boating you enjoy, it’s available in Canada and you won’t have to travel far to enjoy it! We realize that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a huge stress to the entire planet, but as we write this, Canada’s boating areas are opening up. The marinas are working hard to get the boats launched and there are no restrictions to Canadians going boating in their respective home areas. 
From historic schooners to modern power cruisers, Nova Scotia has it all.
- Photo: Develop Nova Scotia, developns.ca and novascotia.com/boating
There is no place like home, so this summer, (at a safe distance) – stay home and enjoy time boating with family and friends!
Seclusion or urban bustle; it's your choice.
- Photo: Develop Nova Scotia, developns.ca and novascotia.com/boating
By Andy Adams
By Katherine Stone
Following the War of 1812, a battle that Canada narrowly won against the United States, the boundaries of Upper Canada were held and the British army realized that the St. Lawrence River was no longer safe as a supply route. A more defensible route was needed to bring supplies from Montreal to Kingston and on into other Great Lakes settlements.
Over the last decade, sailcloth weaving equipment has evolved and allowed the production of low crimp warp oriented woven cloth of medium to heavy weights. We have had light weight warp wovens of 200g/m2 (4oz) or lighter for much longer than that, but the finer denier weaves of light sailcloth allowed that with older looms and setups. Why is this important? This new loom technology is very important because it allows sailmakers to make better warp cut woven sails for boats 25-50’ long.
I filled up last week at $1.90. Pundits are suggesting that prices will stay high throughout the summer. Radio and TV news have been flooded with ‘man on the street’ interviews that show the impact on the average driver. How will these prices affect the average boater this year? Will we see more hours spent on the docks and fewer on the water? Will fuel efficiency become a top-of –mind selling point? Will we see a shift toward electric marine engines?
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