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The Port of Everett Marina in Washington State, the largest publicly operated marina on the West Coast, was among more than 20 marinas nation-wide considered for the prestigious industry award.
Read more: Destinations: The Port of Everett Marina honored...
A favourite destination for many boaters and tourists alike is the lovely Mackinaw Island. Sitting in Lake Huron on the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac in the state of Michigan, it covers almost ten kilometres, of which 80% is park land.
Toronto sailor and former RCYC coach/sailing instructor Ryan May is now a US coast guard captain and is presently accepting bookings in San Francisco California.
The food in the grocery store – where does it come from? There are undoubtedly hardworking people who farm, refine, etc. and when we walk into Sobey’s, there it is...
The sun was just starting to light up the horizon when we departed our home slips in Crystal Harbour, LaSalle, Ontario, and entered the Detroit River. It was June 28, 2014, the first day of our adventure to explore the waters of the Great Lakes and beyond from Windsor to Montreal. We had set aside about six weeks to cruise down Lake Erie and enter the NY Canal System near Buffalo, travel east on the canal to Oswego, head straight north across Lake Ontario to Kingston, traverse the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, cruise down the Ottawa River to Montreal, head back west up the St. Lawrence River to the Thousand Islands, and finally re-enter the NY Canal system at Oswego and follow it back toward Lake Erie and home.
My wife, Hélène, and I travelled on Mystic Blue, a Mainship Pilot Classic. Terry and his wife, Linda, voyaged on their Camano Troll, 4 Buoys. Both 30-foot vessels were designed to cruise at a comfortable and economical speed of about 8 – 9 knots.
Just across the border from Canada’s Gulf Islands – and there’s a story behind that – San Juan is an engaging destination rich in history, culture and opportunities to explore shoreside.
Our first cruise to the San Juan Islands was in 2005, our seventh year of cruising on our wooden sailboat, South Islander. We had heard about how lovely the San Juans were, and even though we have many beautiful anchorages in Canada, we felt it was time to do some exploring south of the border. After all, the San Juans are really just an extension of our own southern Gulf Islands; it’s the international boundary that runs right smack through the middle that makes the San Juans a separate destination.
The Presque Isle peninsula is a 3,200-acre – 7-mile long arm that extends northeast into Lake Erie creating a large, sheltered boating paradise of a harbour. With a string of well equipped marinas, a wealth of facilities and a very impressive yacht club, it has attractions for boaters that place it at the top of a cruising destination list. This may come as a bit of a surprise since Erie, PA is a relatively small community with a population that has hovered around 100,000 for decades. Nonetheless, it is a comparative giant in terms of boating.Boats and Erie have a solid historic connection. If you managed to stay awake during Grade 10 history you’d have traced the communities of the lake back to the early exploration of North America. During the War of 1812 (which we know as our victory in Canada, although it seems to have had a different outcome south of the border) a 27-year-old US Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry built a fleet of ships and defeated (!) the British at the Battle of Lake Erie.
Few cruising boats visit beautiful and remote Prince William Sound. Some 2,800 square miles in area and situated at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Alaska, from which it is separated by a series of major barrier islands, this inland sea has a coastline equal to that of Oregon and California combined. Within its boundaries lie the towns of Cordova, Valdez and Whittier ̶ as well as the native American villages of Chenega and Tatitlek. To reach it, any boat too large to be put on a trailer and towed for hundreds of miles through mountainous terrain must be placed on a barge or brave a 500-mile transit across the open and often tempestuous waters of the Gulf of Alaska.
I have always wanted to go to Baja, but like many of the other 25+ destinations on my bucket list, I still hadn’t got round to it. Imagine my delight when a last minute invite – timed perfectly around a crazy production schedule – found me basking in the beauty of the Marina Costa Baja ready to hop on one of Mooring’s brand new, fully loaded Power 474s with a bunch of like-minded journalists, ready for a first-hand experience of a lifetime. The first day – ‘the getting to know one another day’ – found us only six miles from our departure point in La Paz, Mexico, in the well-protected anchorage of Caleta Lobos.
Adamant 1 has had an adventurous trip since returning from the Bahamas. The Intracoastal Waterway is full of twists and turns, marshland, shallow water and spectacular scenery. It has been very quiet as well with little boat traffic. We pulled into Fernandina Beach at the Florida-Georgia border. We heard it was beautiful there so we rented a car and toured all day. Sadly, we got caught in a tropical depression that lasted for two days with sustained winds of 80 km/h. Once the storm abated, we headed north again. Georgia doesn’t have much to offer except marshland.
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The Best of Both Worlds
Sea-Doo’s all-new Switch marries the performance of a personal watercraft with the versatility of a pontoon boat to create what might just be the perfect entry-level watercraft for young families.
If there’s one thing that’s been a constant throughout BRP’s colourful history, it’s a penchant for stepping outside the box and coming up with what turn out to be ground-breaking innovations. The company that was created around the invention of the snowmobile – and furthered by the invention of the jet-propelled personal watercraft – has never been afraid to adopt revolutionary approaches to what it sees as new opportunities.
Update from St. Vincent & the Grenadines
St Vincent and the Grenadines is open to tourists and Horizon Yacht Charters are looking forward to welcoming our Canadian friends, old and new! You can fly from various locations in Canada via Barbados and then to St Vincent on InterCaribbean Airways or FlyOne and there are direct flights from Toronto with Air Canada on Mondays. With no quarantine for vaccinated visitors, it is easy to come and sail in the stunning Grenadines Island chain.
Horizon reports “We have new yachts joining our fleet in St Vincent this season including the stunning Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 Batamaran and a handsome Jeanneau 591 Molly Too”...
Lifestyle
The Royal Canadian Yacht Club announces the appointment of two new directors to the senior team – Colin Clark as Director of Fleet and Thomas Fogh as Director of Sailing.
As part of efforts to continuously improve club programs, services and facilities, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) took a fresh approach to the recruitment of the senior leadership in Sailing. The club is very excited about the collaborative vision Thomas and Colin bring to the Club and Sailing Office. As Director of Sailing, Thomas will focus on programming and racing activities.
DIY & How to
What I learned from my sacrificial anode
Once our boat comes out of the water, I take the annual fall tour of the hull so I can determine what to worry about all winter. The first thing I note is that the sacrificial anode I had intended to replace prior to launch last spring remains un-replaced.
I recall, as I look blankly at it, that my plan was to attach a brand new anode that I got from the previous owner many years ago, but when I removed it from its packaging, it was clear it wasn’t the correct match for my drive. Perhaps that’s why he hadn’t installed it. And why I went no further.
Marine Products
Electronics: The Best and Brightest Satellite Communication Equipment
When strolling the docks of almost any busy marina, a cruiser will see satellite domes atop boats of varying sizes and types. Some pull in live TV programming far from shore while others provide links, by way of VSAT technology, to the internet, data and worldwide phone service.
VSAT is short for Very Small Aperture Terminals and, like satellite TV antennas, deliver service by locking on to specific satellites despite sea conditions.
North Vancouver’s Burrard Yacht Club and West Vancouver’s Hollyburn Sailing Club are the newest certified members of Clean Marine BC, Georgia Strait Alliance’s eco-certification program that supports recreational boating facilities to reduce the impact of their operations on Burrard Inlet, the Salish Sea and beyond.
Clean Marine BC works with boating facilities to implement and improve environmental best practices for marinas, boat yards, yacht and sailing clubs, fuel docks and harbour authorities, and recognizes them for these efforts.
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