- You are here:
-
Home
-
DIY & How To
- Seamanship
I grew up in a sailing family. My mother comes from a long line of sailors, my dad works in the marine industry and my brother and I have travelled up and down the eastern coast racing with and against each other. Yet, somehow, I had fallen in love with a No,ON-sailor (please note, the use of capital letters).
Sea to Sky Sailing has just been approved as the only Royal Yachting Association (RYA) recognized training centre on the west coast of North America just in time to deliver an epic 2019 season!
I’ve had two emails over the past few weeks with a count-down to launch (47 days per the last email), and instructions on how to prep for launch, including properly marking where slings should be placed.
How often have you seen boats weaving their way across the water, unable to keep heading in a straight line? Maybe you have even experienced this snaking yourself.
‘Top dead centre’ is the position of the wheel that allows you to steer your boat straight with no back and forth movement of the wheel. When the boat is moving straight, your drive(s) or rudder(s) is(are) straight.
In this second of three parts, we will explore preparing for a longer cruise from the people side. Later, in the third instalment we will look at final preparation of the boat...
While docking a sailboat has remained largely unchanged over the centuries, power boat designs have changed dramatically, even over just the last four decades...
Read more: No More Captain Crash! Embarrassment-Free Docking
Comfort and convenience are important factors both to keep boaters enjoying boating as well as to attract new people into boat ownership. Perhaps the most significant regular challenges for all boaters are docking and close quarters manoeuvering. Getting in and out of your slip or into the fuel dock on a busy day can be tricky, especially if the wind is up or currents are running. In 2005, Volvo Penta introduced their revolutionary IPS drive systems that included an industry first - joystick docking.
Read more: Docking and Close-quarters Manoeuvering Made Easy
We've all heard this before but it's especially true when it comes to boating– knowledge is power. It is the power to confidently take your boat out with a load of passengers, go on longer trips, into unfamiliar waters, or even to navigate on your own to distant ports – that is the power of knowledge. The Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, (CPS-ECP) offers a wide range of courses from introductory level to advanced and everything in between. Always focused on boating safety, the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, (CPS-ECP) have been empowering recreational boaters with knowledge for more than 75 years in Canada. Most of their courses are offered through the off-season when Power Squadron members themselves are unable to be out on their own boats.
Will traditional paper charts soon be a thing of the past? And what will that mean for recreational boaters?Last fall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the source for official US government nautical charts, abruptly announced it would no longer distribute lithographic nautical charts as of April 2014. The printer of NOAA charts, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), made the decision to stop printing charts after the US budget shutdown last September. Is this the beginning of the end of paper charts as we know them? Will printed charts from the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) be next?
Lifestyle
To Own, or Not to Own? Boating without boat ownership
Katherine Stone
all the fun and no hassles without ownership.
There’s nothing like owning your own boat – a dream come true for many boating enthusiasts! But along with the joys of boat ownership come the headaches, frustrations, time-consuming repairs and maintenance, and a constant outflow of cash.
Someone once told me that owning a boat was like having a hole in the water into which you poured money – an accurate description if ever I heard one!
Read more about Boating Without Boat Ownership......
Boat Reviews
Grand Banks 60 Skylounge
The Canadian market has always been a tough nut for yacht designers to figure out. Summer days get really hot; other days are downright cold. There is always the chance things could change in the blink of an eye and let’s be honest, who among us hasn’t stepped off the boat wearing shorts, flip flops and a warm jacket? Canadian yachting has always been a world of contradictions, which is why designing cruising yachts for this market has never been easy. It’s not like Florida or the Med, where weather is dependable throughout the year.
Read more about the Grand Banks 60 Skylounge............
Olympic One-Person Sailing Dinghy Completes Name Change “ILCA Dinghy” Is New Face of World’s Most Popular Racing Boat
Austin, Texas, USA (25 April 2019) – In the wake of last month’s termination of its contract with its European builder, the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) announced today that, from 25 April 2019, all new, class-approved boats will be sold and raced under the “ILCA Dinghy” name. This change will have no impact on existing ILCA-authorized boats and equipment, which will be able to race alongside ILCA Dinghies in all class sanctioned events.
“It’s a big change for a racing class that hasn’t seen anything like this in our almost 50- year history,” said Class President Tracy Usher.
Read More about the ILCA Dinghy............
Destinations
Make Mariposa One Of Your Summer Destinations
Take your boat and a beautiful waterfront setting, pair that with a fantastic musical lineup of over 100 Canadian and international performers, spice it up with an awesome food truck alley, add in an artistically diverse artisan’s marketplace and finish it with a Folkplay area dedicated to children’s fun and you have the successful recipe for the Mariposa Folk Festival.
Each July this longstanding musical tradition kicks off the summer at Tudhope Park in Orillia on the picturesque shores of Lake Couchiching and you can get there by boat. This year’s festival runs July 5-7 and is celebrating 20 years back in the city where it all began 59 years ago.
Read more about the Mariposa.....
Marine Products
Mercury Marine Launches New Mercruiser V8 6.2l 370hp Jet Ready Inboard Engine
Mercury Marine is pleased to announce the launch of the new MerCruiser V8 6.2L 370hp Jet Ready inboard engine. The new Jet Power Inboard uses MerCruiser’s 6.2L small block V8 powerplant in an inboard configuration and has a tailstock in place of a transmission to allow for an easy connection to a jet pump via a jackshaft.
“This engine provides boat builders, dealers and consumers with a Mercury inboard jet option that provides easy integration with a jet pump, a full warranty on jet applications and enables consumers to leverage Mercury’s best-in-class dealer network for service,”,,,
Read more about the Mercruiser V8 Inboard Engine............
Groupe Beneteau unveils its first motor foiler
After developing the Figaro Beneteau 3, the first production foiling sailing yacht, Groupe Beneteau has launched a new innovation, unveiling its concept foiling motor yacht.
DEMS Sarrazin Design, Noval and SEAir brought on board a range of design, technical and mechanical skills, alongside the innovation, naval architecture and product design experts from Groupe Beneteau.
Read more about Beneteau's Motor Foiler............
