Southern BC OrcaOver the past few months Fisheries & Oceans Canada and Transport Canada have led a number of Technical Working Groups to make recommendations on measures to recover the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). Boating BC participated in the process with a seat on the Sanctuaries Working Group.

Beach Cleaning EnitiativeAt the end of last month, Canadian sailors gathered on the Palma Beach in Palma de Mallorca, Spain where they were competing in an important European regatta, to complete an hour-long beach clean-up.

New Washington LegislationThis new legislation from Washington State Department of Fisheries applies to boats launched in Washington State.

No Discharge Zone MapBritish Columbia boaters will need to check out the new no-discharge zone before heading off to American waters in Puget Sound.

Mark MattsonMark Mattson is a man of gentle demeanor but don’t be fooled by his calm, cool collectedness. This man moves mountains, lakes and rivers to make sure Canadians will be able to swim, drink and fish anywhere in Canada from coast to coast to coast. Like many of us, Mattson’s love of the water and boating started at an early age. And during his career as a criminal lawyer, Mattson had an opportunity to work on a case with the Ministry of the Environment that whet his appetite for wanting to protect Canadian waters. This and a chance meeting with Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during a case involving Hydro Quebec fueled his appetite, and in 1995 Mattson left Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to form the Environment Bureau of Investigation (EBI). 

Plastic Pickup in Paradise - Haida GwaiiWe hear about the plastic problem in our oceans all the time. Scientists on the media talk to us about an island of trash the size of Texas that’s formed in the mid Pacific. They show us pictures of turtles caught in six ring beer holders, dolphins caught in nets and dead seabirds washed up with their stomachs full of broken down micro plastics.  For me, it wasn’t until the problem arrived, wind ravaged and sun worn, strewn across my doorstep that that the magnitude of what those scientists were trying to tell us was realized. The beaches on Haida Gwaii have always been a magnet for the flotsam and jetsam that circles the Pacific. The archipelago sits off shore from the mainland and reaches out into the currents and wild winds of open ocean. Some beaches collect the debris and display it for a while and then it’s simply swept back into the sea to continue its journey, but some beaches here hold on to the debris and do not let it go. 

Boating and astronomy can be a match made in the heavens. The inky black canvas above the boat is punctuated by sparkling pinpricks of brilliant light. As if on cue, a meteor blazes across the sky, its dramatic trail tracing its path.
It’s a mid-August night at Beausoleil Island in southern Georgian Bay. The moon has already plummeted below the tree line on a cloudless night, setting the stage for the Perseid meteor show, an annual display easily observed from the deck of a boat at anchor.

The 30,000 Islands of Georgian Bay is a boater’s dream destination with crystal clear waters, endless anchorages, amazing angling opportunities, outstanding scenery and diverse wildlife and vegetation. It is also a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world biosphere reserve, a designation awarded in 2004 after seven years of intensive work by a collective of cottagers, boaters, residents, First Nations representatives and organizations with support from government agencies.

Many Canadian Yachting readers have likely experienced the beauty of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. Nestled between Vancouver Island and the mainland, this archipelago of more than 450 islands and islets offers calm seas, a gentle climate and stunning landscapes. What many visitors may not notice are the immense pressures on this much-loved area and the work of numerous conservation groups to save these fragile ecological jewels for all British Columbians and visitors.

Many newspaper headlines appeared in the spring of 2012 with these two names highlighted. The Rideau, a recently designated World Heritage Site, and the Trent Severn, with a combined age of 325 years, were designated as transportation routes until 1972 when the Federal Cabinet moved canal operations from the Department of Transport to Parks Canada. In March of 2012, during Federal budget deliberations, Parks Canada (PC) was given a budget reduction target of $29.2M over 3 years.

Boating Without Boat OwnershipKatherine 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!

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Valvetech Bridgewater MarinaFor many years now, we have used gasoline in our cars and trucks that contains some amount of ethanol, a form of alcohol, and just as a few drops of water combine almost instantly in your Scotch, moisture from the atmosphere can combine with the ethanol in the gasoline that is in your boat’s fuel tank.

Your motor vehicle has a sealed fuel system to control evaporative losses that are a source of air pollution. Fuel is moved into the engine under pressure and any drips that might escape, drop onto the pavement. The engine is open to the pavement below. In an inboard boat, the hull is below the engine and any drips will collect in the bilge with potentially explosive consequences. 

Read more about gasoline containing ethanol......

 

  

Grand Banks 60 SkyloungeThe 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............

 

ILCA DinghyAustin, 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.

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Port of OrilliaTake 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.

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Mercury V8 InboardMercury 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............

Beneteau Motor FoilerAfter 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............