July 23, 2020
By David and Barb Gamblin
Unknown to us at the time, the quest for VIA-MARA started in 1973 when I saved the back cover of a boating magazine with the advertisement for the Trojan 42 Motor Yacht.
Four boats, and eight years later we went shopping for a Trojan 42 built prior to 1972 (that year the house and binnacle became fiberglass and the bridge window framing changed to (ugh) black anodized aluminum.)
In love with wooden boats I guess, so we returned to wood from a fibreglass Trojan.
It’s is a longer story of course, but on May 30, 1981, from Port Credit, Ontario, we pointed VIA-MARA’s bow East and headed for her new home in Oromocto, New Brunswick, 1365 Nautical miles away. 13 Days and an interesting trip later, a tired but celebratory crew snuggled into a waiting berth at the Oromocto Boat Club, to the cheers of the many who, unknown to us, were following our trip home.
Now in 2020, 53 years since her keel was laid in Elkton Maryland, 39 years with the current owners, thousands of sea miles, many upgrades and loving care, we are still as proud of her as the day we fell in love with her almost 40 years ago.
While shopping, we had many opportunities to speak to several Trojan 42 owners. A conversation with a 13 year owner in Baltimore stands out. When we asked how he felt about the vessel, he said, after a brief thought… “It’s a good boat that does most everything reasonable well”… Years and many miles later, we realised that, among all the superlatives we have heard about various boats, we came to realize that he was offering the highest compliment I had ever heard about a vessel.
VIA-MARA (“By Way of Sea”) still continues to exceed our expectations. She has since been cruised extensively on the East coast of Canada and the US, and has a long history, including having British Royalty aboard as guests.

- David and Barb Gamblin live in New Maryland, just (4 minutes) outside of Fredericton.
VIA-MARA is at her berth in Oromocto near the Fredericton airport, and wintered in a boathouse near Fredericton.

By Andy Adams
Regal Boats’ new LS36 is what we call a day boat. Regal says the LS36 merges their luxury yacht series with their bowrider series and the result is the LS36. This comfortable bowrider is perfect for cruising the lake or hosting friends and family for the day on the weekend.
We feel the styling deserves mention right off the top. This is a big boat at over 37-feet on an 11’7” beam but the clean and almost traditional lines give the LS36 a timeless sporty look that we think, really sets it apart. It’s a Yacht-certified vessel. I counted approximately 21 places for people to sit! You would probably never take a crowd that big but it can certainly handle a gang.
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By Zuzana Prochazka
Every few years, boat builders update their lines with refreshed designs and new features that eventually proliferate throughout their entire offering. Dufour Yachts is in mid-process of such an evolution as the builder changes up their line of sleek sailing cruisers.
One sign of this transformation is the naming convention that is morphing from triple-digit numbers ending with a zero, to simple double-digits that one would guess designates the LOA – more on this later. The latest model in the refresh is the Dufour 37 which replaces the previous Dufour 360.
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I start every article, story or TV segment about boating out of the biggest city in Canada the same way. Citing the multiple people who told me I would “quickly get bored of Toronto harbour” or that “there’s nothing to do in Lake Ontario” and that it was only a matter of time before I moved marinas to a much more appropriate setting just north of the city.
With all due respect to my pals who boat in Georgian Bay, I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon. Next year will be my tenth in Toronto Harbour and I love it more each year.
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Introducing the next graduate in our CYOB marine career path series, Nathanial Stabenow from the East Coast of Canada.
An individual of many hats, Nathanial has had a diverse career in the marine industry taking part in commercial diving, marine navigation, rigging and boat building. He now works as a marine engineer on the LaHave ferry in Nova Scotia. Here is Nathanial’s unique career path.
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‘A chain is only as strong as its weakest link’ is a cliche that is quite applicable in boat maintenance. In a literal sense, a weakest link can apply to an anchor rode, and a weak link in this chain can spell disaster.
Transport Canada specifies the sizes of anchors required in the Canada Shipping Act, detailed more commonly in the Safe Boating Guide:
For Sail and Power boats up to 6 m (19’8”): One (1) anchor and at least 15 m (49’3”) of cable, rope or chain in any combination...
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The Samana 59 Smart Electric is a new sailing catamaran equipped with alternative energy solutions and EODev’s electro-hydrogen REXH2.
To reduce its carbon impact, the Samana 59 Smart Electric has a virtuous energy architecture composed of a REXH2 that can provide up to 70 kW of continuous power, a battery composed of LiFePO4-EVEPOWER (Lithium Iron Phosphate) cells of 63kWh integrated by EVE SYSTEM and Alternatives Energies and 42 m2 of “slim” type solar panels that can provide up to 6145 W. This energy mix allows to take advantage of all the embarked renewable energies (solar, wind).
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