National Volunteer Week April 7 – 13, 2019

National Volunteer Week

Apr 11, 2019

From April 7 to 13, Volunteer Canada and Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS-ECP) celebrate Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers during National Volunteer Week (NVW). This year marks the 15th year Volunteer Canada has delivered the campaign in partnership with Investors Group, a longstanding supporter of NVW and Canada’s corporate leader in volunteer recognition. 

At the roots of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons community, and the roots of every boating community across Canada, are nearly 2000 CPS-ECP volunteers who contribute a total of approximately 150,000 hours of volunteer service each year.

Each year, upwards of 15,000 students benefit directly from this volunteer service, in the many CPS-ECP courses across Canada.

However, the volunteer effort is not limited to courses and the classroom. Thousands of Canadian boaters also participate in CPS-ECP seminars, rendez-vous, water and environmental clean-ups and social events. Thousands more also participate in and benefit from Recreational Vessel Courtesy Checks and Safety Equipment Education and Pyrotechnic Flare Disposal program. Last year over 17,000 expired pyrotechnic flares were recovered by CPS-ECP volunteers and disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

The CPS-ECP volunteer effort also extends to vital leadership roles at the Squadron, District and National levels. These are the dedicated volunteers who contribute their valuable time and skills to ensure that CPS-ECP continues to be the premier boating organization nationally and in many communities across Canada.

You can see that in a wide variety of ways, the passion and commitment of CPS-ECP volunteers not only makes our waters safer and helps to save lives, but it also makes boating across the country a lot more fun and much more enjoyable.

Let’s celebrate and thank the volunteers of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons especially during National Volunteer Week. They truly are the roots of strong boating communities in Canada.


Neptunus 650F Review

Neptunus 650F 400

By Andy Adams

Over the years Canadian Yachting has had the pleasure of doing several boat review articles on new Neptunus models and we are familiar with the qualities that Neptunus is famous for. They have all been exceptional yachts, but this is the one I would most want to own myself. It’s a personal choice and a matter of taste as to whether you would prefer to have a sedan express model or a flybridge but in my opinion, the flybridge layout offers some wonderful attributes.

We met with Neptunus Managing Director Jan Willem De Jong this past fall to take the new Neptunus 650F out in Lake Ontario. 

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Destinations

The Other Virgin Islands

Sunset off St John

By Mark Stevens

I was first seduced by the United States Virgin Islands during a ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola to begin one of our earliest British Virgin Islands charters nearly twenty years ago.

A perfect sunset off St. John with St. Thomas views for backdrop.

Clearing Pillsbury Sound, surrounded by voluptuous emerald mountains as the ferry sliced through royal blue waters, I was struck by the unspoiled ambiance of St. John, the island gliding past our starboard beam and the irresistible charm of a village called Cruz Bay visible from our quarter stern.

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