The club's first digital guide is the collaborative effort of dozens of CCA members and now complements its four printed guides to the Canadian Maritimes.
Read more: CCA introduces new Digital Cruising Guide to Maine
The days are lovely and what better way to celebrate than heading to the engine compartment. Here is some good reading to get everything running smoothly...
Read more: Book locker - Get your motor running: Engine Care
With the boat back in the water it’s time to refresh our boating skills after a long lay-off. Nautical Mind has sent along some titles to get us back up to top skill level.
With the crocuses comes the ladders, brushes and tools. Tarp off, project list on. Read all about it to get in the mood.
Everyone talks about the weather but not everyone reads about it, which would help them to know more about what they are talking about. Here are some picks to sharpen your weather eye.
This selection reflects love at sea: either finding it there, or spending your life at sea with your loved one.
There was lots of time for gathering nautical reads, but perhaps you missed a few. The bookworms at Nautical Mind looked through the past year’s publishing bonanza and recommend a baker’s half-dozen of their favorites.
The annual Canadian Yachting December issue is back and bursting with exciting stories, boat reviews, products, and more.
You can do all your holiday shopping at once – your boating friends will unwrap their nautical gifts with glee.
Let’s head south. As things open up, boaters are once again looking to sunnier climes. Perhaps you are too!
Related Articles
Boat Reviews
Video Gallery
OAKLEY 245 CC
By Andy Adams
The multi-generational island cottagers of Georgian Bay and serious fishermen are just two of the groups most attracted to the new Oakley Boats models.
Brad Oakley has been around the boat business his entire life and he said to me that he has long admired durable, seaworthy welded aluminum boats. His company WMW Vacuum Pumpout Systems in Waubaushene, Ontario on Georgian Bay, builds highly regarded vacuum pump-out systems and Oakley’s equipment is in so many marinas that he knows a lot of people in the business.
Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42
By Katherine Stone
On a beautiful summer morning in July, I hopped aboard a new-owner delivery from the Outer Harbour Marina in Toronto to the Port Credit Harbour Marina in Mississauga, with the President of Navy Point Yacht Sales, Steve McPherson. I don’t know if I have ever referred to a boat as pretty, but this adjective fits the Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 to a tee.
The transitions and communication from interior to exterior spaces are seamless and well-thought-out with functional ergonomics.
Destinations
Cruising the Rideau Canal
Following the War of 1812, a battle that Canada narrowly won against the United States, the boundaries of Upper Canada were held and the British army realized that the St. Lawrence River was no longer safe as a supply route. A more defensible route was needed to bring supplies from Montreal to Kingston and on into other Great Lakes settlements.
This new, more secure route revealed itself through the travel and trade of the Indigenous peoples. Surveyors learned that one of the Indigenous trade routes began at the mouth of the Cataraqui River in Kingston (Canada’s first national capital) and connected a series of lakes and rivers all the way through to where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River in the heart of Bytown (known today as Canada’s national capital: the City of Ottawa).
Lifestyle
How a young woman who was encouraged by her father to enter a contest, became a member of the yachting fraternity (sorority?).
Encouraged by her father to enter, Jessika Patrick emerged the winner of the Yacht Solutions Schaefer Yachts contest. It took a little extra luck to get the prize though. Another entrant actually won but sadly, a medical issue forced them to decline the prize. Another entrant’s name was then drawn. This winner also declined, but for a happy reason; they had just bought their own new boat and were busy with that so, a third winner had to be drawn. The third time was the charm for prize winner Jessika Patrick.
DIY & How to
Keven Talks Sails: Crosscut VS Triradial Sail Cutting
Over the last decade, sailcloth weaving equipment has evolved and allowed the production of low crimp warp oriented woven cloth of medium to heavy weights. We have had light weight warp wovens of 200g/m2 (4oz) or lighter for much longer than that, but the finer denier weaves of light sailcloth allowed that with older looms and setups. Why is this important? This new loom technology is very important because it allows sailmakers to make better warp cut woven sails for boats 25-50’ long.
Let’s start by clarifying what a crosscut sail is. The crosscut panel layout aligns the fill (short) edge of the sailcloth roll with the leech edge of the sail. Most of the sail load goes from clew to head up the leech. Secondary sail loads go from corner to corner along the foot and luff edge.
Product news: Modern pull up cleats
Many boaters prefer the clean appearance and greater safety of modern pull-up cleats that retract flush into the deck when not in use. But depending on where they need to be installed, limited mounting room can make it difficult. Series 490 Rectangular Pull-Up Cleats from Accon Marine feature a sleek, compact design that allows use in even challenging spaces where other flush-mount hardware simply won't fit.
Made from polished, marine-grade 316 stainless steel for extreme durability and a lifetime of good looks, Series 490 Pull-Up Cleats feature a fresh, modern aesthetic that complements the contemporary profile of today's boats.
News
I filled up last week at $1.90. Pundits are suggesting that prices will stay high throughout the summer. Radio and TV news have been flooded with ‘man on the street’ interviews that show the impact on the average driver. How will these prices affect the average boater this year? Will we see more hours spent on the docks and fewer on the water? Will fuel efficiency become a top-of –mind selling point? Will we see a shift toward electric marine engines?
Time will tell – but for the majority of us, we’ll need to weather the storm as best we can. There are a number of tips and tricks we can employ aboard to make the most of our boat’s fuel. BoatUS published an excellent article this week that I’ll break down...
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