Flares, Food, and Fuel

July 25, 2024

We’re nearing the midpoint of the boating season and as ringmaster of this circus, I can provide some updates on several significant milestones.

First food:  Dockside Dining has been quite a hit and we received a boatload of delicious and delightful responses.  I can assure you we will be featuring a reader recommended boat-up restaurant rave every issue for the foreseeable future. Send yours and in the meantime, check the first submission – the Waubic . Looks incredibly yummy.

Pulling your boat up to your favorite fish n chips spot, like the Waubic, is what long weekends are all about!

Flares: Tony from the Dartmouth Yacht Club wrote “Here at the Dartmouth Yacht Club in Nova Scotia we have a yard sale once a year and the local RCMP detachment shows up to collect flares, etc for disposal. They are taken to their shooting range for disposal.

We advertise this to other clubs and get a big response.  That’s how we handle that nasty problem.”

While that works at DYC, the rest of the country has lost its most obvious disposal method. I have attached this week’s Boating Industry Canada editorial message from Andy Adams who says “Two “rights” make a “wrong” – support reinstating the CanBoat / CPS flare collection program with your letter to Canada’s Minister of Transportation. It’s urgent that the boating industry and Canada’s boaters get together, push our government to come up with a solution for the problem of disposing of the expired pyrotechnic flares that many boaters are required by law, to carry.”  Andy’s full note and a letter draft to send to your MP are attached here:

Fuel: The Maple Leaf Marinas 4th Annual Fuel Your Hospital Fundraiser is taking place over the August long weekend.  Friday, August 2 through Monday, August 5, boaters can fuel up at any of the 20 Maple Leaf Marinas and up to 20¢ per litre of fuel pumped will be donated to local hospitals. Nice.

John Morris, Online Editor

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