OnBoard Inbox: Does good news sell?

Winners

Apr 10, 2025

I agree it is sad that bad news ‘sells’ better….

Sailing, and sailboat racing has never really caught on in most of North America compared to Europe, especially France, or New Zealand and Australia.

Until Cole Brauer exploded on the scene with her social media team’s acumen, most North Americans were totally uninterested in sailing.  It seems to still have an elitist aspect to it to many.  Much of it is lack of exposure to it as children – messing about in boats is a rare thing…..

Yes, we need to do a better job to support our SailGP team – they have come a long way and we want to keep them going.  It might also help bring events like this to Canada if we show some enthusiasm (I know it is on the SailGP schedule for next season).

Marsha McGruer

Sail GP

Hi John

Sail GP can be frustrated but they are not getting the event dates out to the Canadian sailing community in Ontario … for instance.

Maybe work through clubs and racing fleets? Sail GP is nowhere in Ontario.

George Will

Last issue

Hi John, 

I read your editorial about Bad news/Good news and concur. It is a shame when the news must be connected to tragedy. I can only suggest focussing on more good news.

I read the article about the trip through the Trent Severn Waterway <link article in last issue and use that photo of the locks>with some hope about the history about the Peterborough Locks. I was there in 2017, and it was an important stop for me to see this historical site and its significance as an engineering monument. 

I had the fortune to meet with one of the park rangers and ask a multitude of questions about the hands-on maintenance of the locks and some of the facts that were not covered by the presentation in the museum.  

Given that the locks were built without any electrical power and the harsh weather conditions, it is unbelievable that the construction was complete at all. I am sorry that I cannot provide more information, but perhaps that is why I am writing to you. It is a construction feat that has to be told! Too many individual accomplishments that have been forgotten. The specific demand for the exact sand standards that required sand shipped from other parts of the world, how to create compressed air for air tools, the construction of the rams and seals that perform correctly to this day, and the so many other ideas that had to be solved before the construction could continue. And never to be outdone, political interference and engineering advances were always there too.

I just have to get this off my chest, I am very patriotic about Canadian claims to fame and this is my pitch.

Ion (aka, a Free Radical)

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Starcraft SV 16 OB

By Craig Ritchie

Photos by Starcraft Marine

Building great boats has always come down to a mix of art and science, and that’s particularly true when it comes to meeting the biggest challenge of all—creating an appealing yet affordable family runabout. Buyers want a boat that is affordable but not stripped to the bare bones.

Enter Starcraft and its delightful SV 16 OB, an all-new-for-2025 family deck boat that elegantly balances comfort, amenities and affordability.

Read More

Destinations

The Erie Canal – An Extraordinary Waterway

By Mark Stevens

Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens

As I shift our chartered canal boat into neutral, I’m soothed by the soundtrack of bird calls, the occasional plaintive horn of a distant train and the hum of our engine.

I reach for the VHF to radio the lockmaster in charge of Erie Canal’s Lock 32 dead ahead. Our boat spins gently in the current like a maple key in a mud puddle.

“This is Onondaga,” I say. “Headed westbound and requesting passage.”

Read More

Lifestyle