April 3, 2013
Swiftsure Marks 70
With its 70th edition this May, the Swiftsure International Yacht Regatta is the longest running cross-border race on the West Coast, and the Pacific Northwest’s premiere challenge of sailing skill, endurance, strategy…and luck. The race began in 1930 as a weekend challenge among three Northwest yacht clubs – Seattle, Royal Vancouver and Royal Victoria – and is now a week-long sailing celebration in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, hosted by Royal Vic. Organizers hope for a record turnout of competitors on three major courses – Swiftsure Lightship, Cape Flattery and Juan de Fuca – and are staging a variety of public events in the Inner Harbour.
April 3, 2013
Demo Day in Port Moody
Zodiac inflatables, Yamaha sport boats, Highfield Inflatables and G3 fishing boats will be in the water and ready for testing in GA Checkpoint Yamaha’s second annual On-Water Demo Day Sunday, May 12 at Rocky Point boat launch in Port Moody. GA Checkpoint’s Brendan Keys says the line-up will also include a G3 pontoon boat. The event will run from 10 am to 2 pm.
April 3, 2013
Hoist the Pub Cup for Charity
Canadian Yachting West is a proud sponsor of this year’s National Bank Easter Seals Charity Regatta. This yearly fundraiser challenges skippers and crews to recruit their favourite licensed establishments to compete for bragging rights and the “Pub Cup” in the inaugural “First in Bar” race. Pubs will sponsor boats and compete to see which establishment can fundraise the most in support of Easter Seals House. Pub-sponsored boats will be scored separately as well as overall in the regatta.
April 3, 2013
Trawler Fest Anacortes 2013
PassageMaker magazine presents Trawler Fest 2013 in Anacortes, Washington, May 14-19. When the snow has all but melted in May, and your thoughts return to cruising on clear Pacific Northwest waters, set a course for the peaceful, secluded town of Anacortes, Washington. There you can join thousands of other boaters who come annually to enjoy a unique educational, hands-on learning, boat touring, and social event known as Trawler Fest. “PassageMaker Magazine inspires our readers to better understand and enjoy the cruising-under-power lifestyle,” said Cindy Salvatoré, Events
April 3, 2013
Bluewater Cruising Presents Cruising the Mediterranean, Family Style
Bluewater Cruising Association’s next Club Night on April 16, 2013 presents Cruising the Mediterranean, Family Style. Summary: David and Karalee Greer spent two years cruising the Mediterranean with their three children, from 2001 thru 2003. Join us to hear what it was like as they learned how to cope in a 43’ sailboat, Dragonsinger, avoid storms and home-school their children. Hear about exotic cultures like Tunisia and the wonders of exploring the Sahara Desert. Their adventure gave the Greer family a wealth of lifetime experiences that they still draw from today.
March 8, 2013
Cruise and Learn in Nova Scotia
Visitors to Atlantic Canada may know of Nova Scotia’s rich sailing history, its fabled sailors like Angus Walters and Joshua Slocum, but may not think of the province as a sail-training destination. While the coastal waters of the province produced great sailors of the past, they’re now being used as training grounds for an ever-increasing group of budding sailors, many of whom are families. The Mahone Bay area on the province’s “South Shore” is the site for Sou’wester Adventures Sailing School, which operates from Atlantica Hotel and Marina Oak Island. While sailing in the shadow of Oak Island, legendary site of Captain Kidd’s buried treasure, students learn all aspects of handling a modern cruising sloop, and navigating the myriad of islands that supposedly number one for each day of the year.
March 8, 2013
Record Breaking Attendance at 2013 Halifax Boat Show
Now that the Halifax International Boat Show has finished, spring can officially begin! Boat Dealers and marine retailers supported the show in a big way this year, with new boat lines, new equipment and great deals. Good weather meant that the show had a record breaking attendance day on Saturday and the other days were very steady as well with thousands flocking to Exhibition Park. “The buzz on the floor was fantastic,” said Show Manager Scott Sprague. “The excitement about the upcoming boating season coupled with the new line of boats debuting and great sales activity made this event one to remember,” said Sprague.
March 8, 2013
Maritime Marine Fundraiser Garage Sale
The Maritime Museum of BC in Victoria hosts the 10th annual Massive Marine Garage Sale, as a fundraiser for the Museum. Participants may rent tables inside the customs building or sell from their vehicles along the cruise ship dock. Small boats may be brought in on trailers. Set up is from 3pm to 6pm on Friday April 19th or 7am to 8.30am Saturday. Early birds $25 before April 15th $35 after that date.
March 7, 2013
Action to Restore Georgian Bay Water Levels Needed Now
People who are seeking solutions to Georgian Bay’s low water level should be petitioning the International Joint Commission (IJC) set up for that task, said a representative for Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton. Andy Dunford spoke from a prepared statement to a gathering of about 130 people at the Oakwood Community Centre Thursday night to discuss concerns and debate solutions to the problem of record low water levels in Georgian Bay. “This has been discussed at a high level of government. The IJC is the centre for action,” he said.
March 7, 2013
New Thermal Activity on Hotspring Island?
Parks Canada staff has detected signs that thermal activity may be resuming on Hotspring Island in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. Hot pools and springs on the island – a popular destination for Haida Gwaii residents and visitors – dried up suddenly following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake last October. Seismologists believe the quake may have closed fissures that allowed heated water up to the surface – and that thermal activity may eventually return to the island and restore the springs.
March 7, 2013
Racing for the Kids
Registration is open for the 2013 National Bank Easter Seals Charity Regatta, hosted Saturday, July 13 by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. The regatta supports Easter Seals House, which provides accommodation for families while their children receive medical care in Vancouver. The regatta is a PHRF handicap race with flying sails and no flying sails divisions. This year’s event is pirate themed and boats will be judged on their costumes, decorations and crew spirit, with the return of the False Creek boat parade.
March 7, 2013
2013 Victoria Boat Show Drops Anchor April 18 – 21
Vancouver Island’s premiere in-water boat show, the 2013 Victoria Harbour Boat Show, returns to the pristine waters of Victoria’s Inner Harbour, April 18 – 21, 2013. Hosted by the British Columbia Yacht Brokers Association, the 23rd Annual Show is the place to get great deals on all your boating needs, just in time for the 2013 boating season. Whether you’re new to boating or a seasoned sailor, there’s something for everyone at this year’s Show. View hundreds of new and pre-owned boats for
March 7, 2013
Feds Ignore Protests, Close Kits Coast Guard Base
As protests of the federal plan to close Kitsilano Coast Guard Station mounted in late February, the government abruptly closed the Vancouver base without warning other levels of government, first-responder agencies or line CCG personnel. On February 19, three vessels departed the station, near the month of False Creek, 12 staff were assigned to other stations, and signage and flags were removed from the site. While Canada’s busiest year-round port lost its CCG station, Newfoundland made out big:
March 7, 2013
Take the Helm of a Grand Banks
West Coast Grand Banks dealer Grand Yachts invites boaters interested in GBs in general and GB 36s in particular to “take the helm” of one of these boats Saturday, March 23 at their sales docks in Coal Harbour, Vancouver or at Port Sidney on Vancouver Island. The 36 was among GB’s most popular models over its history, and Grand Yachts has several of them available for sale, so is staging the event to show them off. Each sales dock will have three or four4 36s on display, and one or two of them will take interested parties for a short cruise.
March 7, 2013
Bluewater Cruising Presents: Seven Year Journey Around the World
Bluewater Cruising Association is excited about our next Club Night presentation on March 19, 2013, featuring Julie Salisbury and her Seven Year Journey Around the World. Julie Salisbury will take you on a seven year journey around the world. In 1998, following a successful marketing career, Julie sold everything and set off to sail around the world. She started in South Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, cruised the Chagos Archipelago and Malaysia. Her lifestyle helped her discover her true self and life purpose.
March 7, 2013
CY is Proud Sponsor of 2013 Lake Ontario 300 Challenge
The Lake Ontario 300 Challenge is the premier offshore race on Lake Ontario, and it provides a challenging circumnavigation of the lake. A group of double handed racers originally developed the The Lake Ontario 300 Challenge as the ultimate double handed challenge in 1990 and it still remains the longest annual fresh water race. Canadian Yachting magazine proudly sponsors the 2013 race. The Main Duck Island course is 300 nautical miles and starts at PCYC. It includes mark rounding at Gibraltar, the Main Duck Islands, Ford Shoal, Niagara R2 and finishes back at PCYC.
March 7, 2013
Mercury Canada’s Formula 2 Powerboat Exhibited at the Canadian Motorsports Expo
There’s no argument, Mercury’s Formula 2 powerboat stole the spot light at the 55th annual Toronto International Boat Show! With the success of Mercury’s high performance display at Canada’s largest boat show, boat owner Ted Gryguc of Speedmaster Marine was sought after by Canada’s largest Motorsports Expo to have this breathtaking Formula 2 powerboat added to the exhibits at there show. Tammy Wolfe is the first and only Canadian to compete at the world famous 24 Heures de Rouen (24 Hours of Rouen) in France. Her all-female team finished 4th in Formula 2 and 9th overall, beating some Formula 1 teams.
March 6, 2013
Uncharted Waters: Toronto’s Enigmatic Harbour
Presented with the assistance of the Toronto Port Authority, from now until June 2013, come and see the Harbourfront Centre’s new large-scale photographic exhibition along Toronto’s waterfront. Some of Canada’s most talented and exciting contemporary visual artists continue to participate in a photographic exploration at Toronto’s harbour. Dianne Davis, Johan Hallberg-Campbell, Jesse Louttit, Eamon Mac Mahon, Joanne Ratajczak and Clare Samuel represent the broadest range of photographic practice, and are recognized for their photo documentary, studio and series work.
March 6, 2013
Tall Ships 1812 Tour Visiting 16 Great Lakes Ports This Summer
The TALL SHIPS® 1812 Tour presented by Redpath Sugar will sail throughout Ontario during the summer of 2013! In commemoration of the War of 1812, 16 ports will be participating and the tour is produced in partnership with the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes. The Redpath Waterfront Festival, June 20-23, 2013, will be the official launch of the tour when Toronto welcomes the entire international fleet, occupying two kilometers along the inner harbour. The spectacular Opening Ceremonies will take place on Thursday June 20 and the entire four-day weekend is given over to festivities for all ages and interests.
November 26, 2012
Class Afloat Announces a $15,000 Young Sailor Scholarship
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia’s Class Afloat has established the Class Afloat ‘Young Sailor Scholarship’ to assist two students – endorsed by their sailing school, sail training program or yacht club – to participate in an extraordinary educational experience — attending high school while ocean sailing aboard a majestic square-rigged tall ship. Class Afloat offers young people a unique journey of education and personal discovery. For nine months, students live, study and sail aboard The Sørlandet, a fully restored 210 foot 1927 Class ‘A’ square-rigged tall ship.
October 30, 2012
Furuno’s “Fantum” Takes Customer Feedback and Makes the Mechanical Feedback Disappear From the Navpilot 700 Autopilot
Over the past several years, Furuno has been hard at work making an Autopilot that sets the bar for how an Autopilot should operate and steer a boat. They started with self-learning and adaptive software that taught itself more about your boat each time you took it out. Then they created unique FishHunter modes to aid fisherman and special Wind modes for sailors. Now they’ve taken customer feedback to create software that allows the NavPilot 700 to work without the use of a physical rudder feedback.
October 30, 2012
Chris-Craft Corsair 32 Makes U.S. Debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Chris-Craft has introduced their new Corsair 32 at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. The Corsair 32 is the newest member of the Corsair family the sister ship to the new Launch 32; which made its debut to rave reviews at the 2012 Miami International Boat Show earlier this year. Steve Heese, Chris-Craft President, said: “The Corsair line carries the core DNA of the legendary Chris-Craft brand. We built her to fill a need in our closed-deck series of cruisers.” The Corsair 32 is well-suited to accommodate overnight excursions but is also built for day cruising and quick turns around the bay before a champagne sunset.
October 30, 2012
Distant Shores Sailing TV Series To Document ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) 2012
Paul and Sheryl Shard, hosts and producers of the sailing adventure TV series Distant Shores and regular contributors to Canadian Yachting magazine, have announced they would be entering the show's Southerly 49 sailboat, Distant Shores II, in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). The start date is Sunday November 25, leaving from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands and finishing in St. Lucia in the Caribbean. "The ARC is a major event in the sailing community and when we were invited to participate we felt it would be a great opportunity to document it in an episode of the Distant Shores sailing TV series," says Sheryl.
October 22, 2012
MarineMax Vacations Announces One Year Anniversary
MarineMax is pleased announce their one year anniversary of the launch of MarineMax Vacations Yacht Charter Division. MarineMax Vacations has been delivering outstanding charter vacations in the British Virgin Islands with the newest and most exceptional fleet in the market since its introduction in October 2011. Operating from its beautiful base in Tortola, the year has been one of accelerated growth through its fleet additions of sailboats, power cats and the building of a custom 46 power catamaran to be introduced in January 2013.
October 17, 2012
Canadian Yachting Presents: “Safety For Sea” at PCYC, Sponsored by Chubb Insurance
Captain Eric Hill of Royal Canadian Air Force Maritime Helicopter Tactics will be providing an informative and possibly life-saving presentation on Safety at Sea at the Port Credit Yacht Club, Monday, November 19, 2012 at 7PM. It is open to the general public, but space is limited. Captain Eric Hill is a yacht training and safety consultant. He is the offshore training skipper for the Royal Canadian Navy and holds a commercial endorsement for sailing vessels to 200 gt and is a qualified RYA/CYA radar, diesel, and commercial Yachtmaster instructor.
October 16, 2012
Small Town Dealer Wins Big Time Regal Service and Sales Awards!
For the second time in four years Crate's Lake Country Boats has been named Regal Marine Industries #1 Dealer worldwide for Customer Service! Earlier this month Crate’s Lake Country Boats attended Regal’s dealer conference in Sanibel, Florida and came home, literally, with a boat load of awards. In addition to their CSI award, Crate’s also won Regal’s prestigious President’s Club Award, finishing #3 worldwide for sales volume. Not too shabby for a small town Canadian dealer with 18 employees!
October 16, 2012
Invasive Asian Carp Forum Planned for November 8 in Toronto
Asian carp pose a serious threat to the Great Lakes environment. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and the Canada-Ontario Invasive Species Centre will co-host an Asian Carp Public Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on November 8, 2012 at the Palais Royale in Toronto, Ontario. The Forum is in response to ongoing public concerns about the potential impacts of Asian carp if they were to establish themselves in the Great Lakes. The public, organizations, and media are invited to hear from U.S. and Canadian agencies about actions being taken to reduce these threats.
October 16, 2012
Troop Island Saved From Development
A pristine 11-hectare island near Halifax has been saved from development after local groups raised enough money to save the land. Troop Island, home to an Acadian forest full of towering hardwoods hundreds of years old, is now in the hands of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. To see the CBC news report on a very special island that will now be secured for public use after an emergency fund drive raised the money to protect it…
October 16, 2012
Strategic Investment Positions Two Strongest Aluminum Boat Manufacturers For Strong Growth
Six of the most prominent brands in the heavy-gauge welded aluminum boat industry now share one owner. A strategic investment by Byron Bolton, current owner of WestWinn Group, manufacturers of KingFisher, KingFisher Multi-species, Harbercraft and Jetcraft boats, has completed a private stock purchase of Renaissance Marine Group, Inc., manufacturers of Duckworth, Weldcraft and Northwest Boat brands from current owners Dan Larson and Jim Moore. The Bolton family completed the transaction through a newly formed entity, RMG Holdings Company, of Seattle, Washington.
October 16, 2012
The Moorings Announces New Price Promise Program
Announced September 25, 2012, The Moorings has introduced a new Price Promise program – an assurance to customers that should the cost of their Sail, Power or Crewed Yacht charter go down in price at any time up to 30 days before their departure date, they will be reimbursed with benefits equivalent in value. In addition to offering unprecedented value, The Moorings Price Promise guarantees an attractive price protection feature that allows for reimbursement through benefits that include yacht upgrades, food and beverage options, water toys and more.
October 16, 2012
Victoria Marina Wins Federal Approval
A dramatic new Victoria Harbour marina to serve superyachts to 150’ has moved a major step closer to reality with approvals from Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries Oceans. When complete, Victoria International Marina will provide 29 moorage slips for yachts 65’ to 150’ in length on the north shore of Victoria Harbour, just outside the Inner Harbour. “The project has already received municipal and provincial approvals, and these federal approvals are significant milestones,” said Larry Halgren, who recently joined the marina project team.
October 16, 2012
Sierra Introduces All-New Carburetors For Popular Sterndrive and Inboard Engines
Now, many boat owners can skip the rebuild and simply replace their troublesome old carb with a brand new Sierra carburetor and restore the performance and fuel economy of their engines. These new carburetors from Sierra are built to original factory specs, and are not rebuilt or remanufactured products. Housings are cast from corrosion resistant aluminium and machined using Sierra’s own specially engineered tooling. Components are anodised and carefully assembled to provide season after season of reliable performance.
October 16, 2012
Correction – Raritan Electro-Scan Review
In the October issue of Canadian Yachting and Canadian Yachting West, we erred in our description of the Raritan Electro-Scan sewage treatment system. The manufacturer claimed, and we repeated, an incomplete statement that this system treated onboard sewage to a level safe enough to pump overboard with no further treatment. In fact, this is only true in some jurisdictions in the United States. It may be true in Washington State, for example, but it is not true in Canada. In Canada now, no discharge at all is allowed within one mile of shore. And discharge is only allowed directly into the ocean at locations three clear miles from shore.
October 9, 2012
Penetanguishene Power & Sail Squadron’s Courses in Boating – Fall 2012
Boating Basics Course – We offer the Boating Basics as a four day course one night per week to obtain the PLEASURE CRAFT OPERATOR CARD. Starting: October 30th at a cost of $60. Boating Essentials Course – We offer the BOATING ESSENTIALS course for novice and experienced boaters alike. The total duration is 10 nights, one night per week (7:00pm to 9:00pm). This course will give you the knowledge to operate a boat safely with confidence. Starting: December 4th at the cost of $200.
October 9, 2012
New Leadership for Beneteau America
Groupe Beneteau has just announced changes within Beneteau America’s leadership team. Wayne Burdick has been elevated to a more strategic role in Groupe Beneteau, as the President of the holding company for the different US Groupe entities, and Laurent Fabre, formerly the director of sales and marketing for Beneteau's North American powerboats division, has been tapped to replace Burdick as president of Beneteau America. Under Burdick’s direction as president of Beneteau in North America since 1997, Beneteau became the leading brand of high quality production sailboats in the U.S.
October 9, 2012
Vancouver’s Specialty Yachts Wins the Marlow Hunter Marine Dealer of the Year Award for 2012
John Petersen, President of Marlow Hunter Marine presented Lawrence Fronczek, President of Specialty Yachts in Vancouver with the Dealer of the Year Award for 2012.
September 10, 2012
Annual Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Conference to be Held Nov. 13 – 14
Canadian cruisers and marine industry business people may find this conference interesting. Every fall, thousands of snowbirds – of the recreational boating kind – migrate south by boat via the Intracoastal Waterway that threads along the coast from Norfolk, Virginia to Miami. With severe shoaling in many areas, following the course isn’t easy, with groundings and delays getting more common each year. At just about the same time this annual migration peaks, another course to ensure the future of the historic waterway will be charted out at the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association’s Conference Nov. 13 – 14 in Charleston, South Carolina. Interested parties and Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) advocates are urged to attend.
September 10, 2012
You Can Read the Canadian Yachting October 2012 Edition Free, Online Now
Free and available at your convenience, the digital editions of both the national version of the October Canadian Yachting magazine and our Canadian Yachting West editions are available, both as business references and for your personal enjoyment. Both Canadian Yachting magazine and our Canadian Yachting West editions are always converted into full and complete digital editions including hotlinks to advertisers and companies referenced in the articles and in the advertising.
September 10, 2012
Annapolis Boat Shows Announce Change of 2013 Dates
The United States Powerboat Show 2013 will be scheduled a week preceding the sailboat show. The US Powerboat Show will be presented October 3-6, 2013 with the sailboat show to follow on the traditional Columbus Day weekend. All activities, show features, seminar programs, and other aspects of the boat shows will remain the same as has been the custom through four decades of boat shows in Annapolis. In addition, other show featrues and innovations will be developed and announced throughout the year.