Enough is Enough
The May 24th weekend is now behind us, which means most Atlantic Canadian recreational boaters have already either been on the water or are preparing for their first cruise or sail of the year.
After months of winter doldrums, this is literally the most exciting time of the year. But enthusiasm should never overshadow safety.
Transport Canada’s Boating Safety Contribution Program recently released a very eye-opening report entitled Recreational Boating-Related Fatalities in Canada, ...
Opposition to Luxury Tax
On September 1, the federal government’s controversial luxury tax on high-priced cars, planes and boats came into effect.
For now, the power brokers in Ottawa seem determined to persevere with this new tax, despite an outcry from Canadian vehicle and pleasure boat suppliers, as well as warnings from critics that the measure will hurt the economy and turn out to be more trouble than it's worth.
The so-called luxury tax applies to cars and personal aircraft with sale prices of over ...
Taking the Grief Out of Gassing Up
Former, 1970s-era Toronto Blue Jays ballplayer Sam Ewing once said, “inflation is when you pay 15 dollars for the 10-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.”
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided for the most part, the attention of most has turned to the rising cost of everything — notably fuel.
Many boatowners are cringing as they compare the price of refueling their tanks this year versus past seasons. In many cases throughout Atlantic Canada, the ...
Boating Safety is Not Rocket Science
The 19th century writer and public speaker George William Curtis once said, “It is not the ship, so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.”
And Atlantic Canada’s recreational boating community has undoubtedly some of the most skilled sailors you will find anywhere in the world.
However, despite the skill and state-of-the-art equipment possessed by most recreational boaters in our region, tragically, people are still drowning. In fact, drowning deaths were ...
Hurricane Preparedness: No Such Thing as Too Much Planning
Recreational boaters in Eastern Canada will remember names like Luis, Bertha, Hortense, Gustav, Juan, Ophelia, Noel, Kyle, Earl, Igor, Leslie, Arthur, Matthew, Dorian and Teddy.
These, of course, are not names of your recent dinner party guests, but some of the hurricanes and post-tropical storms that have made landfall in our little corner of the Atlantic Ocean.
Even as this commentary is being penned, recreational boaters in eastern Newfoundland are anxiously watching the track of ...
Boaters Must Help Guide Regulatory Change
Over the winter, Transport Canada’s (TC) Office of Boating Safety (OBS) was seeking stakeholder input from anyone with a particular interest in pleasure craft.
The consultation involved proposed changes and revisions to the Pleasure Craft Licensing Program and the Pleasure Craft Operator Competency Program. This was definitely a move in the right direction as recreational boaters should be aware of any pending policy changes and take an active role in forming and guiding regulatory ...
Don’t Forget our First Responders
“Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not”: American singer-songwriter and guitarist James Taylor.
As many people in this strange, new world of COVID-19 struggle with the day-to-day routine of our new normal, recreational boaters, for the most part, seem to be doing just fine.
For many, boating is an escape — a getaway from the routine and monotony of life. And while recreational boaters ...
Boating: The New Normal
Welcome to the 2020 recreational boating season and the new normal of pandemic-related sailing.
As every human on the planet already knows, the best way to avoid COVID-19 is through physical/social distancing — staying at least six feet away from the person next to you.
Thankfully, boating is a safe, almost perfect, social distancing activity.
Right now, boaters are not the only people navigating the uncharted waters of living in a world with the novel coronavirus COVID-19. But the ...
Environmentally Friendly
There are few groups out there as environmentally aware as recreational boaters.
Most responsible boaters will make every effort to ensure they are not doing anything to negatively impact their surroundings.
Many boat owners today are making greater efforts to improve the energy efficiency of their vessels in order to burn less fuel and reduce their carbon footprint. And what boat owner would not want to burn less fuel?
The Sailors for the Sea Green Boating Guide contains a number of ...
Batten Down the Hatches
You don’t have to be a master mariner to realize that weather patterns are changing — and unfortunately, not for the better.
Climate change, yes Mr. Trump it is a real thing, has been turning Atlantic Canadian weather patterns on its head for the last decade or so. Storms are more frequent and becoming more intense. And for many Atlantic Canadian boaters, hurricane season is now part of their marine vocabulary.
The Dartmouth-based Canadian Hurricane Centre is predicting that you ...
