June, P.O. Box 29136, THUNDER BAY, Ontario, P7B 6P9 CANADA

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1 June, 2012 Around the Club P.O. Box 29136, THUNDER BAY, Ontario, P7B 6P9 CANADA Marina Advisory Committee (MAC) Items of interest from the June 13 th meeting of the Marina Advisory Committee include: Boater only parking restrictions will start being enforced on June 17 th. You need a boater parking pass to park in areas reserved for boater only parking. Since the pass code for the key pads on the dock security gates is rather widely known, the key pads will be deactivated and key only access to the docks will be implemented in late June. An emergency pump for vessels taking on water in the marina is available at the marina office. Dry-land boat storage space will be rearranged in the interest of creating both more storage and parking space. Boats/trailers without a City issued sticker will be removed from the Pier. The wait list has been reduced to around 30 individuals. Commencing on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, (the first night of this season s Summer in the Parks Concert Series), only people with boater passes will be permitted to enter Marina Park and park on the piers or in the upper parking lot next to the Marina Office. The City will monitor the parking situation and, where and when possible, make appropriate adjustments to this policy. Non-conforming electrical cords will not be permitted on the docks. Painting of the upper parking lot was scheduled to commence the first week in June, but the flood has delayed the availability of staff to complete the job. It will happen once staff is available. Weather stations will be place on the end of Pier #3 in order to record historical weather data for future use by the City. There is currently a vacancy on the Marina Advisory Committee. The Committee welcomes submissions from Prince Arthur s Landing Marina contact holders who are available to attend one monthly meeting held from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. normally on the second Wednesday of the month. Please Contact Larry Krawchuk, MAC Chair, for additional information at lmkrawchuk@tbaytel.net or by phone at Applications will be reviewed at the July 18 th MAC Meeting. The Thunder Bay Marathon - Miles with the Giant will be held Sunday, September 23 rd, The race will enter and exit the north end of the Park at Camelot St. For that day, all access to the Marina will be through the Pearl St. entrance. The next meeting of MAC is scheduled for Wednesday, July 18 th. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact TBYC MAC Representative Ray Innes at raymondinnes@hotmail.com. Volunteers Are you still looking for ways to get your 2012 volunteer hours in. Volunteers are needed for cleaning and painting at the Club s CN Station facility. For details, contact Mark Sprovieri, CN Station Director at or markspiv@gmail.com. Also, Richard Matheson, Docking Director advises the Club owes a thumbs up and thanks to the 1

2 following members: Jim Massey and John Boggett for supplying an anchor and a chain for the No Wake river buoy; Jerry Tichy for painting the fuel storage tank and travelift access ladder; John Jones for the use of the lifting equipment required to install 2 new docks; and Tim Symington and Gus Schmidt for repairs to the retaining wall. Mission Docking The new docks at the Mission property are now in! Thanks Richard and Bernie! However, the late May flood did it s best to create problems with the existing ones and made life a little difficult for those in the water at the time. 2

3 Racing The TBYC Spring Series was held the weekend of June 2nd and 3rd. A total of 13 boats participated including one entrant from Kenora. As of Wednesday, June 13th, 19 boats have registered for the full racing program with another 3 confirming they will be joining the fleet soon. In addition, a number of boats are participating in the offshore series and various weekend series. In total, the local fleet ranges from boats depending on the event. Mongoose, Spring Series-Division A 1st Place Flying Circus, Spring Series-Division B 1st Place Also, the 2012 edition of the New Crew Program was a success. The program has brought may new boaters, both racers and cruisers, to TBYC over recent years. Bill Dunlop reports he had 19 students which is on-par with prior years. Around the Lake Thunder Bay Coast Guard Radio Controversy is brewing over the fate and eventual effectiveness of the Canadian Coast Guard s Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centres across Canada. According to a press release issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, improving and integrating communications centres across the country will ensure that important information can be properly broadcast to mariners and emergency calls will be received under all circumstances. To view the complete press release, visit: In short, the change to the system means that the Canadian Coast Guard will be modernizing and consolidating its Marine Communications and Traffic Services into 12 centres across the country with state-of-the-art technology so that they can be better interconnected. One result of this will be the closing of centres with outdated equipment. Thunder Bay Coast Guard Radio will be one of those centres. There will be 2 Centres in Ontario, one at Sarnia and a second at Prescott. A counter perspective on this change was presented to the TBYC Executive at its June 19th meeting. Marcie Lavoie, Shop Steward of CAW Local 2182, presented a quite different perspective on the need for, nature of, and results that will come from the Coast Guard s pending changes. From the CAW perspective, 3

4 for over 100 years a mariner in trouble on the Canadian waters of Lake Superior could rest easy knowing there was a coast radio station strategically located at Thunder Bay to hear his/her cry for help and provide a vital communications lifeline until assistance arrived on scene. With the Federal Government s sweeping reforms to Marine Communications and Traffic Services, The coast Guard Radio station in Thunder Bay will be silenced on July 1 st, In place of this, the Government plans to remote all calls previously directed to Thunder Bay Coast Guard Radio to Sarnia Coast Guard Radio, some 1200 km away. However, they are not increasing the radio safety positions at that station. The area of coverage for Sarnia Coast Guard Radio will include the Canadian waters of Lake Superior, St. Mary s River, the North Channel, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the western portion of Lake Erie. The CAW indicates that during the busy summer months when there are thousands of boaters on these waters, there will be only 2 persons listening for and responding to that faint call for help and broadcasting important weather and marine safety information. For more detail on the CAW perspective visit it s web site at The CAW Local 2182 is seeking the help of boaters to let the Government know that in closing Thunder Bay Coast Guard Radio they are putting the safety of mariners and the safety of the marine environment at risk. The TBYC Executive strongly suggests that members become fully informed of the nature, extent and potential full impact of the changes by The Coast Guard. You can do this by visiting the aforementioned sites or by seeking more information from Fisheries and Oceans Canada through: Honourable Keith Ashfield Frank Stanek Barbara Mottram Minister of Fisheries & Ocean Media Relations Press Secretary 200 Kent Street Fisheries and Oceans Canada Office of the Minister 13 th Floor, Station 13E228 Ottawa, Ontario Fisheries and Oceans Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E Keith.Ashfield@parl.gc.ca Also, members can get more information from CAW by contacting: Peter Fraser, Regional Director Marcie Lavoie, Shop Steward CAW LOCAL 2182 CAW LOCAL 2182 (807) (807) cawfraser@shaw.ca marcielavoie@shaw.ca CAW is also circulating a petition to the House of Commons asking them to reverse the decision to close the Thunder Bay MCTS Centre. A copy of the petition is available for signing at the TBYC Mission Clubhouse. It is also available at other locations in Thunder Bay. They are available from CAW Local The bottom line: Get informed about how this will affect you as a boater and then take the appropriate action in the best interest of yourself and other boaters in the Thunder Bay boating community!!! International Joint Commission Upper Great Lakes Report The International Joint Commission (IJC) is inviting public comment on the final report of its International Upper Great Lakes Study Board, Lake Superior Regulation: Addressing Uncertainty in Upper Great Lakes Water Levels. Comments will be accepted at public hearings and by mail, and on-line until August 31, The report examines whether the regulation of outflows from Lake Superior might be improved to meet the evolving needs of users on Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Erie as well as potential future impacts of climate change and other issues associated with regulating Lake Superior water levels. 4

5 TBYC members have the opportunity to present comments at the public hearing scheduled for Thunder Bay on Monday, July 9 th, 7:00pm EDT, at Lakehead University, ATAC Room, 955 Oliver Road. Commissioners will carefully consider all concerns regarding the regulation of water levels in the Great Lakes before arriving at a decision that balances and suitably protects the interests of all, said Lana Pollack, chair of the IJC s U.S. Section. For more information visit the International Joint Commission web site at Lake Superior Offshore Racing 2012 BAYFIELD RACE WEEK July 2-6, SPONSORED BY APOSTLE ISLANDS STATION - WAYZATA YACHT CLUB The City of Bayfield and the Wayzata Yacht Club proudly welcome you to the 34th annual Bayfield Race Week. Race Week has become a wonderful tradition for competitive sailors on Lake Superior. If you don t want to do buoy racing, join the action by jumping in a mile medium distance race. There s one every day! Don t have a PHRF rating? Don t worry, one will be assigned. Spinnaker Optional Meet at the Pavilion for social after each race Trophies for winning boats at end of week Fly your club colors and we ll see you on the water! Pass this on to anyone that may be interested More Info: Register: Flotsam and Jetsam In memorium John Usher passed away in Chemainus, BC on May 25, John was a member of the Thunder Bay Yacht Club for many years prior to moving to British Columbia. While at the Yacht Club he owned the sloop "Skylark". He sold it and bought a 40 foot wooden hulled ketch in California which he and his wife Betty sailed back to Thunder Bay by way of the Panama Canal, a two year trip. He kept the boat at TBYC for several years, refitting it and preparing it for his extended voyage. Much of the equipment he had for the boat was lost in a fire on the property when the shed he had it stored in burnt to the ground, delaying his trip. Once he departed Thunder Bay, he sailed the boat down the St Lawrence and across the Atlantic and onward to the Fiji Islands where he worked for a few years before moving on to New Zealand. Following a brief stay there he moved to British Columbia. He was also very active in the local Power Squadron as an instructor. He is survived by his loving wife Betty; one daughter Karen (Mark); one son Skip; and one grandson James; sister Beth May and several nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service for John was held on Wed, June 6th, 2012 at 2 pm at Chemainus United Church, Willow Street. For those so desiring, donations in memory of John may be made to the Chemainus United Church building fund. 5

6 Transport Canada to eliminate 14 Boating Safety positions Transport Canada announced job cuts this week, with the elimination of 14 positions in the Office of Boating Safety. For more information, see: =15 Our Advertisers ACCOUNTING ADMINISTRATION BOOKKEEPING COMPUTERS CONSULTING INCOME TAX MANAGEMENT TRUSTS ACCOUNTING SERVICES J. CHRIS BAILEY, CMA Certified Management Accountant 105 Villa Street Thunder Bay, ON P7A 7W5 Tel: Res: Fax: Cell: Bulletin Advertising ¼ page - $ HST = $ /8 page (bus. card) - $ HST = $11.30 Ads must be print-ready (.doc or.pdf). Fees must be paid prior to publishing. Contact: Rob Cameron: tbyccameron@lakeheadu.ca We are interested in hearing from you. If you have any pictures, newsworthy items, galley ideas, favourite destinations you would like to share with fellow members or any other comments, please let us tbyccameron@gmail.com. 6