The Yardarm Bay of Quinte Squadron, Quinte District

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1 The Yardarm Bay of Quinte Squadron, Quinte District COMMANDER S MESSAGE William (Bill) Still S August 2012 Edition Inside this Issue 1 Commander s Message 2 Squadron Bridge 3 Commander s Bio 4 Membership Report Quinte Update 5 Training Report Treasurer Report 6 MarketPlace 7 Environment Report 8 Safe Boating Upcoming Events People who drive are familiar with courtesy. Are recreational boaters aware of the similar code of conduct on the water and how common courtesy can make boating even more pleasurable for everyone? For instance, Watch Your Wake. Frankly they can be potentially dangerous. Besides being rude Master & Commander interruptions, they can cause people to fall overboard, spill hot coffee or cause a serious problem. Respect the Peace and Quiet of other Boat Owners. Sound carries over water. Be particularly sensitive to early morning noise. Annoying engine noises can be bothersome for others. Noise pollution is criminal and should be dealt with immediately, similar to being drunk and disorderly in public. Keep it Clean. Pollution ruins the water for everyone. It kills fish and wildlife and contaminates the waterways. Boaters understand the importance of maintaining the health of the Earth s waterways and oceans. Keeping them clean and healthy should be a major concern for all of us. Respect the water by being environmentally friendly. Launching and Docking is a prime area to show courtesy and common sense. Be prepared to launch, load your boat before entering the launch area. After launching, move your boat to an unused area and return your trailer to the park area promptly. In addition to the four safe boating commandments of common courtesy and common sense above, under the CANADA SHIPPING ACT 2001, Rule 1007 states as follows: The Prohibition Against Careless Operation. No person shall operate a vessel in a careless manner, without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons. Drinking prior to or while boating, as in driving a car, has been proven to lessen your ability to use common sense and to react to an emergency, so don t! As Commander of the Bay of Quinte Squadron, I know these rules and courtesies are extended throughout our sailing area. However, we need to be reminded from time to time of how important compliance is. I wish you all favourable winds, calm seas and a pleasurable voyage in your endeavours on the water. 1

2 Bay of Quinte Squadron Bridge Commander Bill Still S Past Commander Cliff Prentice AP Executive Officer Donny Maracle SN Administrative Officer Dave Burtt AP Treasurer Les Latchford AP Secretary Ruth Still S Membership Officer Sandy Gill Training Officer Mike Batty AP Assistant Training Officers Dave Newland AP George Knight SN Les Latchford AP MAREP Hydrographic Officer John Bowlby Environment Officer Bill Still S Public Relations Officer Cliff Prentice AP Publications Officer Kathy Graham AP Yardarm Mailing Dave & Mary Newland Social Officer Sandy Gill Historian Susan Smith Communication Officer Vacant We are currently seeking to fill our Communication Officer position. Please contact Commander Bill Still or any one, of the Bay of Quinte Squadron Bridge Members. If you have ideas, concerns or would like to get involved in any capacity please leave a message with the Squadron Contact Number: Keep Your Information Current As a volunteer based organization your help is kindly appreciated. Is your on file or has it changed? Please provide this vital information so we can keep you abreast of upcoming CPS activities. Would you like to receive the Yardarm electronically? us at: memb@bayofquinte.org Your Privacy! CPS Bay of Quinte Squadron does its utmost to adhere to the CPS-ECP privacy policy. We do not sell, share or trade our local members mailing addresses or personal information. From time to time we will notify members of CPS activities and information pertinent to the boating community. Please visit for the complete privacy policy statement. TO: Subscribe or renew your membership Change your mailing address Update your personal information Check your membership status and renewal date. Please contact: Locally: Membership Officer Sandy Gill memb@bayofquinte.org Nationally: Visit - and login to the member s application or member s site simply follow the links! Thank you for your assistance and MEMBERSHIP! 2

3 GETTING TO KNOW YOU We felt it would be of interest to introduce you to the Bridge members. This issue we begin with our Commander Bill Still. At anytime please feel free to submit your own ideas and articles, photos and journeys! INSERT PHOTO CAPTION TO READ Master and Commander Master & Commander In Bill s words At the age of 11, I enrolled in the Navy League Cadets. We drilled, learned how to tie knots, stand at attention and some history of the Canadian Navy. We also spent some time at the RCSCC Vanguard boathouse on Ashbridges Bay, rowing whalers and cutters beside the fresh waters of the sewage treatment plant. At 14, I took the big step up into the Sea Cadets. We drilled at HMCS York in downtown Toronto. We learned how to march and drill all over again, and tie more knots. We travelled further afield, all the way to Point Edwards Naval Base, near Sidney, Nova Scotia. Instead of rowing the whalers and cutters, we actually sailed them, dinghies too! Now I m having fun, until we went swimming three words cold, seaweed, compulsory, and the next day a long distance march. Rob, a friend of mine and I snuck out of the march early. We hid behind a building at the dockyards. A sailor off the Iroquois, A Tribal Class destroyer, noticed our ploy and inquired what we were doing. We told him we were more interested in the ship, and were eager to see it. He invited us aboard and gave us a grand tour. All ended well we made it back in time for evening parade and dinner. While in the Sea Cadets, I was prepped for Officer Training on the tall ship The Pathfinder. Lots of stories here, from Timber Island to Toronto, but some other time. Years later, married to Ruth and with two children, David and Ryan, my neighbour noticed that most of my books were about the sea and sailing. He asked the question Do you sail? Well, life got very interesting again. Peter had a C & C 39. Mike, his son, had a C & C 37. I crewed for both - one out of Whitby and the other out of Pickering. Mike & I won one of the C & C regatta races out of Port Credit on his boat Just Kids. On that particular race, we had 6 adults and 8 kids ages 4 to 8 on board. When Mike accepted the trophy, he had all the kids with him. The women were delighted but the men were shaking their heads in disbelief! Peter wanted to sail it to the Caribbean. He asked for my help sure! Ruth was very understanding of my passion for the sea, and adventure. I told her it was a character builder she agreed. My leg of the trip was offshore from Norfolk, Virginia to the British Virgin Islands with a fleet of boats hosted by an organization called The Caribbean 1500, their inaugural race. What a trip! Gale force winds for 4 days, torn sails and capsized boats to dead calm, and florescent algae (we glowed at night). We spent 14 days at sea, not including a 3 day stop in Bermuda for sail repair and provisions. The next ten years or so, whenever I was able to take off work, I joined Peter and his wife, Pat in the Caribbean, sailing the Windward and Leeward Islands from Antigua to Venezuela visiting places like Nelson s Harbour, and The Saints - a group of islands just south of Guadeloupe, a must see if you have the chance. We sailed in the Grenadines, to Carriacou, the Sisters, two active but submerged volcanoes that can erupt at any time and are marked as navigational hazards. We sailed right over them! Did I mention being knocked down by a rogue wave at night south of Grenada. We also sailed through the Dragon s Mouth on our way to Port of Spain, Trinidad in the Gulf of Parma. Today Ruth and I sail a Hunter Legend 40 sloop called Te Bheag (pronounced chey vek ) Scottish Gaelic for Lady of the Isles. She has provided us with many pleasurable voyages in and around the Bay of Quinte for the past few years. I have a dual role with the CPS Bay of Quinte Squadron as Commander and Environment Officer. As Environment Officer, I write an article for each publication of the Yardarm about our lakes and oceans etc. I hope you find the articles interesting and thought provoking. That s my dog Nikki in the photo almost 3, hence Master and Commander. She is a real people magnet. Drop by my boat some time. It s at the end of South Dock in Victoria Harbour. We can swap stories and enjoy life. My wife and I live on the Bay Latitude L N Longitude Lo W. You can hook onto our mooring ball we have a tender. You are most welcome to stop and say hi to Nikki, Ruth and I. 3

4 MEMBERSHIP REPORT Sandy Gill Membership Officer Wow!! What a summer. I hope everyone has taken advantage of the wonderful weather by getting out on the water and spending time with family and friends. As you may or may not know, I am now the new Membership Officer for the Bay of Quinte Squadron. I have big shoes to fill as Ruth Still did an excellent job over the past four years. At present, we have 398 active members. Remember only members in good standing can take advantage of the member benefits, all of which are listed on our website, and can fly the CPS flag. Now that the summer is drawing to a close, it is time to think of upgrading your family s boating knowledge. We encourage you to think about people you know who you could introduce to our Squadron and the courses offered. We will be offering numerous courses over the fall and winter. Registration dates are September 5 and 10 th at the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club. Anyone having a PCOC card, is eligible to take the Boating Essential Course. So come out and bring a friend. For further information, call our Training Officer, Mike Batty, at Remember, if you have changed your address, telephone number or address, please let me know so I can keep our records up-to-date. This is essential in order that you can continue to receive your Yardarm and updates on courses, speaker s nights and other social activities. Also, if you receive the Yardarm by mail and would like to have it ed, please let me know. This will save the Squadron the ever increasing postage and printing charges. If you have any questions about membership, or if you have forgotten to renew your membership, please contact me at or by at densangill@yahoo.ca. QUINTE DISTRICT UPDATE Dale Holland AP Quinte District Commander As your new District Commander I thought that with the changes coming at the national levels of the organization that it is important for the Quinte District membership to know what is happening. Have an address and you have not been receiving e-blasts from National, and therefore feeling that you are not being informed about what is going on? Please sign on to the cps member s website and verify your profile information; go through to the very end and save the changes. By verifying your address you can be assured that e-communications to all members will reach you, and this is very important for squadron officers. When on the members site check out the Members Forum, this is an area where you can start a discussion or leave comments on discussions, which have already started. I can guarantee, that these forums are read by the Operating Committee, so if you ask for a response, expect a response. The Boating Essentials course: Is the next step after obtaining the PCOC. This course contains all the remaining material from the boating course, which is not part of Transport Canada s knowledge requirements for the PCOC. The student after successfully completing the Boating Essentials course will be offered regular membership in CPS. Do you know someone who already has their PCOC, and was reluctant to take the boating course because they had to redo the PCOC section? Let them know CPS has listened and the course will be available this fall, without the requirement to redo the PCOC portion. So what is happening with CPS at a higher level? The Governing board has committed to a very ambitious and serious evaluation of the corporate structure. This is being driven by two factors: 1) the rules of governance of not for profit organizations have changed and, 2) CPS s long term financial viability. A committee has been struck, and the target date for recommendations to be released to the membership, is the 2013 National AGM in Toronto. CPS has also commissioned a survey firm to evaluate what the boating public would like in boating education. The results of this survey are to be available at this year s National AGM in Edmonton. This is the next step as a recent survey, which was performed by BC Institute of Technology, of members and recent students, and recently lapsed members. These results are available on the members section of the CPS website. I will update you after the Edmonton AGM, on the new survey results 4

5 Training Report Mike Batty AP I hope you are enjoying this unbelievable boating season we have been blessed with great conditions in one of the best boating areas of Lake Ontario! I am constantly reminded as I am on the water what valuable training I have received over the years and the importance of planning for the future. Upcoming this fall (commencing in October) we are offering three courses: Boating Basics, Boating Essentials, and Sailing. Of course, (no pun intended), if you and others are interested in any other course we would make every effort to provide it. Please keep us abreast of your interests. There have been some name changes and I will explain the changes. Boating Basics replaces the BoatPro course. The course itself is unchanged and is a three evening course leading to the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC). Boating Essentials replaces the Boating course, which now recognizes and gives credit for any PCOC, whether from CPS or another provider recognized by Transport Canada. Upon completion of Boating Essentials, or any advanced CPS course, the student is eligible for full CPS membership. This is a major change to the way we do business, but is a necessary one to streamline the course architecture. Finally, it has been a couple of years since we provided the CPS Sailing course, so it is time to do it again. The instructor will again be our very capable John Boor. Anyone considering sailing or buying a sailboat will certainly enjoy and benefit from this course. There is even a chance that experienced sailors will benefit from gaining a better understanding of the theory of sail set-up and trim on their existing boat. All courses will begin in October, so you will be free to enjoy the great summer weather unencumbered by CPS homework. If you or a friend are interested, please call me at home ( ) or come out to either of the sign-up nights at Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, 1900 hours Sept 5 and 10. While not part of our regular fall training selections, last spring in the Marine Maintenance course, one of the students, Tim Deane, offered to do a supplementary session on diesel engine fuel systems. Tim is owner of First Diesel Injection Ltd. in Belleville, and has many years of hands-on experience. Since then this idea has morphed into a Speaker s Night, scheduled for Oct 4, 2012 at 1900 hours at BQYC. The title of the night will be How to Keep Your Diesel Engine Happy. Anyone who has had clogged fuel filters while the wind is up, or had to pay many dollars for a new injection pump damaged by diesel bugs will appreciate and benefit from this session. Note that we are scheduling it for just prior to BQYC lift-out because some of the good things you can do should be done while the boat is operable, shortly before lay-up. This one will save you money but cost you $5 at the door. Enjoy the rest of the summer folks, and please call me if there is any course offering you would like us to consider. Treasurer Report Mike Batty AP It is with pleasure that the Bridge announce the appointment of Les Latchford to the role of Squadron Treasurer. Thank you Les, for stepping up to this all-important role. My final act as treasurer was to terminate a separate Squadron phone line. The cost to maintain a business line was not warranted and with easy access to any one of our Bridge members and our website the decision was clear. With respect to our ongoing viability the majority of our revenue is from our training courses. Only a very small portion of membership fees supports Squadron activities and this is why we encourage and promote ongoing training and encourage you to promote our training programs to friends and family. Thank you for your support in the past and on into the future! 5

6 Support Your Local MarketPlace Advertisers Michel Goudeseune, SA Michel Marine Goudeseune, Surveyor SA Marine Surveyor Recent graduate of Chapman School of Seamanship in Stuart, Florida Member, SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors), the largest professional organization of marine surveyors in the world Comprehensive survey reports, written to ABYC and Transport Canada standards. AD GOES HERE Supplied pdf. NYE BOAT WORKS PROPRIETOR: NATHAN BRESETT BOAT REPAIR & MAINTENANCE MAJOR & MINOR For a sample survey report and a free quote, contact Michel at michelg@quintemarinesurvey.com E ASHLEY ST FOXBORO ON K0K 2B0 T: PROUD SUPPORTER AND CO-INSTRUCTOR OF CPS BOAT AND ENGINE MAINTENANCE Aubarge France Business card ad ON FILE NEED A NEW CPS FLAG? Small Flag: $12 Large Flag: $16 Is your old flag a bit tattered or faded? Is it time for a new flag? Contact Sandy Gill at Online visit Ships Stores CPS flags may only be flown by CPS members Position: COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER CPS Bay of Quinte SQUADRON - Bridge Vacancy Function:To ensure CPS information is accessible for the Squadron Commander, the Squadron Executive Committee and the General Squadron Membership. Duties: Utilizing s and internet access in order to deploy information and communicate upcoming events, training seminars etc. through broadcasts. Update lists as warranted. Manage Bridge alias addresses. Update Squadron information on the CPS website. Please contact Commander Bill Still CPS Safe Boating Through Education 6

7 North America s Extreme Weather - Summer 2012 Bill Still S Environmental Officer Wildfires, Drought & Flooding Wildfires blazed across 1.4 million acres of the U.S. during June. The drought condition and extreme heat exasperated the situation. The areas of drought increased from 37% to 56% from May to June. Soaring temperatures produced the warmest 12 month period since records were kept. By mid-june, 57 large fires were burning in 15 states. The total acreage burned In June was more than the previous 6 months combined. A New Mexico fire, ignited by lighting, consumed approximately 300,000 acres. Two fires in Colorado claimed 605 homes and scorched 105,484 acres. It cost over $47.8 million to bring under control. Record high daily temperatures during June broke 3282 records. A record breaking 118 F at Norton Dam, Kansas had the highest temperature. Some mid-western locations had multiple days of extremes reminiscent of the Dust Bowl Days of the 1930 s. As well, in a two day period, June 9th and 10th, Florida s panhandle received 22 inches of rain. Residents were evacuated, roads closed, power outages were widespread. An estimated $100 million in damages were given to Minnesota after a 2 day rain event washed away roads and bridges. Closer to home, in Ontario, there have been 1234 fires covering 135,348 hectares. The number of active fires has decreased to 91 and the weather forecast is favourable for fire suppression. Six hundred and forty residents remain evacuated from Sandy Lake due to concerns about smoke. Although lightning strikes have continued, there has been enough rain to minimize the threat of forest fires in Ontario. What are the causes of most forest fires? Lightning the only natural cause is responsible for 45% of the fires. The human factor causes 55% of the fires in Ontario. Of these, recreationists are responsible for 34% - simply careless with campfires. Burning grass, brush or rubbish, discarding lit cigarettes accounts for another 25%, railway activities 15% and arson 5%. In conclusion, fire is a natural occurrence in the forest which over years of study, actually promotes healthy forests. The human factor is a different story. Those that are careless, should be held responsible for their actions. Perhaps a term of reforestation in an area devastated by fire or compensating the displaced people removed from their homes by careless acts of others. 7

8 THE BOATER S CODE " " " " UPCOMING EVENTS I love and respect boating - - the beautiful waters and shorelines are ours to share, enjoy and protect. We are privileged to travel by boat in such special places. I promise to do my best to boat responsibly, safely and with consideration for others. To encourage safe and quality boating - - 1) I will be aware of and obey all laws and regulations governing operation of my boat on our lakes and rivers. 2) I will give a safety briefing and offer appropriate life jackets or PFDs to all people who travel with me in my boat. 3) I will carry all required safety equipment and any gear necessary to operate my boat safely and within the law. 4) I am responsible for the safety and actions of my passengers and will never operate my boat beyond the level of my skills. 5) I will not operate my boat if I have consumed alcohol above the legal limits in Ontario or would otherwise be considered to be impaired. 6) I will operate my boat with caution and courtesy to others when leaving from or returning to a dock. 7) I will look behind my boat in designated slow speed zones or when within 30 m of shore and run only at a speed that leaves a minimum wake to impact on shorelines, structures or other boats. 8) I will consider the safety and comfort of my passengers and that of people in other boats, swimmers and wildlife on the water when cruising on open water. 9) I will always steer well clear of other boats, swimmers and wildlife, even if I am the stand on boat with right-of-way on the water. 10) I consider that boating is a shared experience and I will not create any excessive noise nor will I operate my boat or behave in a manner that could intrude on the personal space and peaceful enjoyment of others or cause damage to the natural environment. Adapted from The Muskoka Boater s Code ( " " " " " " " CPS Course Registration Wednesday Sept 5, pm Where: Bay of Quinte Yacht Club CPS Course Registration Wednesday Sept 10, 2012 Where: Bay of Quinte Yacht Club Flare & Fire Extinguisher Demonstration Thursday Sept 20, pm Hosted by the Belleville Fire Department Where: Victoria Park, Belleville CPS/BQYC South Shore Cruise A Joint Event Saturday Sept 22, 2012 all day - $25.00/person Tickets available after August 20 th, 2012 Call Kim Lander at BQYC at for more details First Speaker s Night How to Keep Your Diesel Engine Happy Thursday Oct. 4, pm, $5.00 admission at the door. Where: Bay of Quinte Yacht Club CPS Bus Trip to Picton for Taste of the County (Belleville Picton Belleville return) Saturday, September 29, $40.00 includes admission Contact Sandy Gill at for details and to reserve tickets Nautical Yard Sale Spring 2013 Collect anything nautical to help out other sailors! " " " " " " " " " " " 8