Jim McLarty. Commander. December, 2017 Hello to all: Midland Squadron website: Page 1 of 10

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Midland Power and Sail Squadron, Founded in 1952 Winter 2017 Volume 10, Issue 4 c/o 33 Byrnes Crescent, Penetanguishene, ON L9M 1V9

The months have slipped by, summer has come and gone, and boats are now on the hard, and winterized for the cold winter to come.

for doing an admirable job. The biggest thing I took away from the Conference, was that: change is coming.

For CPS-ECP to remain a strong and viable organization, teaching safe boating to new boaters and refresher courses to seasoned boaters,

This will involve teaching courses ONLINE, shorter courses, on a more time-sensitive basis. As I say, change is coming.

wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and for the year to come.

squadron will begin organizing with the several marinas in our region to put on a spring shortcourse program: chart reading for

Though details are yet to be established, meetings and planning will take place throughout the winter.

1 Midland Power and Sail Squadron, Founded in 1952 Winter 2017 Volume 10, Issue 4 c/o 33 Byrnes Crescent, Penetanguishene, ON L9M 1V9 Newsletter Editor: Sandy Campbell Noel Campbell Commander Jim McLarty Commander December, 2017 Hello to all: That old expression: my how time flies, is sure true for It seems like yesterday, when I was sworn in as Commander of the Midland Power and Sail Squadron, last spring. The months have slipped by, summer has come and gone, and boats are now on the hard, and winterized for the cold winter to come. The Midland Squadron has been very busy with our fall boating courses. Boating 2 was very successful with 9 students attending. Boating 3 is underway with 4 students. I must commend our teaching staff, led by Noel Campbell, our Education Officer, and Gordon Bridges, our main instructor, along with Noel, for doing an admirable job. The biggest thing I took away from the Conference, was that: change is coming. It seems strange to say that change has to take place in order for things to stay the same. For CPS-ECP to remain a strong and viable organization, teaching safe boating to new boaters and refresher courses to seasoned boaters, we have to find new methods of conveying information to the new boaters of today. This will involve teaching courses ONLINE, shorter courses, on a more time-sensitive basis. As I say, change is coming. I would like to take this opportunity to wish the membership of the Midland Power and Sail Squadron, and all your families my very best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and for the year to come. Best wishes, Jim McLarty, Commander Midland Power and Sail Squadron Once the Toronto Boat Show is finished in late January, 2018, our squadron will begin organizing with the several marinas in our region to put on a spring shortcourse program: chart reading for beginners, as well as promoting the RVCC (Recreation Vessel Courtesy Checks), at the same time. Though details are yet to be established, meetings and planning will take place throughout the winter. I had the opportunity to attend the National Conference of CPS-ECP, along with my wife Wendy. The Conference was held in Charlottetown, PEI this year. It was a great experience and so worth attending. There are so many people at the national level, putting in countless hours of volunteer work, to help make CPS- ECP a very highly respected organization. Commander s Commentary... 1 Education Officer s Report... 2 In Defence of GPS (Part 3)... 4 Squadron Bridge Contact List... 5 Attention All Boaters RVCC Update... 8 Get the most out of your VHF Radio... 8 Thanks to CPS-ECP... 9 Member Benefit Update / Sailing School Midland Squadron website: Page 1 of 10

As your squadron education officer, it s the time of year we report our accomplishments for the year and thank our volunteers for their efforts.

members and potential members needs. Our goal is still to promote safe boating through education and our volunteer efforts.

could not have reached our goal. Thank You, Volunteers!

!! Some of our accomplishments for 2017: VHF Self-Study Classes: 15 students Boating 2 Course: 9 students Boating 3 Course: 4 students 2018 Planning: VHF Radio

2 As your squadron education officer, it s the time of year we report our accomplishments for the year and thank our volunteers for their efforts. This year is no exception as your training team has worked diligently, modifying lessons, updating lesson plans and implementing new programs to meet our members and potential members needs. Our goal is still to promote safe boating through education and our volunteer efforts. Speaking of volunteers, I want to recognize and acknowledge the effort put in by our volunteers: Instructors, Examiners and Proctors, without whose efforts, we could not have reached our goal. Thank You, Volunteers! (Gordon Bridges, Ken Lockhart, Bob LaVictoire, Mike Hamilton and Jim McLarty) Thank You so much for making it happen!!! Some of our accomplishments for 2017: VHF Self-Study Classes: 15 students Boating 2 Course: 9 students Boating 3 Course: 4 students 2018 Planning: VHF Radio in the Classroom: April 23, 25, 27, 2018 VHF Radio Self- Study as required by students Electronic Navigation: April 4, 11, 18 and May 2, 2018 Chart-Reading for Beginners seminar series (March-May) Boating 2 and Boating 3: October and November, 2018 Noel Campbell, Squadron Education Officer (SEO) Midland Squadron website: Page 2 of 10

3 Midland Squadron website: Page 3 of 10

4 December, 2017 Hello Folks, This is the third article on GPS and Chart plotters. In the first article I explained about the wonderful Global Positioning System, its history, who developed it, and how it works. Indeed, the entire world now relies on GPS. Virtually all airline and shipping navigation relies on GPS for guidance. In the second article, I explained all the wonderful alarms that are built into your GPS and Chart plotter, that you can set to your requirements, to help keep you out of trouble. Good stuff. I guess you can say that I saved either the best for the last or the worst for the last, depending on your view point. In this article, we talk about how one actually navigates with GPS and Chart plotters. Yes, the concept can be a bit heavy until you grasp the concept. After you get it, you will be able to navigate anywhere in the world to an accuracy of 3 metres/10 feet. Normally, I teach this concept over a 4-night course using several props to convey the concept. However, let s see if I can get the point across in the next few paragraphs. If you do not quite understand, well, perhaps the exercise will prompt you on, to learn to use your on-board marine navigation system more effectively. To begin, we need to understand the grid system we use to determine a position on the surface of the globe, earth. We use Latitude and Longitude. Latitude is an angular measurement from the centre of the earth with one part of the angle sitting on the Equator and the other part opening through 90 degrees to the True North Pole. This angle can also open south through 90 degrees to the True South Pole. One can draw a line for each degree, around the surface of the earth, which would be parallel to the last, but slightly smaller. Degrees are also broken down into minutes (60 minutes / degree), and further down to 3 decimal points of a minute. Wow!!! That is small!!! Longitude is the angular measurement, from the centre of the earth, with one part of the angle on the Prime Meridian which passes through Greenwich, England and the other side of the angle can open through 180 degrees, either east (E ) or west (W) of the Prime Meridian. These lines are not parallel because they all meet at the True North and South poles. Meridians of Longitude are also further broken down into Minutes (60 minutes per degree) and further down in 3 decimal points of a minute. We can describe a position on the surface of the earth by coordinates as expressed in latitude and Longitude. Example: the position of the CN Tower, located in downtown Toronto, as expressed on the global grid system, has coordinates of: North 43 degrees, minutes and West 079 degrees, minutes. Therefore, with the simplest of hand-held GPSs, you can navigate to the CN Tower from anywhere in the world to an accuracy of 3 metres or 10 feet. I told you this is great stuff. But how do we do this magic? Waypoints: These are imaginary points that you choose, to program into your GPS, that will help you find the CN Tower. They are expressed in Latitude and Longitude, and you can give these points your own names. They will be stored in your waypoint library on the hard drive of your GPS or Chart plotter unit. Waypoints can be added to your Waypoint Library by simply touching the screen, on modern units. When you decide to begin your journey, you select the waypoints from your library and link them up into a route. (continues on page 7) Midland Squadron website: Page 4 of 10

Jim McLarty, Commander Commander Immediate Past Commander Executive Officer Secretary Training Officer Treasurer Public Relations Officer MAREP Officer Membership Assistant Training Officers

Lockhart Bob LaVictoire Ken Lockhart Sandy Campbell Vacant Bob LaVictoire Vacant (705) 549-1334 (705) 549-5383 mclartys@rogers.com noel.campbell@rogers.

5 Jim McLarty, Commander Commander Immediate Past Commander Executive Officer Secretary Training Officer Treasurer Public Relations Officer MAREP Officer Membership Assistant Training Officers Newsletter Editor/ Webmaster Administrative Officer Safe Boating Specialist RVCC) Training Aids Jim McLarty Noel Campbell Vacant Christine Robinson Noel Campbell Mike Hamilton Vacant Vacant Murray Lockhart Bob LaVictoire Ken Lockhart Sandy Campbell Vacant Bob LaVictoire Vacant (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) (705) In the Photo (left to right): Mike Hamilton, Treasurer; Ken Lockhart, Assistant Education Officer; Noel Campbell, Education Officer; Sandy Campbell, Newsletter Editor/Web; Milne Dick, Administration Officer; Christine Robinson, Secretary; Bob LaVictoire, Assistant Education Officer; Special AGM Guest: Elaine Mundle, Georgian-Trent District Commander Missing from photo: Murray Lockhart, Membership Note to the membership: Sadly, we lost Milne Dick in November. Milne s dedication to the Midland Squadron will be sadly missed along with his delightful hearty laugh and his wealth of boating knowledge and experience. RIP, Milne. Midland Squadron website: Page 5 of 10

6 Midland Squadron website: Page 6 of 10

7 (continued from page 4) Route: is the path you intend to follow to your destination, as described by a series of waypoints, all linked together. This might be a route to the North Channel on Georgian Bay, or to your favourite fishing hole. Modern-day GPSs and Chart plotters have made it very easy to link your waypoints into a route. Favourite routes, that you use more than once, can be stored in your route library. To access either your waypoint or route library, press MENU on the face of your unit and follow the prompts. Ok, folks, now comes the HEAVY part, so fasten your seatbelts, and let s see how we make out. You have determined where your destination will be. You have determined what route you wish to follow, and You have created a series of waypoints, that you choose, that gets you around all the shoals. You have linked the waypoints up into a route. Now, you leave the dock, you are underway. Yahoo!!!! Jim McLarty and Bluenoser Various units call these numbers by different names: i.e., COG (course over ground--track), so you have to read your manual. Course, the direction of the line drawn on your chart plotter, which guides you to your first (active) waypoint. We still use either the True or Magnetic Poles for directional reference, even though we are not using the compass. Your GPS unit knows the position of the poles through their Latitude and Longitude position, and for this reason you can choose to have directional information displayed to you, in either True or Magnetic are you confused? Course is the intended path to follow to your next (active) waypoint. Track: is the plot you are making across the surface of the earth. Think of it as if you were on snowshoes. Turn around and look at your tracks, the plot you made across the surface of the earth. If you are walking in a relatively straight line, your TRACK can be express in degrees, either True or Magnetic. Bearing: This is the third number displayed on your GPS/chart plotter screen. Bearing is the direction, as expressed in True or Magnetic, from your present position to your active waypoint. Do you have your thinking caps on? Let s use a navigational example. 1. You have activated your ROUTE and navigation is displayed on your screen in the form of COURSE (solid line to next waypoint), TRACK (displayed in degrees) and BEARING (displayed in degrees). 2. Let s choose a COURSE of 090 degrees (east). TRACK displays 090 and BEARING displays 090. You are on course. Press MENU on your navigation unit, choose your route, and you are prompted to activate route. Good work!!! Navigation begins to the first waypoint. Now we need to understand these numbers displayed on your screen: Course, Track and Bearing. I told you this is the HEAVY part. 3. Let s say the COURSE is still 090 degrees. TRACK is 110 degrees. BEARING is 080 degrees. This means that you have wandered south of your course, tracking 110, and you will have to turn your vessel to a TRACK of 080 to proceed directly to your waypoint (track matches bearing). (concludes on page 8) Midland Squadron website: Page 7 of 10

8 (continued from page 7) 4. To get back on COURSE, turn your vessel to something like 060 (intercept angle), to get back on COURSE. Watch BEARING, when it slowly increases to 090, you are now on your COURSE and turn your vessel until TRACK matches BEARING and COURSE, all matching at 090. There it is folks!!! The hard part is over. You now know how to navigate using GPS/chart plotters. We are always looking for our membership to get involved in the inspection process and you could be one who is active in that field. Contact the individual below for all the information and qualifications required to become an inspector. Yours in comradeship, BoB LaVictoire, Midland Squadron RVCC Officer Of course this is going to take a lot of practice on your part. However, you should practice, even in FAIR weather, so that you can become competent when FOUL weather catches you by surprise. There is no more accurate or reliable navigation system on your vessel than your GPS or Chart plotter. Learn to use them and life on the water will be safer. Best regards, Jim McLarty Your Midland Power and Sail Squadron has been looking after your interests and is once again providing the RVCC. What is that, you might ask?.. It is the Recreational Vessel Courtesy Check. This involves a qualified person to attend with you on your boat to determine if you have up to-date safety equipment on board that meets the government regulations for your size of craft. The inspection takes place wherever you have your vessel and it is completely FREE of charge. We are presently making arrangements with your local marina management to attend with us to best arrange to have those boaters wishing to have their vessels inspected. Those owners would inform the marina management who would ensure a sign-up sheet was provided showing their slip number and the time they wanted to have the inspection done. This process has worked extremely well in the past but only if we have the cooperation of all involved. Get a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number for your radio, if your radio has the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) feature. It makes your VHF radio work like a telephone / pager. Obtaining an MMSI is a simple procedure and enhances the VHF radio s effectiveness. A useful bonus is that you can contact another boater directly (with similar equipment) without using the Emergency and Calling Frequency (Channel 16) and cluttering up the airways even more than they are now. Industry Canada, as the radio licensing body in Canada, is responsible for the issuance and management of Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) numbers. To obtain that number, contact your nearest Industry Canada office and provide the necessary vessel details (emergency contacts, installed-radio information). Go to http//sd.ic.gc.ca and see what s involved simple, fast easy.. Noel Campbell, SEO P.S. See the article in the December issue of the CPS- ECP Canadian Yachting magazine for further information, tips and new equipment offerings by major suppliers. N.C. Midland Squadron website: Page 8 of 10

I was recently watching a program on television about how belonging to an organization can be good for you in many ways.

This information got me thinking about this theory, and also made me realize the ways that being a member of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons has been beneficial to me.

As a result of this self confidence, Ken and I enjoyed our lengthiest voyage to date this past August... We travelled around Georgian Bay! I mean, totally circled the bay in its entirety!

Scuba Too, Killarney Bay anchorage The most obvious way that being members has benefited my husband and me, of course, is by giving us the knowledge to safely enjoy the waters of Georgian Bay.

9 I was recently watching a program on television about how belonging to an organization can be good for you in many ways. The host said that being active in a club was beneficial, especially in regards to personal growth. This information got me thinking about this theory, and also made me realize the ways that being a member of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons has been beneficial to me. understanding what the buoys and markers are indicating, allows us to enjoy boating while limiting our stress. As a result of this self confidence, Ken and I enjoyed our lengthiest voyage to date this past August... We travelled around Georgian Bay! I mean, totally circled the bay in its entirety! What a wonderful vacation, one that we would never have had the confidence to do if not for CPS-ECP and the knowledge we gained. Scuba Too, Killarney Bay anchorage The most obvious way that being members has benefited my husband and me, of course, is by giving us the knowledge to safely enjoy the waters of Georgian Bay. We had a boat when we lived in Alberta, but most of our time was spent on a small lake with very few hazards. When Ken and I moved back to Ontario in 2003, we knew that boating on beautiful Georgian Bay would be a great deal more challenging so decided to take The Boating Course being offered at the local high school. At that time, we also received our PCOC as part of this class. It was the best decision we could have made! Since then we have both taken the VHF and Electronic Navigation courses, giving us even more tools to safely spend our recreational time on the water. 10 boats at the Rendezvous! The knowledge that we gained through CPS-ECP has also given us a confidence to broaden our horizons, so to speak. Knowing how to interpret the information on the nautical charts and GPS screen, and Scuba Too, Tobermorey One of the most important things that I have to thank Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons for is the friendship and camaraderie that we enjoy with our fellow members of the Midland Squadron. As the Squadron secretary for the past few years, I have gotten to know the other Bridge members quite well, and Ken and I feel fortunate to have them as friends as well as being great sources of information. While planning our vacation last summer, we were able to benefit from their personal experiences regarding ports of call and anchorages. Over the years, we have attended Squadron Rendezvous, Commander s BBQs and several Annual General Meetings. All of these events have been gatherings of Squadron members with a common interest in recreational boating. They have also been building blocks for friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. I guess that the TV show I saw was pretty accurate. Being a member of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons has been, and continues to be, beneficial to me personally! I ve gained knowledge and confidence, but most important to me is the friendships that I ve formed with some very special people. The one thing that has Midland Squadron website: Page 9 of 10

brought all of us together is our desire to be on the water, whether in a sailboat, power boat, luxury yacht or canoe. Thank you CPS-ECP, and specifically the Midland Squadron.

This school runs during July and August and is open to children between the ages of 9 to 18 yrs.

All CPS-ECP members automatically receive this benefit which is acquired by entering the discount code SAFEBOAT when placing orders online.

Review, tips on escaping a sinking vehicle and invitation to the 2017 Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs) which are being held in Toronto January 14, 2018. Ed.

The Sailing School has been in continuous operation since 1972 with many of the graduates coming back as instructors.

10 brought all of us together is our desire to be on the water, whether in a sailboat, power boat, luxury yacht or canoe. Thank you CPS-ECP, and specifically the Midland Squadron. Christine Robinson They are participants of the Midland Bay Sailing Club s junior learn-to-sail program. This school runs during July and August and is open to children between the ages of 9 to 18 yrs. The sessions are run by qualified instructors under the guidance of the Ontario Sailing Association. (Click on the image below for the school website.) CPS-ECP MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT NEWS The December newsletter from Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) announces that the CSBC Member Benefit of a 30% discount on all products available in the Coleman Canada Online Store will continue to be available through All CPS-ECP members automatically receive this benefit which is acquired by entering the discount code SAFEBOAT when placing orders online. Other highlights in the Newsletter include an outline of the CSBC s 2017 Safe Boating Tracking Research results Maritime New Zealand Boating research, a status up-date on the Pilotage Act Review, tips on escaping a sinking vehicle and invitation to the 2017 Canadian Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs) which are being held in Toronto January 14, Ed. Have you ever stopped in the summertime to watch the small sailing dinghies in Midland harbour, and wondered who they are? The Sailing School has been in continuous operation since 1972 with many of the graduates coming back as instructors. The operation is overseen by a group of volunteers from the club known as Friends of the Sailing School. They look after everything from planning and scheduling to rigging and boat maintenance. The students arrive daily from the town, from their Grandparents cottages, from their parents boats at nearby marinas and sometimes out of province or out of the country. Each year the club donates spaces to local groups such as Big Brothers and Sisters. The School also operates a handicapped sailing program with a larger keel boat on loan from the Atlantic Challenge group. On a personal note, I have had three of my grandchildren go through the program and watched them grow in confidence over the years. Gordon Bridges Midland Squadron website: Page 10 of 10

Jim McLarty. Commander

Jim McLarty. Commander Midland Power and Sail Squadron, Founded in 1952 Summer 2018 Volume 11, Issue 2 c/o 33 Byrnes Crescent, Penetanguishene, ON L9M 1V9 Newsletter Editor: Sandy Campbell Noel Campbell Commander Jim McLarty