Events and Presentations

PSPS Santa Claus Float Successfully Launched

Activities, Courses/Training, Events and Presentations, Uncategorized, , ,

Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron and Sail Parry Sound successfully launched their jointly sponsored float in the Parry Sound Santa Claus parade this past Saturday. Thanks to the participation of a few dedicated members the float featured an Optimus class sailboat rigged with lights in the bed of a pickup truck. This was followed by a 21′ Scout dressed in garland and lights, carrying a crew of all ‘nice’ kids, and possibly ‘naughty’ supervising adults. All were properly equipped with life vests. The foot patrol of men and dog, similarly equipped with life vests, handed out safe boating course leaflets and mints.

You had to be there to have fully enjoyed it. Interested? We look forward to your participation next year. Here are a few photos from the parade. Happy holidays and safe boating. For information about upcoming boating courses please head to http://www.parrysoundboating.com.

 

Still Need Santa Claus Parade Volunteers

Activities, Events and Presentations,

Please contact us if you are interested in participating in the Parry Sound Santa Claus Parade as part of the Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron entry. In partnership with Sail Parry Sound we will be towing a 21′ outboard with lights and music behind a pickup, with a small sail boat in the back of the pick up.

We have room  for a couple of more people on the boat, and unlimited room for people to walk along with the float. All that is required is two feet, a heartbeat, and a life jacket to be worn over your winter jacket.

We are promoting boating safety and our in-town courses that start after the holidays.

Give us a call at 705/774-9350 or 705/342-1315, or email communications@parrysoundsquadron.ca, if you are interested.

Santa Claus Parade – Volunteers Required

Activities, Events and Presentations

The Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron, in partnership with Sail Parry Sound, will be entering a sail and power float into this year’s Parry Sound Santa Claus parade. We pretty much have the logistics worked out for what boats, what truck, what type of lights, etc.

What we need is people to sit on the boat, preferably with a kid or two, all wearing life jackets over your winter clothes. It would also be great to have people to walk along with the float and hand out Power Squadron information flyers.

Please let us know if you are interested in participating in any manner. You can reach us at communications@parrysoundsquadron.ca, or 774-9350. We can use all of the enthusiastic help we can get.

The parade is November 24th, from 4:30 to 6:00. You will need to be available around 4:00/4:15. We walk, or ride, from the corner of Joseph and Isabella Streets to the Stockey Centre. (It’s pretty much all downhill.)

Scott of Antarctica – Now November 18th

Events and Presentations, Uncategorized,

The film, “Scott of the Antarctic” has been advanced one week to avoid conflict with the Grey Cup game. It’s now November 18th. Details are provided below. Your host is Steven Duff.

The date and time for this is now Sunday, November 18th, from 1:00 to 4:00 in the Lions’ Room at the Museum on Tower Hill. Admission is $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors and students. And, yes, we’ll have warm drinks and snacks – you’ll want them after you see this!

2012 has been a year of various anniversaries and centenaries, covering the good, the bad, and the ugly. One event from 1912 that has had little air-play is the tragedy of the Antarctic expedition led by Capt. Robert Falcon Scott. We’re making amends at the Museum with a tribute to Capt. Scott, his men, and their terrible encounter with Murphy’s Law. A display and a historical introduction are planned and the main part of the event will be a screening of the classic 1952 film Scott of the Antarctic, starring John Mills and featuring a sound-track by Ralph Vaughan Williams that ranks as one of the greatest ever.

Safety Check – Saturday July 21st

Activities, Events and Presentations,

John Mason, Andy Devos and I were at Gordon Bay Marine and Hamer Bay Marine this Saturday to do courtesy safety boat checks (CPS Recreational Vessel Courtesy (RVCC) Program). This basically involves checking recreational boats to ensure they are in compliance with the mandatory safety equipment requirements. If they aren’t we let the owners know what what is required to be in compliance. Those boats that are in compliance are issued stickers for 2012 indicating they have been checked by the Canadian Power Squadron Courtesy Program. It might not help is they are stopped by the OPP, but at least they know they should pass, and where all the safety equipment is stowed.

We managed to ‘pass’ about a dozen boats while we were at the marinas. In general all the boats we checked met the applicable safety requirements. In a couple of cases where the boats were short of the necessary equipment they were able to pick up the equipment at the marina shops, and received their safety sticker. In many cases there was a little bit of a ‘hunt and seek’ process to find the equipment. That doesn’t bode well for an emergency where actions need to be taken quickly. But the courtesy check alerted them to this issue.

The most common ‘failure’ I saw with the boats did not relate to safety. Rather it concerned carrying their boat registration. This is a newer requirement and is similar to an auto vehicle registration. If you have it keep a copy on board. If you don’t you need to contact Transport Canada for a copy. They should be able to provide you with a copy of the registration document if you can give them your vessel’s registration number (the number on either side of the bow). If the boat is not registered in your name, perhaps a second hand boat purchase, they will require you to transfer the boat to your name and at the same time perhaps pay the necessary taxes. Regardless, if you are stopped by the OPP and aren’t able to produce a pleasure craft registration document you are liable for a fine of $250.

So better safe than sorry. Boat safe, stay safe.

Jo B – Communications Officer

Vic Carpenter – An Invitation, June 9th, 2012 1:00 pm

Events and Presentations, Sail Parry Sound

Celebration of Life, June 9th, 1:00 at Sail Parry Sound. RSVP to rsvp@sailparrysound.on.ca

Vic Carpenter, Master Boat Builder

Vic and his wife Hazel were the proprietors of Superior Sailboats for almost 50 years, in Michigan, then from 1964 in Port McNicoll and then 1993-2001 at Bayfield Inlet.

Vic designed and built exquisitely beautiful wooden boats, power and sail, up to 65 feet long. The boats had extraordinary inlay work of mahogany and ebony in stunning designs. Hazel did all the varnishing, sometimes more than twenty coats.

They trained others to work in this fine tradition, which lives on among their protégés around the Great Lakes.

Their boats are owned by the ‘who’s who’ of Great Lakes and Muskoka boaters, and some have now become world travellers. Golden Goose, built originally for Gordon Lightfoot, is now in Germany and has sailed to the Antarctic. Passing Wind, their own 65-footer, was sold a few years ago to a New England owner, and has won Atlantic races. The 56-foot My Toy has made annual visits to Parry Sound, where it draws crowds of admirers.

Vic Carpenter’s creations are known and admired by lovers of wooden boats worldwide.

Boat Launching Thursday, May 17th, Parry Sound Town Dock

Events and Presentations

John Mason and Larry Woolner will be launching their 26 and 30 foot sailboats at the Parry Sound town dock this Thursday. Tentative time is 1:00 to 3:00. Location will be in the area behind the Island Queen. Equipment will involve a crane for some high wire excitement.

Fun, thrills and excitement are not guaranteed. But it’s always fun to watch two sailors pour a little more money into the bay. And of course it’s free for the spectators. The schedule is fluid, so check back for changes.

Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day (May 18)

Events and Presentations,

(from the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron website – thanks to MKW for the suggestion)

May 11, 2012
In support of Wear Your Lifejacket to Work Day (May 18) Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons (CPS) members and staff are encouraged to wear their lifejackets to work.

As the first long weekend of the summer approaches CPS would like to remind boaters to be safe on our waterways. Wearing your lifejacket is one of the easiest ways to ensure your safety on the water.

Across Canada, 89% of recreational boaters who drown each and every year were not wearing a lifejacket. Most of these drownings occur in small open power boats, accounting for 60% of these preventable deaths. A majority of these victims were males between the ages of 19 and 35, out for a day of fishing. An average of 140 unnecessary drownings occur every year.

Many boaters who drown believe they are good swimmers, so they feel that having a lifejacket on board and within easy reach is good enough. But what good is a lifejacket that is stored under a seat or under the bow going to be when the unexpected happens? Most drownings happen unexpectedly when small boats capsize or someone falls overboard. The lifejacket that you leave behind is not much use, especially in cold water.

When choosing a lifejacket follow these simple guidelines: Choose one that is suitable for the activity you are involved in and check the label to make sure that it is Canadian approved and is of the correct size. Finally, make sure it fits snugly.

If you don’t wear your lifejacket, it won’t work.

-Stats courtesy of the Canadian Safe Boating Council