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On April 23rd, Chubb Insurance Company of Canada launched its enhanced Watercraft Policy. The policy has several advantages including a new discount, improved deductible options, expanded navigational coverage, travel-sized certificates of insurance and greater damage coverage.

The enhanced policy provides a 5% discount if the watercraft owner also has their home covered by Chubb Canada, and provides a 0.5% deductible option for boats with hull values over $50,000. Recognizing that many boaters live along the border, there are enhanced navigational limits with expanded West Coast navigation and a more cost effective Port of New York trip charge.

Started last year, the Lunenburg Wooden Boat Reunion and Regatta is a two-day event that began as a celebration of all things wooden boat. Certainly, the rebuilding of Nova Scotia’s sailing ambassador, the Schooner Bluenose II, currently continuing at Lunenburg, was part of the inspiration but of course this area has a long history as a ship and boatbuilding port.

A full slate of weekend events includes the Nova Scotia Schooner Association’s annual Heritage Cup Race (plus this year, the festival will lead directly into the association’s Schooner Race Week, which will directly follow the Reunion and also be based out of Lunenburg);

US footwear giants, Wolverine Worldwide, owners of Sebago, have announced effective 1 May one of their largest acquisitions to date: Wolverine Worldwide has purchased Collective Brands’ Performance and Lifestyle Group (PLG) consisting of Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, Stride Rite and Keds.

This adds to Wolverine’s existing portfolio of Sebago, Merrell, Hush Puppies, Wolverine, and Caterpillar Footwear.

Wolverine has a good track record of successfully integrating brands. As well as creating a $2.5 billion global footwear and lifestyle empire, this transaction also brings established marine names Sebago and Sperry Top-Sider into the same powerful stable of iconic brands.

Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.’s Technician Grand Prix final competition will be held at the Yamaha Motor Canada head office in Toronto on June 12, 2012. Canada’s top technicians have completed a grueling qualifying exam in search of the top 10 nationwide. 

The 10 finalists have now been selected and will vie to become “Canada’s top Yamaha technician”. The winner will have the privilege of representing Canada at the Yamaha World Technician Grand Prix Finals in October at Yamaha Motor Corporation Ltd. headquarters in Iwata, Japan.

The following message is brought to you by the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC): IT’S Time to start your engines, hoist your sails and grab your paddles! North American Safe Boating Awareness Week 2012 is on the horizon and it’s time to get busy!

Volunteers are the backbone of Safe Boating Awareness Week! It was through your efforts that, in 2011, we were able to deliver safe boating messages across the country through over 80 million media impressions on television, radio and newspapers. But more importantly, your efforts are saving lives. Proof positive is the Lifesaving Society’s 2011 National Drowning Report which indicates that boating-related drownings (2005-2007) are down 13% from those in 2002-2004.

For the second time in two years, boat-builder Doral International has filed for bankruptcy. According to an article in La Presse, owner Denis Poliseno filed after rejecting an offer from Investissement Québec. Poliseno had taken out a $2 million start-up loan from the provincial investment corporation after he bought the firm’s assets in a 2010 bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy buys the firm 30 days to seek out new partners or even a purchaser.

KCS International Inc., (KCS) parent company of Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts, announced the first sport boat from newly acquired Azure Sport Boats, will roll off the line on Monday, May 7. The AZ 258 Bow Rider will include a MerCruisers, 350 Mag, Bravo-3 I/O (inboard/outboard) engine from Mercury Marine, officially making the boat 100 percent assembled in Wisconsin.

“Since we announced the acquisition of Azure at the Miami International Boat Show in February, there has been great anticipation for this day both within the boating industry and at KCS,” said Mark Pedersen, president of KCS International Inc.

Durasafe has announced a new line of “Codeable” locks and two new Canadian distributors. These unique new locks “learn” your vehicle key.

The company has announced 12 new distributors and dealers in North America who now carry the unique BOLT® (Breakthrough One-Key Lock Technology) codeable lock products line from DuraSafe.

The new distributors include Hutchings Marine Products and KTL (Canada).

ALACHUA, FLORIDA – APRIL 30 – Morgan Industries Corporation, the parent company of Hunter Marine Corporation and the Luhrs Marine Group family of boat manufacturing businesses, announced today that it and its U.S. subsidiaries (the “Company”) filed voluntary petitions for chapter 11 business reorganization in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. The Company is a global leader in the production of recreational powerboats and sailboats under the iconic brand names of Hunter Marine, Silverton, Ovation, Luhrs, and Mainship. The business reorganization is intended to bolster liquidity, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable the company to focus on its most valuable business lines and assets.

The International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) has posted a “Call for Presenters” at its website, www.marinaassociation.org/imbc. The conference, produced by the Association of Marina Industries (AMI), is scheduled for January 30–February 1, 2013, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

New for 2013, IMBC organizers will be offering the seminar schedule in tracks arranged by coastal, inland, or boatyard categories.

More than 1,000 travelers and athletes from around the world will arrive in Israel for the first-ever Dragon Boat Israel Festival on the Sea of Galilee, May 17-18.

A joint Canada-Israel initiative whose aim is to introduce the sport of dragon boating to Israel and to unite travelers and athletes, the Dragon Boat Israel Festival will include 39 teams from Canada, Israel and around the world, including New Zealand, Thailand and Ireland, as well as more than 500 spectators.

Like tens of thousands of others, Les Baker of Bethany, ON, went to the 2012 Toronto International Boat Show in search of the boat of his dreams and the best deals of the year. The first-time boater knew that with more than 550 exhibitors and over 1,000 boats of every size, make and model filling the one-million square feet of the Direct Energy Centre, Canada’s largest boat show is the best place to see and buy the latest in boats and boating-related accessories. What Baker didn’t know, was how easy it would be to win $10,000 towards the purchase of his boat once he found it!

SailTime GTA (a division of True North Yachts) had its “opening start to the season” meeting at the Port Credit Yacht Club this past Sunday. The Members enjoyed a lunch followed by a Member meeting and as shown in the picture gathered together on one of the Sailtime Hunter 36’s. For further information on SailTime please contact Andrew Newbury at gta@sailtime.com

Oceanair, the world’s leading supplier in the design and manufacture of marine blinds and shading solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Paynes Marine Group as its new distributor in Canada.

With over 29 years in the marine industry, Paynes Marine Group runs four branches across Canada and represents many marine brands including Lewmar and Standard Horizon.

If you are involved with a summer event that deserves to be listed in the “Important Dates” section in Boating Industry Canada,s Newsweek, send us your listing or information – we will run it for free if it is a suitable event.

Because Boating Industry Canada is distributed to all the significant marine trade professionals across Canada, events in the listings should be of either general interest to members of the industry, or be events that the industry should be promoting to our customer base to build boating generally. That means things like a Discover Boating event, water ski or wake board demonstration, sailing regattas, power boat racing and so on.

SGB Finance North America, Inc. announces their marine floor plan financing is now available in Canada.  This preferred program prepared jointly by SGB Finance North America, Inc. and the Beneteau Group North America is available immediately to all Canadian dealers representing the Group’s brands of leisure boats Beneteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Lagoon, and Monte Carlo Yachts.

“In the wake of our success in Europe and the US, we are logically expanding SGB Finance’s services into the Canadian market. Despite the global economic downturn, recreational boating has remained strong in Canada, where we expect to see tremendous growth opportunities”, explained Hervé Bonnet, President and CEO of SGB Finance North America.

Northstar Marine Insurance is delighted to welcome Leia Moreau to the Northstar team! Leia comes to Northstar with six years of insurance experience, including marine insurance, and is a great asset to the company’s customer service department.

An avid angler, Leia spends as much time as possible on the water, particularly in Elliot Lake, and is always willing to help out those fishing enthusiasts.

The 2012 Interlux® Waterfront Challenge is underway and community organizations should apply now. A total of $50,000 will be awarded by Interlux in October to recognize projects undertaken this year that create sustainable waterfront environmental improvements in their communities. The deadline for completion of projects is September 2.

Eight awards from $4,500 to $20,000 will be presented to groups in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.

Beneteau Ameriac has announced that Anchor Yacht Sales in Port Credit, Ontario is one of two new dealers that have signed on to represent the powerboats division. The other dealer is South Coast Yacht Sales in San Diego, California.

“We’re committed to establishing the most knowledgeable, customer-focused dealer network possible throughout North America. Adding South Coast Yachts on the west coast along with Anchor Yacht Sales in Canada to our already distinguished list of powerboat dealers brings us two steps closer to achieving our goal,” said Laurent Fabre, vice president of sales and marketing for Beneteau’s North American powerboats division.

ABBRA, the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association has announced its 2013 Annual Conference the “International Boatyard Business Conference”. This boatyard and related services industry event will be held January 19-20, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It will cater to boatyard owners, operators, and managers, boat builders, and boat repair businesses and will focus on the most current topics of interest with presentations by some of the marine industry’s most influential business leaders both nationally and internationally.