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Canadian boat builders and repair yard owners will find the American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (ABBRA) Annual Conference (also known as the “Summer Symposium”) as a potential source of information and ideas.

The 2011 Annual Conference will kick off with a keynote address from James Brewer of Derecktor Shipyard, the yard responsible for building and launching the 281’ superyacht Cakewalk. Brewer’s presentation at the conference, scheduled for July 18–19, 2011, at the Fairfield Inn & Suites,

If you have taken the Restricted Operator’s Certificate (Maritime) to legally operate a marine VHF radio in Canada, you have probably had to take the course and pass the test offered by the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons…and that means you learned and practiced distress calls.

If you were in a real distress situation, a clever boat name could suddenly become a liability though. A mayday situation is no time to have to explain what your name means and how it’s spelled. The Coast Guard may not get the joke!

Natural Marine, a proud sponsor of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS), are now providing $1000 of their Eco-Boat Care products as an incentive for the various districts to participate in the new national CPS Courtesy Check Program.

The program helps prepare for your boating season by getting a FREE Courtesy Check from a local CPS squadron who also provide a safety inspection sticker.

CPS, working in partnership with Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety,

Hub Steenbakkers, (on right of picture) of Collins Bay Marina, Kingston, Ontario, is this year’s recipient of the Natural Marine/ Mason’s Chandlery National Environment Award.

This blown glass trophy, in the form of a hollow raindrop, that has trapped air from the year 2000, was created by Shirley Elford, Clairford Studios, Hamilton, Ontario. Elford is the artist who creates the annual Canadian Juno Awards. The National Environment Award  was commissioned and presented by Bill Milne, President of Natural Marine.

For the second year in a row, Campion Marine is proud to announce that it is a winner of a Green Business Award through the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes environmentally sustainable practices. “It is fantastic that our goal to become the Green Boat builder is being recognized, and it is definitely an honour to receive this award two years in a row,” states Brock Elliott, General Manager for Campion Marine.

“We are continuously motivated to search out the best products and practices to improve our boats, for the environment and the boater,” says Elliott.

The Marine Retailers Association of American, (MRAA) has announced that Matt Gruhn will be the next President of the organization. He will succeed Phil Keeter, who is retiring at the end of 2011.

As Group Publisher overseeing Affinity Media’s trade group — Boating Industry, as well as Powersports Business magazines and their ancillary products — Gruhn has been instrumental in the implementation and execution of Boating Industry’s Top 100 Dealers Program and the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, working on the latter in conjunction with the MRAA Convention Committee.

Register today for Discover Boating’s all-industry webinar on Tuesday, May 17 at 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST. The webinar, led by Carl Blackwell, vice president of NMMA and Discover Boating, will be an all-industry update to detail plans to reignite Discover Boating this spring/summer. Blackwell will unveil key features of the campaign and discuss how stakeholders can get involved.

This 45-minute Web presentation will highlight:

ProBoat E-Training has a variety of web-based courses that are available in a work-at-your own pace format including an ongoing offering of Rhino for Marine Designers, with a new session starting each month.

For more details on any of the courses listed here go to http://ProBoatE-Training.pbworks.com. Courses available include:

On May 21^st, stage a great, fun event for your customers that they’ll be talking about for the rest of the summer. Take part in the second annual Ready Set Inflate initiative to beat last year’s record of 1,514 inflations across North America.

Last year, Collins Bay Marina in Kingston, ON was just one of the Canadian dealers who hosted an event which contributed to the record while raising awareness of the importance of wearing a PFD.  

In just a few short months, Marquis Yachts has rapidly become one of the leading luxury yacht manufacturers represented in China.  Robert VanGrunsven, President of Marquis Yachts, showcased these accomplishments on Tuesday, May 3^rd with news of aggressive distribution advancement and recent retail sales success achieved by the company over the last 12 months through the new Marquis multilingual sales office in Shanghai.

We in the boating industry are sensitive to environmental issues and of course, vitally concerned about boat sales and usage too, so a decline in the availability of on-the-water fuel is a worry.

Boating Industry Canada prepared the following On-The-Water Fuel Sales Survey to learn more about the availability of on-the-water fuel for this coming summer, 2011.

Don’t let a cold spring stop your customers from enjoying boating!!

Wallas forced air marine heaters and stoves represent the state of the art in marine cooking systems. 

Both the diesel and kerosene models eliminate the need for hazardous propane systems, while providing responsive high temperature heaters and stoves that will give years of service. 

NMMA Canada recently announced that the registration is now open for IBEX 2011. From boat builders to boat dealers, from boat yard managers to marine manufacturers, the International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) unites the OEM and aftermarket industries for the most valuable three days on your calendar for 2011. Discover the products, technologies and innovations that will revolutionize your business from October 17-19 in Louisville, Kentucky.

For the first time ever, the boat dealers and brokerage firms based in the Port Credit Harbour Marina have joined together to produce an open hyouse event featuring a large selection of new and used power and sailboats.

The first annual Port Credit Yachting Super Centre Open House will be on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29.

Surveyors represent the largest occupational group of all the ABYC members.  Responsible surveyors perform surveys using the ABYC Standards and thereby protect their customers from unpleasant surprises and dangerous revelations.  This concern for a client’s well-being is what separates you from those people who lack the commitment to provide the best for their customers. Thomas Ask, an Associate Professor in the School of Construction Design at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and his book the Handbook of Marine Surveying describe the tools of responsible surveying and deliver another valuable asset in your toolbox.

Canadian solo sailor Derek Hatfield has finished second in the fourth sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS round the world yacht race as he sailed into Charleston, South Carolina.

The 58-year-old sailed into Charleston, South Carolina, after racing more than 5981 nautical miles from Punta del Este in Uruguay. Derek, at the helm of Active House, crossed the finish line in Charleston Harbor at 07.36 am local time following 23 days, 19 hours and 36 minutes at sea, only 15 hours behind the race leader Brad Van Liew.

To clarify recent media reports regarding new standards for Pleasure Craft Operator Card testing we have asked John Gullick, CPS Manager of Government & Special Programmes at the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS) for a response.

Q: I hear there are a number of changes coming from Transport Canada that will affect the Pleasure Craft Operator Card programme. Is that true?