May 28, 2024

Police have released the names of the three friends who were killed in a devastating boat crash. The trio died after a speed boat collided with their fishing boat in the Buck’s Bay region of Bobs Lake, north of the city of Kingston, on the evening of May 18. It was the start of National Safe Boating Awareness Week.

Five other people aged 21 to 44 were taken to a local hospital after the accident, including one transported by air ambulance. It’s not known if the people were wearing lifejackets but the sudden accident dramatically underscores the reason for wearing your PFD whenever you are out boating. Statistically, boating is a very safe activity but the (blessedly few) accidents that do happen, can be serious or fatal. Thankfully, Canada has an organization dedicated to boating education and boating safety and they have just re-branded to reach more new boaters. (READ MORE)

People who are serious about going places and doing things by boat can learn about it from the most educated and experienced group of boaters in the country. The Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons was founded in Windsor, Ontario in 1938 after a group of boaters travelled to the Detroit Power Squadron to take the United States Power Squadrons Coastal Navigation Course.

The quality of the courses and the personal instruction delivered by knowledgeable and experienced boaters, has long been the best way to learn boating skills like navigation, VHF Radio Certification, general boating safety and more. The new branding to the bilingual name CanBoat / NautiSavoir, will become more familiar as the season unfolds and more people engage with this great organization. Over the past 85 years, the Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons, now CanBoat / NautiSavoir, has trained over 800,000 boaters! See more about CanBoat / NautiSavoir in the story (below).

Last thing to mention this week is the passing of Marcel Dubois. The obituary appears below but it simply cannot cover his lifetime of amazing accomplishments. As the founder of Princecraft Boats, Marcel guided the Princeville, Quebec boat builder to international success including at one point, buying the company with his friend and associate Jacques Daneault to save it from closing.

I had the privilege of interviewing Marcel and Jacques at the plant more than 20 years ago, and getting a jam-packed days-worth of the history and achievements of this pioneering Canadian company from the men who lived it first-hand. Marcel was also a member of the NMMA Canada Hall of Fame. Marcel never lost his keen interest in boats and the boat business and I almost always would see him at various boat shows each year including Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I looked forward to stopping him to say hello. I will miss those moments.

Andy Adams – Editor