Changing Scene

  • 32 BOATS PARTICIPATED IN THE NATIONAL BANK EASTER SEALS CHARITY REGATTA RAISING $165,000

    There was sun, sun and fun at last weekend’s National Bank Easter Seals Charity Regatta at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. Thirty-two boats participated in the PHRF handicap race with flying sails and no-flying sails divisions, and helped raise $165,000 for Vancouver Easter Seals House. Funds raised by the event support the day-to-day operations of this special place. “We are deeply touched by the heart warming support of all the boat sponsors and boat skippers as well as the many spectators and volunteers who participated in this event,” said Easter Seals President and CEO Stephen Miller. “Your efforts will go a long way in helping to provide

  • CAMERON WARDLAW, OWNER AND PRESIDENT OF SKYLINE MARINA THANKS HIS CUSTOMERS

    Industry leader and long-time owner of Skyline Marina, Cameron Wardlaw  has sent an announcement to his customers thanking them for their
    years of loyalty and support. His email read:
    To our valued customers,
    After 54 wonderful years as owner & president of Skyline Marina, it is with mixed emotions that I let you know that Skyline Marina is changing hands. Since in my twenties, Skyline Marina has been my focus and I have decided the time has come for me to enjoy life without the responsibilities of this fabulous business.

  • CANADIAN YACHTING MAGAZINE IN FLORIDA FOR 36 CORSAIR HARDTOP INTRODUCTION

    Canadian Yachting magazine just returned from a trip to Sarasota, Florida to meet the management team at Chris-Craft and to test drive their new Chris-Craft 36 Corsair Hardtop. It’s a very important boat to the company – their first new hardtop model in many years and a stunning boat. It was powered by the new Volvo Penta 430 V8s that we first ran on a trip to Volvo Penta headquarters in Sweden on June 15th. With variable valve timing and a host of other high-tech features, these Volvo Penta 430 V8s are hot performers in the new Chris-Craft 36 Corsair Hardtop.

  • TRUE NORTH YACHTS OPENS NEW OFFICE IN OUTER HARBOUR MARINA, TORONTO

    True North Yachts is movin' on up to the East Side!  True North is kicking off the grand opening of a new office, based at Outer Harbour Marina in Toronto, with an open house on Saturday, July 20th.  Same great service, same great staff, and the opportunity to find the boat of your dreams, service your existing vessel, or trade in for something from their extensive in-stock new inventory or brokerage. Food – Drinks – Boats – Music

  • TERRY CONRAD FIRST CERTIFIED MARINE SERVICE TECHNICIAN IN NOVA SCOTIA

    Terry Conrad of Conrad Marine Sales & Service Ltd. is Nova Scotia’s first Certified Marine Service Technician. The Apprenticeship Training Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education is responsible to provide relevant and responsive apprenticeship training and certification system that meets Nova Scotia’s needs for skilled trades professionals and there are currently 66 designated Trades in Nova Scotia.  A Marine Service Technician services and repairs, refits and upgrades marine vessels power and sail, including structural, cosmetic, electrical and mechanical work. In order to qualify for the Certification, a marine technician must have substantial experience working in the occupation.

  • NADEN BOATS PINK BOAT TOUR COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL WEEK

    With just one week under its belt, The PINK Boat Tour, co-sponsored by Naden Boats and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure North Bay has sold $5,000 worth of tickets in a raffle to win a Naden PINK Fisherman Package. All proceeds, the ultimate goal being $25,000, are in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  The tour began June 29th, when Naden Boat Dealer, Harper’s Marina towed the 14’ PINK Naden Fisherman in the annual Canada Day parade in Callander, ON.  After the parade, the PINK boat was a feature at the Callander annual picnic at the CIBC Run for the Cure North Bay tent.

  • BOAT US THINKS MISS MANNERS SHOULD MAKE A VISIT TO THE BOAT LAUNCH RAMP

    We wanted to share this thoughtful message that BoatUS sent out this week. Impolite, self-centered behaviour could well describe a kindergarten sandbox at recess, but it also fits the description of the mayhem that some boat launch ramps experience on a busy summer weekend. If America's famed etiquette expert, Miss Manners, were to visit a launch ramp, what lack of courtesy would she find? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has the answer with these top five launch ramp etiquette rules that can make the task go a lot easier and faster for all.

  • CONTINUUM PRODUCTIONS TO NOW PRODUCE THE LONDON BOAT SHOW

    Continuum Productions Inc., the producers of the Central Ontario Boat Show & Sale have secured the contract to produce The London Boat Show starting in February 2014. “We were thrilled to be awarded the privilege of expanding our boat show brand into the London market. We understand the history and significance of the show to the City of London and to marine and outdoor industries in the area and are very excited to be adding this event to our stable of shows in Ontario,” said Dwayne McKillop, President of Continuum Productions Inc.

  • SAIL-IN CINEMA – TORONTO PORT AUTHORITY’S FLOATING MOVIE THEATRE RETURNS

    Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is bringing back its highly anticipated free movie festival, Sail-In Cinema™, to the city’s waterfront. For three nights in August, Sugar Beach will be transformed into Toronto’s largest outdoor theatre where lovers of film and the outdoors alike can watch movies on a two-sided screen anchored to a barge on Lake Ontario. From August 15 to 17 Torontonians, their families and friends, will be able to enjoy movies from land or boat, starting at dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.) on each of the three nights. The two-sided screen 700-pound screen is four stories tall and will sit on a 60 x 90 foot floating barge.

  • ORGANIZERS ANNOUNCE 65% OF BOOTH SPACE 2013 NMEA CONFERENCE AND EXPO NOW SOLD

    Organizers of the 2013 NMEA Conference & Expo have announced that 65% of booth spaces are now sold, although some great booth locations are still available.  Also, the early-bird attendee registration deadline is Friday 19 July.  Don’t miss out on the $100 saving and register today! There is now a provisional schedule of conference events on NMEA.ORG – click on ‘2013 Conference Information’.  You’ll see the full and exciting slate of education classes, manufacturer sessions, technology briefs and NMEA standards meetings scheduled over the 4 days.  Some details are not

  • IMCI ANNOUNCERS CERTIFICATION OF OLYMPIC CATAMARAN

    The International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) has announced that the NACRA 17 is used as the exclusive Olympic Multihull equipment in the “mixed multihull class” running up to the Olympic Games. Every year there are several ISAF World Cups, World Championships and other continental championships where the elite sailors of the world in the catamaran are racing one another. The NACRA 17 was designed from scratch to meet the specific criteria set out by ISAF for the 2016 Olympic multihull. The NACRA 17’s new-generation hulls have about 40% greater longitudinal stability than recent conventional shaped catamarans. This increased stability comes

  • WEST MARINE ANNOUNCES ITS FOURTH ANNUAL BLUE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

    West Marine, the world’s largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has released its BlueFuture® 2012 Sustainability Report.  BlueFuture® encompasses West Marine’s company-wide efforts focusing on sustainability, including improving and protecting the marine environments, reducing the company’s carbon footprint and encouraging people to enjoy being out on the water. From  Pure Oceans, the company’s private label brand of “green” boating products, to giving millions of dollars in grants over the years to marine-based non-profits — West Marine continues to demonstrate its commitment to preserving our waters and ensuring that future

  • NAVICO STRENGTHENS GLOBAL MARKETING TEAM

    Navico Holding AS, parent company to leading marine electronics brands Lowrance, Simrad and B&G, is pleased to announce a new marketing team structure designed to maximize market growth opportunities. Navico has appointed Jonathon Pudney to the role of Global Marketing Director. Jonathon previously worked at a number of high-level marketing and communications agencies before taking the role of International Marketing Communications Director for the De Beers Group. During his tenure at De Beers, Jonathon’s efforts spanned more than 20 countries at the consumer and trade level. He was responsible for launching De Beers diamond marketing in China, developing and launching the world’s first diamond hallmark, the Forevermark, and running brands in multiple regions including the Americas, Asia

  • NEW NAVIONICS PRODUCTS MAKE GLOBAL DEBUT

    Navionics just announced the availability of Navionics+ and Navionics Updates through resellers worldwide. Navionics’ new products improve the way customers access cartography and boating information by providing easy online updates to ensure their charts reflect the most current data available for their GPS chartplotters. Navionics+ is a powerful electronic chart solution for new customers that provides unparalleled marine and lakes content and coverage on a single card. Customers can select charts from one of seven global regions, such as US & Canada, which enables download of saltwater and freshwater

  • SEE THE NEW AGE OF SAIL EXHIBIT AT THE MARINE MUSEUM OF THE GREAT LAKES AT KINGSTON

    This summer, plan a trip to Kingston to visit The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. The 2014 Sailing Exhibit is taking shape at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. The chosen title, “The New Age of Sail” acknowledges the phenomenal growth of sailing as a recreational sport in the 1960s and 1970s. If the era of Clipper Ships and Britain’s wooden walls was the original “Age of Sail”, then this rapid growth in sailing over approximately 20 years in the mid to late 20th century was definitely the New Age of Sail.

  • HANSEBOOT 2013 LAUNCHES NEW OPTIMIZED HALL CONCEPT

    Hanseboot is the big watersports event for professionals, boating enthusiasts and newcomers – it is held at the exhibition site, centrally located in Hamburg, from 26 October to 3 November 2013. hanseboot gives all the latest information on watersports trends and innovations, living up to its slogan “Northern waters, Northern lifestyle” with a focus on the Baltic, Scandinavia and Northern European waters. The exhibition features a wide range of boats and yachts, and a huge range of equipment and accessories, plus thematic highlights such as daysailing, 15hp engines, refit and funsport. Its hall concept has been changed, using all the hall areas on the B site to ensure optimal linking between the various areas of the

  • CHARLESBANK CAPITAL PARTNERS MAKES INVESTMENT IN TROJAN BATTERY COMPANY

    Charlesbank Capital Partners announced that it has made an investment in Trojan Battery Company, a leading global manufacturer of deep-cycle lead acid batteries.  Headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Trojan has been owned by the Godber family since its founding in 1925. The transaction, which was funded with both equity and debt, introduces the first outside equity for the company, with the management team making a notable co-investment and the Godber family maintaining a significant ownership position. GE Antares Capital provided the debt portion of the financing. 

  • NEVER SWIM IN A MARINA – LAKE FATALITIES HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY

    Thankfully, we have not heard any reports of fatalities in Canada, but last weekend’s accident involving a dockside electrocution at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, along with swimming fatalities over the Fourth of July holiday last year, underscore the dangers when water and electricity mix. The common element in these unfortunate accidents was electrical current entering the water from boats or docks.  “Wet environments are particularly dangerous when it comes to electricity. It’s vital to ensure electrical connections on or near the water are properly installed with appropriate safety equipment,” explains Molly Hall, executive director of the American Safe Electricity program. “Your loved ones’ lives just might depend on it.”

  • IMPORTANT CHILD SAFETY REMINDER

    We were contacted by Jeff Rhodes, President of BC’s Coastal Craft Boats who was moved by a U.S. news story about a 5-year-old being killed when he fell off the bow of the boat he was riding in and was struck by the propeller.

    This sort of senseless tragedy should never happen. Rhodes contacted us to say, “I will sponsor a friendly safety notice reminding/urging people NOT to allow their children, passengers and pets to ride on the bow of boats while underway. I've personally seen this scenario too many times in BC waters and it sickens me every time, including an incident two weeks ago coming out of Horseshoe Bay. If I had of been in a boat and not on the