March 2015 - midlandpowerandsail.ca

Midland Power and Sail Squadron, Founded in 1952
P.O. Box 763, Midland, ON L4R 4P4
Commander’s Commentary
We are slowly zeroing in on
Spring and Easter and the first
signs of a break in this “beast” of
a winter. I don’t know about you,
but I’m tired of the short and cold
days we’ve had (since before the
New Year). Unfortunately, Sandy
and I have been unable to get
away to the south to get a bit of a
break. I just want to get out on the
water and enjoy our spring and
summer! It will take a bit more time than normal
to melt the snow and ice that has built up in
Georgian Bay—when the temperature of the water
rises to a reasonable level for swimming, I’ll be a
happy camper! No more whining!
We have some educational activities to
promote: such as our “VHF” and “Electronic
Navigation” courses coming up in April and May.
We will complete our winter “Boating
Essentials” course in early April. Check out the
courses, prices, times on our Squadron Website,
or CPS-ECP’s site www.boatingcourses.ca
Bob LaVictoire is heading up the Squadron’s
activities with regard to Recreational Vessel
Courtesy Checks (RVCC). This is a free volunteerbased service offered by CPS-ECP to promote
boating safety as suggested by Transport Canada
guidelines. The check itself takes approximately
15 to 30 minutes and consists of …
March 2015—Volume 8, Issue 1
Newsletter Editor: Sandy Campbell
 If the vessel is non-compliant, the owner is
given an opportunity to return with his part of
the form and evidence that his vessel is now
compliant, at which time we re-inspect that
portion of the safety equipment and issue the
sticker.
It’s a great deal when you consider, the OPP
doesn’t offer this service, but will “fine you” if you
are found non-compliant during their
inspections—some fines are as high as $200.
If you would like to be a volunteer and assist
Bob with these courtesy checks, contact him to
arrange a convenient time to take the short
training course.
Here are two important dates to be sure to
mark on your calendars:
 Our Squadron AGM and dinner is coming up
Saturday May 9, 2015, at Best Western
 Our Squadron Rendezvous will be held the
weekend of June 26, 2015 at Henry’s, Sans
Souci. Contact Bob Lav to book your slip.
Your Midland Squadron would love to see you at
both of these major events for 2015.
Noel Campbell, Commander
 a visual check of safety equipment (personal,
fire, signalling and navigational) according to
size of boat and the DOT's small-vessel
regulations.
 a two-part form is filled out, one part for the
boater and the other for Transport Canada.
 If the vessel being inspected is fully in
compliance with the safe boating regulations, a
RVCC windshield sticker is awarded along with
a copy of the latest Safe Boating Guide. This is
an annual check so the stickers are marked with
the year they are issued.
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
Commander’s Commentary .............................. 1
Heated Dry-Stack Storage opportunity ............. 2
Upcoming Spring Courses—Start April 13, 29 . 3
On-Water Boat Show—June 5—7, 2015 ............ 3
Georgian Bay Water Levels—March 2015 ........ 4
Summer 2014 Cruise Aboard “Tempus Fugit” .. 5
Bridge Officers ................................................. 6
Spring Fever? ................................................... 8
Boating Skills Virtual Trainer ........................... 8
Notification … 2015 Squadron AGM ................. 9
Nominating Committee Report—2015/16 ........10
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Q
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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Upcoming Spring Courses
Presented by your Midland Squadron
Maritime Radio (VHF) Course
(classroom)
Begins Monday, April 13, 15 and 17,
2015 at Midland Secondary School.
Electronic Navigation:
April 29 (classroom)
Begins April 29 and runs 5 weeks at
Midland Secondary School. If there
is sufficient interest, we can add a
second course: “RADAR for
Pleasurecraft”.
Please note:
If we have four students for any offered CPS
Course, we will arrange the course for members
or non-members. Seamanship, Advanced
Piloting (AP), Fundamentals of Weather are
just a few suggestions. Please advise us and we
will accommodate you. Please visit our website at
http://midlandpowerandsail.ca/course-information.html
Jim McLarty, Training Officer
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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Boating Georgian Bay website:
http://www.boatinggeorgianbay.com/index.html
Here’s just one of the interesting things you’ll learn
at this dynamic website:
Refresh your Boating Emergency Skills
Water Levels in Georgian Bay
March 2015
Georgian Bay is still mostly ice covered which will
assist in higher water levels as loss of water by
evaporation is suppressed.
Currently, the water level is
at 0.4m above chart datum
and at that level it is 0.1m above
the long-term average in March.
http://www.boatinggeorgianbay.com/emergencies.html
If the long-term normal
trend in water level happens,
then the level could possibly
increase by another 0.3m by
June/July—that is a total of
0.7 m above chart datum.
In practical terms, this means that the water
should be always deeper than that shown on the
chart.
It seems that even if we have a dry summer, it
is unlikely that navigators will encounter seriously
low water levels this year. Safe boating. Cheers!
Mirabile Dictu
My latest Facebook favourite:
“Huronia’s Past and Present”
https://www.facebook.com/
groups/
HuroniaPastandPresent/
Join Facebook today
and enjoy this local
history website!
Ed.
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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Summer 2014 Cruise Aboard
“Tempus Fugit”
By Mike Hamilton
We’ve completed many cruises around the Great
Lakes over the past decade, but one cruise that I
had not completed as yet was the mini-eastern
triangle formed by the St. Lawrence River, the
Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal, so it was time
to begin planning to take this cruise.
Using the Canadian
Hydrographic
Service Catalogue
#3, I compiled a list
of required charts
and checked my
inventory of charts,
ordering those that
were missing. I also
ordered two new
PORTS books, one
for Lake Ontario/
Thousand Islands and one for the Ottawa River/
Rideau Canal. I had previously ordered and
received the Parks Canada Season’s Locking
Permits and Mooring Permits. The Locking
Permits are a good deal for a trip like this—
covering two trips on the Trent-Severn, ten locks
on the Ottawa River (including the flight of eight
at Ottawa) plus the Rideau. The Mooring Permits
probably less so, unless you plan to overnight at
the locks at least ten times.
At the middle of June, Parks Canada was still
operating on “reduced hours and service,”
opening at 1000 and closing at 1600, meaning
that you might not get into a lock before 1030 and
you had to be available to enter at 1530 for the
last lift of the day. Because we wished to reach
the Port of Orillia by the end of the first day, we
delayed our departure on Friday, June 20 th when
the locks were open until 1800. A friend and
neighbour was joining us for the first day to
Orillia where her husband would meet us to drive
her home to Midland.
Friday, June 20, 2014: Sunny, light winds. Hour
Meter reading 1568.
 820 Depart Bay Port Yachting Centre
 930 Arrive Lock 45, Port Severn
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
 1100 Arrive Lock 44, Big Chute; dock for lunch
and break
 1625 Depart Lock 42, Couchiching
 1810 Arrive Port of Orillia for the night. We had
dinner onboard after our guest left with her
husband.
Saturday, June 21, we departed Port of Orillia at
1050 after a leisurely breakfast and 30 minutes
later, we entered Lake Simcoe to find it
reasonably smooth and pleasant.
Two hours later, we re
-entered the TrentSevern system. The
crew at Lock 41 also
operate Lock 40 but
there was barely any
delay.
At 1715, we reached
the Kirkfield Lift Lock
where we decided to
overnight on the
upper wall after having been lifted up. Friends
and neighbours from our condo were in the area,
so paid us a visit for “happy hour”.
Some time in the night, a stowaway (field
mouse) boarded the boat but I didn’t discover it
until looking for a new roll of paper towels! The
Kirkfield Lift Lock #36 is the highest point in the
Trent-Severn system, so we are proceeding
downstream now and the directional buoys are
reversed.
Sunday, June 22, we left Kirkfield Lift Lock at
830 and arrived at Bobcaygeon 5 hours later.
While waiting on the blue line for the lock, a
gentleman wearing a CPS shirt ran up to us,
commenting on our 75th Anniversary CPS flag and
invited us to join in a picnic at the Park. We rafted
up and joined the group. The picnic was hosted by
three area Squadrons. We had a great visit and
exchanged concerns and ideas.
We docked for the night at Gordon’s Marina
below the Lock.
Monday, June 23, we provisioned in Bobcaygeon
and departed at 1045, arriving at Lock 28,
Burleigh Falls 4 hours later and docking at
Burleigh Lodge where we had a great meal.
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(continued from page 5)
Through the night, there was a heavy rain but
we were dry and cozy in the boat.
Thursday, June 26, we filled the fresh water tank
and had the holding tank pumped before motoring
to Scott’s Mills Lock 19 and heading for Hastings
via the Otonabee River and Rice Lake. This is the
longest run on the Trent-Severn with only one lock
to pass through.
After breakfast, we explored the area and
checked out the gift shop.
Tuesday, June 24, we departed the Burleigh
Lodge at 1100 and arrived at the Peterborough
Lift Lock at 1600. This is the highest hydraulic lift
lock in the world and is over 100 years old. The
steel work is amazing!
We docked at Hastings Marina at 1430, six
hours after leaving Peterborough. This marina is
about ten years old, well kept and operated by the
Municipality of Trent Hills. It is just upstream of
the Hastings Lock 18 and the dockmaster will call
the lockmaster to arrange timing for you to lock
through.
We docked at the Peterborough City Marina
and stayed for the next day. We shopped for a
mouse trap!!
(continued on page 8)
2014-15 Bridge Officers—Midland Power and Sail Squadron
Commander
Immediate Past Commander
Executive Officer
Secretary
Training Officer
Treasurer
Public Relations Officer
MAREP Officer
Membership
Assistant Training Officers
Newsletter Editor/ Webmaster
Administrative Officer
Safe Boating Specialist (RVCC)
Training Aids
Noel Campbell
Bob LaVictoire
Vacant
Christine Robinson
Jim McLarty
Mike Hamilton
Jim McLarty
Vacant
Murray Lockhart
Robert LaVictoire
(705) 549-5383
(705) 526-9585
noel.campbell@rogers.com
boblav@csolve.net
(705)
(705)
(705)
(705)
c.m.robinson@sympatico.ca
mclartys@rogers.com
mrmwhamilton@sympatico.ca
mclartys@rogers.com
(705) 526-9585
lockhartmurray@gmail.com
boblav@csolve.net
Ken Lockhart
Sandy Campbell
T. Milne Dick
Bob LaVictoire
Vacant
(705)
(705)
(705)
(705)
locky@acn.net
sandy.campbell@live.com
tmdick@csolve.net
boblav@csolve.net
322-7003
549-1334
528-1397
549-1334
527-7768
549-5383
527-7551
526-9585
Front row: Christine Robinson, Noel Campbell, Mike Hamilton
Back row: Sandy Campbell, Milne Dick, Ken Lockhart, Murray Lockhart, Bob LaVictoire
Missing from the photo is Jim McLarty
(Photo by Cindy Lockhart)
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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(continued from page 6)
Friday, June 27 dawned sunny and hot. We
departed at 945 and arrived at Old Mill Park in
Campbellford where we tied on the wall at 1500.
Friends from Brighton drove over and joined us
for dinner.
Saturday, June 28, we topped up the fresh water
tank again and departed Campbellford at 1000.
Five hours later, we tied on the wall above the
Frankford Lock 6. The weather was still quite hot
so we sat in the shade on picnic tables and visited
with other boaters. We met a young man and his
grandfather from Texas who were doing the “Great
Loop” and were heading to the North Channel.
Sadly, there was a drowning near the dam at
the Lock and the next morning the investigation
delayed the opening of the Lock until 945. Three
hours later, we docked at Fraser Park Marina in
Trenton.
So ended 9 days underway plus one day in port
(Peterborough).
Mike Hamilton
Boating Skills Virtual Trainer
Learn new maneuvers with the Boating Skills
Virtual Trainer. Risk-free, hands-on experience.
Take the helm and try:
 Departing
the Dock
 Spring
Lines
 Fairways
 Pivot
Turns
Moorings
Docking
Slalom
Crossing /Overtaking
Meeting
Emergency Stops
Winds and Currents
Day and Night
The Boating Skills Virtual Trainer is funded by a
generous grant from the CPS Foundation.
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Got Spring Fever?
Thank you, Vanessa Schmidt, CPS Facebook page:
Click on the CPS Facebook page link above or
click on the image…get help with your
Spring Fever!
Ed.
Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
Come and try the Boating Skills Virtual
Trainer … it’ll be at the Bay Port OnWater Boat Show on June 6, 2015.
You’re invited to step up to the controls
and take the helm to give it a try.
Ed.
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Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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Midland Squadron website: http://midlandpowerandsail.ca
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