Boated to Craganmor on March 21st!!

Sorry about the photos, they are from my phone and I cannot get them to rotate when uploaded...

Life Jackets - Transport Canada standards for commercial operators

Life Jackets standard from Transport Canada website.

  lifejackets and personal flotation devices in Canada - Transport Canada

SVOP Course - What are we learning??

I have been talking to as many people as possible about the SVOP course and the Transport Canada regulations. It is becoming quite obvious that while no one wants to 'get into trouble' with ANY government department none of us are really quite sure what we will gain (in useful knowledge) from doing the SVOP course.
 
Also who can AFFORD the course costs and the TIME right now??

We need some feedback from everyone. If we don't band together we are going to get bulldozed by the Government and that is going to COST US MONEY!!!

 Here is Georgian Colleges 'blurb' about the course from their website;

"The SVOP course has been tailored to meet the training needs of the small vessel master and is accepted in lieu of a master’s certificate. Topics include stability, collision regulations, chartwork and pilotage, shipboard safety, pollution prevention, meteorology, Canadian buoyage system, radar, and the use of marine charts to execute a voyage."

Out of all these topics they want us to learn and pay for, what will we ever use in our 'Sheltered Waters' scenario??

- Chartwork and pilotage - NO
- Meteorology - NO
- Radar - NO, don't even know a contractor with radar on the boat!
- Use of marine charts to execute a voyage - NO
- Canadian buoyage system - YES, but we know what we need already! 
- Stability - YES, but do we need a course in how to load a boat??
- Collision regulations - YES, but we already know that we don't EVER want to hit anyone or anything!
- Pollution prevention - YES, but we know not to do that already!

There isn't much here that is relevant!

TALK TO ME GUYS! Armin (from Honey Harbour) and I are going to the Canadian Marine Advisory Council (CMAC) meeting on March 28th. Transport Canada will have a lot of their staff there giving briefings. I think we need to tell them loud and clear that the SVOP course standard is NOT PRACTICAL and we need something that is. Also that no one can afford to do this course right now...we need till next spring to get it done!!

We need some feedback from you guys! If we don't band together we are going to get bulldozed by the Government and that is going to COST US MONEY!!!

Ice is gone in the South Channel!

One of Tamaracks Barges pushed through the last of the rotten ice across Five Mile Bay yesterday and got all the way to Sans Souci!! I was at Glen Burney putting my own boat in when they got back.

Haven't found anyone yet who can remember getting in earlier than March 20th!!

Am heading to Craganmor today to check it out...pretty excited!!

Article on Craganmor Point in The Georgian Bay Forever Association Magazine

Check out the article on us on page 9 of the magazine.

GBF Spring 2012 Newsletter - Craganmor Point - Page 9

5 mile Bay is breaking up

Brent Warga South Channel Blog was out in the scoot yesterday. He ran across 5 mile and reports an average of around 4 inches of ice. Said the scoot was breaking through the ice and he expects the ice to be gone in 2 days. Rumor on the grapevine has a contractor or two running their barges down the bay this w.e. to break it up!
 

Weather report for The South Channel and Sans Souci

The ice is breaking up around the docks at Glen Burney Marina. The boat ramp is clear now. Channel is clear from Glen Burney through 2 mile narrows to 5 mile bay. There is ice from there to the Osprey nest but it is thin (6-10 inches) and soft. Channel is clear again from the Osprey past Craganmor to Devils Elbow. The back bays are still frozen solid. Brent Warga who lives year round in Kineras Bay  reports 12-14 inches of solid white ice at his dock at the back of Kineras. Brent is out on his snowmobile and scoot right through the winter going and he has some amazing photos of YOUR COTTAGE on his blog, going back to 2007, check them out at (South Channel Blog)!!

Have you seen the weather forecast for next week (march 19th) 20-25 deg!! Incredible!! The long range does show it dipping back towards zero at the end of the month...dont rush to put the water on in the cottage yet...you may pay for it!!

Also think twice about putting big boats in the water. I/O motors could freeze if we get a cold snap and if we get heavy snow it could wreak the canvas top of your boat!!