Notices

NOTICES

Home

Courses

Tour of Marine Communication Traffic Service (MCTS)
2010 Spring Student Cruise
25% Off at Weems & Plath
Pleasure Craft Operator Card is mandatory September 15, 2009
Coast Guard Auxiliary Safety Inspections
Call for Speakers for our Lecture Series
Please keep us informed

Tour of Marine Communication Traffic Service (MCTS)

Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centres provide communications and traffic services for the marine community and for the benefit of the public at large. These Centres are responsible for:

detecting distress situationsm
ensuring timely assistance
broadcasting safety information
identifying defects and deficiencies in vessels entering Canadian waters
providing advice, recommendations and direction to vessel traffic
providing, on a cost-recovery basis, the exchange of communications between ships and land-based customers
optimizing traffic movements and port efficiency
facilitating the operations of pilots and the sharing of marine traffic information

View some internet links for more information related to this subject.

View photos from the tour in our Social Activity Centre!

Top

2010 Spring Student Cruise

The Spring 2010 Student Cruise to Otter Bay on Pender Island was held on Sunday 07 March 2010 with 26 participants of whom nine were Boating Class students.

We wish to express our sincere personal appreciation for all those squadron members who took their time and put forth the effort to make this a successful day. All these skipper/boats and proctors had sailed in prior student cruises, and bring a wealth of experience.

Once again, the lunch time social activity was very successful. Jess and Charlene Mansley’s hospitality at the Otter Bay Marina coffee shop, along with their delicious hot dogs and smokies gave our students a valuable opportunity to mix with our squadron and begin to form what I hope will be their ongoing association.

The student cruise is more than just a technical exercise applying classroom teaching. It also provides an opportunity for :

squadron members and students to get to know each other and to encourage students to become active participating members in future squadron activities.
squadron members to have a pleasant off-season cruise and fun lunch socializing with other members
training new cruise skippers/proctors
keeping squadron members aware of the value of the student cruise to students and to the boating community
squadron members to refresh and polish their own boating skills

The success of future student cruises is entirely in the hands of our membership. While there is a history of strong participation, in recent times enthusiasm seems to be flagging. Even though the last cruise had a small class of only ten students, it very nearly did not happen. It was very late in the planning process that we were actually able to confirm sufficient resources to sail.

We will be actively recruiting for skippers/boats and proctors for the Fall Cruise in September but we would be happy to hear at any time from any squadron member who wants to sign on earlier.

View photos from the cruise in our Social Activity Centre!

Top

25% Off at Weems & Plath

Weems & Plath, manufacturer's of nautical and weather instruments, are offering 25% off to CPS members until December 31, 2010. To obtain your coupon, visit the Members Benefits page on the CPS site.

Top

Pleasure Craft Operator Card is NOW mandatory

Did you know that the PCOC is now mandatory? Everyone who operates a motorized boat will need to have their PCOC (Pleasure Craft Operator Card) by September 15th, 2009. If you know of any family or friends who don't have their PCOC, now is the time. Encourage them to register online or contact our course registrar, Richard Ludwig, at 250-655-7426.

For more information on the PCOC please read our Q & A.

Top

Coast Guard Auxiliary Safety Inspections

Members are invited to have a FREE safety inspection performed on their vessel. They will be issued an approved sticker indicating that the boat has passed inspection for the year. They will also let you know of any shortcomings aboard your vessel. Further information may be obtained or a time booked by contacting Derek Viggers at [email protected] or by phoning him at 655-0428.

Top

Call for Speakers for our Lecture Series

Do you have a special nautical interest or adventure that you would like to share with your fellow SPS members? How would YOU like to be a guest speaker in our JOINT SPEAKER SERIES at Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club – Their members and our members presenting interesting, informative, and exciting topics!! The club usually offers a delicious, theme dinner for each speaker series event! If you would like to attend the dinner, please call the SNSYC at 656-4600 to make a reservation. To avoid disappointment, always check with the club or watch your email for changes or further information.

Speaker Guidelines:

the talk should be about a personal special nautical interest or adventure - no commercials, please;
the talk should be 1 hour in length, with some time for questions and answers;
a power point presentation is preferred but not required. A screen is available at the club;
handouts are always enjoyed by attendees;
if you are interested, please email our communications officer at [email protected].

Top

Please keep us informed

Please keep us informed, so that we can keep you informed. If you have changed your address, phone number, or email address recently, please let us know so we can keep our records up to date. There are times when we do phone and email communications and there are numbers that are "no longer in service" and emails that came back "undeliverable". We don't want you to miss out ... so please email our membership officer to keep us up to date.