News

  • 04 Jun 2019 3:46 AM | Matthew Burpee

    Top 3 Laser Full Rig

    1.) Gord Welsh

    2.) Pat Wachholz

    3.) Ray Davies

    Top 3 Radials

    1.) Andrew Mahoney

    2.) Julie Stewart

    3.) Pam Shinkoda

    Thanks to all the volunteers who made this regatta a success, particularly those who covered for me while unexpectently away on business.

    Thanks Ben and Brett Slykerman for the great day 2 and awards pics.

    See you all at Fall War 2019! - Randy McMeekin

    Select image to expand:


    June 8, day 1, provisional results after one discard



    Registration form:
    http://waterrats.ca/event-3435784


    Notice of Regatta

    Laser Standard, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7

    June 8-9, 2019. Water Rat Sailing Club, Toronto, Ontario

    Organizing Authority: Water Rats Sailing Club, 4 Regatta Road, Toronto, Ontario. Main Contact is Randy McMeekin randy.mcmeekin@gmail.com or via cell at 416-712-7444.

    Rules: All races will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2017-2020 (“RRS”) and Laser Class rules, except as modified by the sailing instructions.

    The Sailing Instructions will be available online at www.waterrats.ca and during onsite registration.

    Eligibility and Entry: Laser Standard, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7. Each class must have a minimum of 5 entries for a separate start. Competitors shall enter by completing the entry form available on the event website and paying the required fees. 

    Entry in the event is not final until registration is completed. All competitors must check in on site to complete registration.

    Entry Fee: $40.00

    The entry fee includes coffee and muffins each morning, water between races, a Saturday after racing BBQ (hamburgers and Sausage) and a Water Rats 50th anniversary t-shirt. Bring your own refreshments if desired to after racing socializing.

    Format/Racing: The low-point scoring system, RRS Appendix A will be used. Short courses will be set to allow 4-5 races per day. One (1) race shall constitute a regatta. The number of races per day will be determined by the Race Committee.

    Schedule: Saturday June 8 Skippers Meeting 1000 hrs
    - First Gun 1100 hrs
    - Sunday June 9 First Gun 1000 hrs

    Equipment: Regatta is open to all Laser boats with class legal equipment. Note however that non-legal sails (ie, Intensity brand sails) may be used in the regatta. All sails should have a number identification of some kind.

    Insurance: Each competitor is required to have third party liability insurance no less than CDN $2,000,000. 

    Venue and Race Course Area: Racing will be held south of the Water Rat Sailing Club in the Toronto Outer Harbour. Boats, trailers, dollies and cars may be stored at the WRSC free of charge. Camping on site may be permitted upon request. Information about the sailing club can be found at www.waterrats.ca

    Additional Information: Check the event registration page at http://waterrats.ca/event-3435784 or contact Randy McMeekin at randy.mcmeekin@gmail.com or 416-712-7444

  • 04 Apr 2019 11:10 AM | Matthew Burpee

    A personal account by Paul Henderson, The Pope of Sailing! "The Water Rat and Outer Harbour Sailing"

    Please read more in the article from Canadian Yachting: http://www.canadianyachting.ca/news-and-events/current/4993-a-personal-account-the-water-rat-and-outer-harbour-sailing

    Mar 28, 2019

    Water Rat Celebration

    By Paul Henderson

    From my point of view, sailing is a sport, which relies totally on the environment. Sailors use a renewable resource—wind—for our power. Our boats sail across lakes and oceans, and we do not scar the surface. Sailors are extremely concerned about the environment. In fact, one of our 1972 Olympic medalists, Paul Cote, was a founder of Greenpeace.

    I first became aware of environmental issues in 1966 when I was invited to a luncheon at the Argonaut Rowing Club organized by Gordon Norton and Bill Cox with Jack Jones, the forward thinking chief engineer of the Toronto Port Authority. Jack had built Ontario Place and other marinas along Toronto’s waterfront using landfill. Toronto was going through a dynamic construction boom with a number of large office buildings going up in the downtown core. This required digging large foundations to house subterranean parking lots and shopping concourses, and the earth had to be dumped somewhere. Jack’s solution was to build a large spit out into Lake Ontario at the foot of Leslie Street, which he justified by saying that all this earth had once been under the lake before it receded centuries earlier. Lake Ontario is a huge body of freshwater about 400 kilometres long, 100 kilometres wide and 200 metres deep. There is a ledge east of Toronto Harbour where the lake is only 10 metres deep, and this was where the spit would be constructed. Some three kilometres offshore, the lake bed drops off dramatically to about 100 metres.

    An environmental lobby tried to stop construction of the spit on the grounds that it would ruin the natural mating ground of the soft-shelled crab. Sounding a different alarm, a left-leaning New Democrat Party (NDP) city councilor said that the spit would take up some of the surface area of the lake. I could not believe this uninformed rhetoric—Lake Ontario pulsates minute by minute due to small changes in atmospheric pressure. The lake is also subject to strong east and west winds and depending on wind direction, the water piles up at one end and then runs the other way. The surface area of the lake is constantly changing, and the 200 acres of the proposed spit would have a negligible impact on its overall surface area.

    At the luncheon, Jack Jones rolled out his engineering plans for the spit and informed us that they had poured a small test area about 100 metres long at the east end of Cherry Beach to test whether it would be subject to erosion by winter storms. They found that this test spit built up as sand collected along its edge. Jack suggested that we should grab it to ensure a footprint for recreational sailing in the waters to be protected by the spit, which would come to be known as the Outer Harbour. We needed 

    to come up with a reason to convince our friends at the Toronto Port Authority to allow us to use it. It so happens that the Hearn Generating Station used water from the lake to cool their generators, returning the slightly warmer water back into the Outer Harbour. This kept the area ice-free during the winter. We prepared a letter asking that sailors be allowed to use the test spit for winter sailing, and the Toronto Port Authority gave us a temporary permit to do so for six months in 1968. We purchased eight Sunfish dinghies and sailed almost every weekend all winter long (see photo). It was a very bleak, treeless area housing derelict fuel tanks, salt piles, mounds of aggregate and scrap yards, but it gave us our much needed access to the water. The sailors are still there.

    Gordon and Bill

    Gordon Norton and Bill Cox, Founders of The Water Rat, preparing to sail a Sunfish at the inaugural Water Rat Regatta December 1970. This shows how the Toronto Outer Harbour looked when we started to use it. The rocks were there to protect the erosion of the shore which was happening before “The Spit” was built, planned by Jack Jones.

    The barren wasteland, with no trees, is where the community sailing, rowing and windsurfing clubs now operate. The land was allocated by the Hon. Donald MacDonald.

    The Martin Goodman Trail now winds between the Water Rat and the Hearn Power Generating Station. More recently, the same group has tried to get a rowing/dragon boat course dug out north of the Water Rat to save it for recreational use.

    Bill Gooderham, Head Cheese of the Water Rat, planted the first trees there.

    Gordon Norton, Bill Cox and I are proud of the fact that we started the recreational use of this industrial wasteland guided by the vision of Jack Jones of the Toronto Harbor Commission.

     

    The Water Rat:
    We needed a name for our new venture. Gordon Norton was quite politically astute. He observed that since the Toronto city council had been taken over by the left-leaning NDP, it would be ill advised to use the words “Yacht Club” because he felt these words would carry connotations of privilege to the proletarian-minded NDP. Norton believed we should call it “The Water Rat” after the famous line in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind In the Willows where the water rat says to the mole, “Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing . . . .”

    Norton also decreed that we should not have a commodore but a “head cheese,” and the always helpful Bill Gooderham was so named. One day I went down to the barren Outer Harbour and saw Bill planting a dozen willow trees which he had purchased. If you go down there today, the 25-year-old trees are very grand.

    So The Water Rat was founded. We needed a fence to enclose the area to protect our boats, which we left on the shore but The Water Rat had no money. Colonel Frank Ovens, our mentor and manager of the RCYC, allowed Cox and me to access the membership roll and send letters to our RCYC friends asking each for $100 to underwrite the cost of the fence. This raised the required $10,000. Sailing was now possible in Toronto all year round. The print media that first winter were very supportive.

    Thanks to the Port Authority, which was breaking up old lake freighters, we inherited the captain’s cabin and wheelhouse of the Victorious and converted them into a unique clubhouse. The structure was detached with cutting torches, loaded with the Port Authority’s unusually large crane onto a truck, and installed at The Water Rat. We also needed a dock. Commodore Grant, who owned Overland Transport, donated a flat-bed from a semi truck, and it still serves as a very functional dock.

    Maury Edwards, also from the RCYC, was CEO of McCord’s Concrete. He said that most nights they had leftover concrete in their trucks and were dumping it out at the spit. If we would meet the trucks at The Water Rat, we could get free concrete for our boat park and thus secure the land. We had a detail of members worked out, and when McCord’s called we would all hurry down to The Water Rat with our rakes, shovels and hip waders. As luck would have it, one night the concrete pumps broke at one of the big building sites downtown, and we got seven trucks each carrying 12 cubic yards of concrete. The Brymer boys, Stu Green and, as usual, my Mary were there to help. That is a hell of a lot of concrete to spread!

    Norton was right. At a city council meeting, NDP leader Jack Layton stood up and announced that The Water Rat was the type of recreational facility Toronto should foster, as opposed to the “royal” yachting clubs. He demanded that The Water Rat be designated on new city maps. We were now kosher! I never told Layton that The Water Rat had been founded and funded by members of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, which over the years has been the glue that holds all sailing together in this region. The Water Rat has since been turned over to its present users with no strings attached. I trust they remember that it was the RCYC sailors, together with the vision of Jack Jones, who made it all happen, and that it has allowed many entry level sailors to enjoy sailing on Lake Ontario.

     

    Outer Harbour Sailing Federation:

    In 1972 there was a very close federal election. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was fighting for his political life. I am not a card-carrying anything, and I usually vote for people I know. I am an entrepreneurial businessman with a social conscience, and am equally as concerned about where tax money comes from as I am about where it is being distributed.

    Mary’s good friend Ruth Hutchinson was married to the Honourable Donald Macdonald, M.P., who represented the federal riding of Rosedale where we live. Summoned to a policy meeting for the election, I asked Don what he wanted me to do. “Work for the opposition,” was his tongue in cheek reply.

    His advisers felt that the election would be very close and that the densely populated high-rise apartment buildings of Toronto’s St. James Town would be key to the outcome of the election. I had an idea. The St. James Town YMCA had ushered in a new concept for community sailing to introduce newcomers to Toronto, aged 20 to 40, to the sport. It had proved so successful that it spawned similar projects out of the Westwood YMCA, North Toronto YMCA and Mooredale House, all operating out of the Toronto Island Marina. The City of Toronto, which owned the marina, was in the process of evicting them, however, and they had no place to go. Two of these clubs were in Macdonald’s Rosedale riding, as was The Water Rat—Port Authority land is a federal jurisdiction. I suggested that if Macdonald would promise to allow the community sailing clubs to operate on the unused Port Authority wasteland east of The Water Rat, he would be doing a great service to the community.

    I told him that the next Wednesday I would be giving one of my monologues on sailing to the St. James Town and Mooredale community sailing clubs and that he should make an appearance at the meeting. I would introduce him and he could make the commitment publicly to give them a new home. My own involvement with these initiatives came about as a result of the established sailing clubs’ refusal to allow these new community clubs to race with them, ostensibly because they had a long-standing exclusive racing alliance. Bill Gooderham and I made it a practice to enter all the keen racers from the community clubs at no charge under the aegis of the RCYC, and in this way we were finally able to break the stalemate. The community programs have in fact proven to be excellent feeders to the established clubs.

    At the Wednesday meeting, Macdonald signed up 30 residents of St. James Town to canvass voters on his behalf. The Trudeau Liberals won the election by one seat. Macdonald carried the St. James Town polls by 600 votes, which proved decisive in the Liberals’ extremely narrow margin of victory in Rosedale—he hung on to the riding by only 400 votes! By virtue of our modest initiative, Trudeau carried the country.

    True to his word, Macdonald delivered the land east of The Water Rat. Peter Van Buskirk, then manager of the RCYC, became the first president of the Outer Harbour Sailing Federation, guiding it through its early years, and was especially skillful in his dealings with the Port Authority.

    For some reason the North Toronto YMCA did not take up its slot, so the Hanlan Rowing Club took over, adding a new aspect to the use of the Outer Harbour. Over the years they have tended to act as if theirs is the controlling use, and occasionally I feel compelled to remind them of Olympic rower Marnie McBean’s observation that rowers sit on their ass and look backwards.

     

    Paul Henderson

    Paul Henderson has represented Canada at three Olympic Games: 1964 Enochima in the Flying Dutchman, 1968 Acapulco in the Finn and at the 1972 Schilksee as coach. He also qualified for the 1980 Olympics at Tallinn in the Star but Canada joined the Olympic Boycott against the Soviet Union.

    He was a member of the founding group that set up CORK (Canadian Olympic Regatta Kingston)

    The first time Henderson represented Canada at the International Yacht Racing Union, was in 1970 to advise on the sailing venue for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He stayed active for ISAF for over 30 years.

    Henderson dedicated five years as a volunteer in his leadership of the Toronto Olympic Bid, to host the 1996 Olympic Games and was also consulted to the 2008 Olympic bid and to the 2010 Vancouver bid.

    Henderson was elected President of the ISAF in 1994; the first non-European to ever hold this position.

    Please read more in the article from Canadian Yachting: http://www.canadianyachting.ca/news-and-events/current/4993-a-personal-account-the-water-rat-and-outer-harbour-sailing


  • 17 Jan 2019 1:03 PM | Matthew Burpee


    1969

    "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." 

    "And now for something completely different" 

    "Pinball Wizard"

    1969 was a pivotal year. The first human landed on the moon, the Concorde plane flew, Nixon started the draft, and the Woodstock generation began. Closer to home the TD Centre went up, John Lennon and Yoko Ono played at Varsity Stadium, and Trudeau made French and English official. Telesat Canada was formed, Ontario Science Centre opened, and the first ship passed through the Northwest Passage. 

    And Water Rats began! The story about how we started in 1969 is one of equal opportunity and importance to the events above in this author's opinion. It began when the chief engineer of the Toronto Harbour Commission suggested at a lunch meeting that a recreational sailing club start by a spit they were building.

    The first Laser sailboat "TGIF" may have been brought to Water Rats and sailed in December 1970 by three people: Laser co-inventor Ian Brucecompetitive sailor and sail maker Hans Fogh, and our club founder aka the “Pope of Sailing” Paul Henderson.

    Learn more in this entertaining account...




  • 09 Dec 2018 11:47 PM | Matthew Burpee

    2018 Holiday Party

    Our seasonal holiday party brought us together to celebrate our sailing community, our wins, our volunteer efforts, our friendships and even musical and dancing abilities. The dinner was delicious and the cheer even better. We'll be celebrating our 50th in July.

    The event was held Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 6pm-11pm at 30 Ashbridges Bay Park Rd, Toronto.

    Photos/video by Matthew Burpee (album) and Yvonne Pennefather:(album).






  • 23 Nov 2018 5:54 PM | Matthew Burpee

    Wild Apricot membership software continues to be effective in managing our main communications via email and web. It allows us to securely manage our current 200+ members and offers a number of features such as payments, event registration, email blasts, and website management.

    First we'll look at visitor stats for the last year and then our social media accounts. Your feedback is welcome. 

    Next year we'll look again at improving the website content and design for our internal and external communities.


    Web stats Nov 2017-Nov 2018

    The website is unsurprisingly more popular from April to June when anticipation for the sailing season is the strongest with prospective and current members. 

    Top page visited after the home page are about the membership, then contact, about us and racing events.

    People find the site mainly by typing the URL address in, with search tools, or link from another website.

    Visits from around the world.

    Technology used



    Social media

    Facebook group 195 members

    Facebook page 23 likes, 87 visits

    Instagram (new) 81 posts 103 followers 28 following 

    Twitter (new) 117 tweets, 28 followers, 45 following

    YouTube (new) 1 video, 3 subscribers 

    Pinterest (new) 42 pins, 6 boards, 2 followers, 2 following


    Your feedback is welcome.

  • 23 Nov 2018 9:00 AM | Matthew Burpee

    WATERFRONToronto

    November 6, 2018 Via Email


    RE: Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure – Cherry Street North Bridge

    We are writing to provide information and an update on a project that may be of interest to your organization, the Port Lands Flood Protection & Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI) Project.

    Project Description

    PLFPEI is a comprehensive plan for protecting southeastern portions of downtown Toronto from flooding in the event of a provincially defined Regulatory Storm. This includes parts of the Port Lands, South Riverdale, Leslieville, south of Eastern Avenue and the First Gulf/Unilever development site.

    [Figure 1 - Project Area: Existing Conditions. Project area outlined in pink.]

    Cherry Street Bridge Demolition and Construction A key part of the PLFPEI Project is the removal and replacement of the existing Cherry Street Bridge. The new Cherry Street North Bridge will span the Keating Channel and will be located along a realigned new Cherry Street, approximately 120 meters west of the existing Cherry Street.

    The new Cherry Street North Bridge plays a critical role in achieving flood protection. During a major storm, the existing Cherry Street Bridge and abutments (particularly the south abutment) create a pinch point in the Keating Channel, contributing to flooding. Removing the existing bridge and abutments will allow us to widen the channel at this location and improve flood conveyance during large flood events. To maintain access in and out of the Port Lands west of the Don River, the new Cherry Street North Bridge will be constructed prior to the removal of the existing Cherry Street Bridge. Construction is expected to begin in January 2019. Additional information can be found through the links provided below.


    [Figure 2 - PLFPEI Proposed Bridges]

    Background and Context

    Providing flood protection for the Port Lands was identified as a top priority by all three levels of government when they first established Waterfront Toronto in 2001. Working together over the past decade, Waterfront Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Lands Company (now CreateTO) have developed and refined a solution to naturalize the mouth of the Don River and protect the Port Lands and nearby neighbourhoods from potential flooding. The PLFPEI Project will create a new mouth for the Don River in the middle of the Port Lands between the ship channel and the Keating Channel.

    Naturalizing the mouth of the Don River will provide the necessary flood protection and unlock the development potential of this waterfront area. A new urban island neighbourhood called Villiers Island will emerge on the south side of Keating Channel. In addition, the project will also enhance habitat for natural species and will re-establish river and wetland habitat in the area, which provide social and environmental benefits and naturally moderate the effects of flooding and erosion.

    The PLFPEI Project has been informed by extensive engagement and consultation with the public, government agencies, stakeholders, Indigenous communities, and landowners and developers. It is consistent with the City of Toronto’s primary waterfront planning document, the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan. It also secured key environmental assessment approvals in 2014 from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (formerly the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change):

    Lower Don Lands Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment; and

    Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project Environmental Assessment.

    Navigation Protection Act

    The Navigation Protection Act authorizes and regulates the public’s right to unobstructed passage over navigable waters. The process evaluates potential impacts to navigation and acts to minimize those impacts. An undertaking in, on, over, through or across any navigable water in Canada triggers this process. As part of the approval process for the Cherry Street North Bridge project, Waterfront Toronto is required to submit a Notice of Works form pursuant to the Navigation Protection Act.

    The Navigation Protection Act authorizes and regulates the public’s right to unobstructed passage over navigable waters. The process evaluates potential impacts to navigation and acts to minimize those impacts. An undertaking in, on, over, through or across any navigable water in Canada triggers this process. As part of the approval process for the Cherry Street North Bridge project, Waterfront Toronto is required to submit a Notice of Works form pursuant to the Navigation Protection Act.

    Navigation was a topic covered in both the Lower Don Lands Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment and Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project Environmental Assessment. The Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project Environmental Assessment conducted a Navigation Risk Report and Updated Maneuvering Circle Assessment. This report identified and assessed navigation risks and proposed mitigation measures. The report can be found here: http://www.trca.on.ca/dotAsset/182028.pdf. Navigation was a topic covered as part of the Environmental Assessment consultation program. A summary of the consultation record can be found here: http://www.trca.on.ca/dotAsset/181980.pdf.

    [Figure 3 - Aerial View of Proposed Full Vision for the Port Lands, including a new river valley and naturalized mouth for the Don River.]

    Stakeholder Engagement

    The proposed design for the new Cherry Street North Bridge is attached to this document. This bridge will be fixed and will replace the existing lift bridge. The elevation of the underside of the bridge will be 79.45 m CGS 1928. During high lake level (El. 75.50 m CGS 1928), the navigation clearance will be 3.0 metres plus 0.95 m buffer; during mean lake level (El. 74.70 m CGS 1928), the clearance will be 3.8 metres plus 0.95 m buffer. For more information, refer to drawings NASN-100 and NAAC-100 attached herein. Please provide comments regarding the effect of the vertical clearance change on marine navigation directly to Transport Canada at:

    The Manager, Navigation Protection Program

    Transport Canada

    100 Front Street South,

    Sarnia, ON N7T 2M4

    Or via Email at:

    NPPONT-PPNONT@tc.gc.ca

    Comments will be considered only if they are in writing and are received not later than 60 days after the date of this letter. Although all comments will be considered, no individual response will be sent.

    We will continue to keep you updated on the PLFPEI project as we move forward with the design.

    Best Regards,

    Simon Karam


    Project Director

    20 Bay Street, Suite 1310

    Toronto, ON

    M5J 2N8

    Tel: 416.214.1344

    Fax: 416.214.4591

    www.waterfrontoronto.ca


    Information Links:

    Community Consultation, July 22, 2018 – Presentation Material (PDF)

    PLFPEI Project Components

    Cherry Street Stormwater and Lakefilling Project (PDF)

    Waterfront Toronto Release Due Diligence Report on Port Lands Flood Protection Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI), October 20, 2016

    Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project Environmental Assessment

    Lower Don Lands Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment



  • 10 Nov 2018 8:59 AM | Matthew Burpee

    Our friendly neighbour Hanlan Boat Club needs temporary space. Their docks are on our shore until the end of March. 


  • 12 Sep 2018 1:34 AM | Matthew Burpee

    "I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on things that are happening at the club." - Norm on September 12, with minor updates from Matthew on September 25.


    BBQ 

    The final summer BBQ will be help on Thursday Sept 13th. Mark it in your calendar. I hope you can attend.  


    Board Member position open: 

    Paddle Rat

    Some of the responsibilities include: 

    • Keeping racks organized and maintained
    • Notifying new members as they come up on the waiting list
    • Facilitating the membership process with the Membership Rat
    • Encouraging members to lead paddle nights

    Sylvia Winninger has done a fantastic job of the Paddle Rat portfolio and will be greatly missed.   

    If you are interested in helping out in this capacity, please contact me directly. 


    Boat Captain

    We are in desperate need of someone to look after our two boats. At the moment we are double dipping, as two or more board members are looking after the boats... and their own areas. I feel it is time we get a specific person or team to manage our boats.  

    The responsibilities are open for discussion.   I would think the following might be part of the responsibilities:

    • Scheduling of the use of the boats
    • Oversee maintenance requirements
    • Be the point of contact with the Water Sports Camp
    • Ensure we have all the correct safety equipment on board and it is in good shape
    • Lead the replacement process of our boats as required
    • etc...

    It would probably be of benefit if you were somewhat mechanically inclined for this position. 

    This would not be a position on the board (which is probably a good thing... less red tape)

    If you are interested in helping us out, please let me know. 

     

    Regatta / Marketing person

    At Water Rats, this year, I believe we will be running 5 regattas.  The way we are currently structured the regatta organizer (usually one person) is responsible for all aspects of the regatta, getting Race Committee, Race officer, organizing dinners, making the Notice of Race, marketing the event, crash boat, awards etc...   

    To alleviate some of the pressure on the regatta organizer it would be great if we could find someone to deal with the marketing of the regatta.  Once again, the responsibilities would be up for discussion but think that some of the following would be included:

    • Use Facebook/email/posters etc....  to advertize our regattas
    • Liaise with other OHSF clubs and  promote those regattas
    • Work with other organizations (ORCA, CRAM ... )  regarding scheduling of regattas
    • Standardize/Coordinate prizes for all regattas  (maybe WRSC hats and tee shirts?)  

    This, as well, would not be a position on the board (which is still probably a good thing... less red tape)


    Board of Directors

    Are you interested in participating on our Board of Directors? Every year we do have some turn over in the board. 

    If you interested in participating please contact me and we can discuss the possibilities. We are always looking for good people.


    Events

    Sunday races 

    Every Sunday at 1pm until the end of October. 


    Catamaran Regatta - Ben Hur

    Cat regatta September 22/23 at our club. All cat sailors are welcome. 


    Clean Up Day

    Saturday, October 27. Rain day October 28. Let’s clean up our club for the coming winter and year ahead. Please RSVP at: http://waterrats.ca/ event-3087700 so we know how much food to buy for the 1pm BBQ. Bring gloves and a rake if you have one and a friendly vibe.
    Volunteers are needed for the BBQ and clean up of the club house afterwards. Contact Barbara Anderson <serenewaters.barbara@gmai l.com> and learn more about hours at http://waterrats.ca/hours. Facebook event


    Private function at Club

    Sunday, November 4 - Sarah Pointer is hosting an evening social.


    AGM

    Sunday, November 18, 2pm


    Christmas Party

    Dec 8 or 15th (finalizing the exact date and will let you know shortly) 


    Movie. Our old clubhouse made it to the big screen   

    Here's an email below from our former Chief Rat Steve Hoke: "Finally found a posted copy of the movie that was shot at the 'Rats Oct 2010. I got $8,750 for the club which went right in to our building fund towards the new clubhouse. Shows how pathetic our old clubhouse really was, strong in character but…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqkYLjB5EeM&ab_channel=DanielStewart

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqkYLjB5EeM&ab_channel=DanielStewart

    For segments featuring our old clubhouse and grounds, skip to 39:50 also 1:15:06 and 1:18:43


    If you have any questions / comments / concerns let me know.... more information to come!

    Norm Lamb 
    Chief Rat


  • 04 Sep 2018 1:27 PM | Matthew Burpee

    Weeknight racing is over for the season.

    We will be switching to Sundays at 1pm from September until the end of October. With the possible exception of the Ice Bowl one Saturday in November.

    Also, Ian our RC is moving to England tomorrow for school. Let Mike Doell know if you are interested or know anyone who would like run them for us.


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