News

One day only holiday party sale!!! Goes until Monday November 17 at midnight. Tickets are now available. Get yours today!

About the party: Our holiday party is December 6, back at the ABYC. 

Tickets are $25 per person for one day only and include dinner (with wine). 

There will be a slideshow at the party! Please send any fun photos of water rats events to webrat@waterrats.ca so we can include them!

We'll be giving out awards and you are welcome to nominate when you make your ticket purchase. Or please email partyrat@waterrats.ca with your suggestions. 

Lock Update

This year we set up an internet connection for the lock by the gate to the club to improve the reliability of the locks. It has helped, but we have some app users experiencing difficulties. At times a new key is created that needs to be downloaded to the lock before it can be used. Due to the weak internet connection or lack of solar power, sometimes this is not happening reliably. So we've decided to switch everyone to fob access only, as we need to prioritize the reliability of the system. Once the fob is setup on the lock, it will not require continued connectivity to the internet. Fobs will be distributed to all members who don't have one over the winter via the pickup box in the clubhouse.

We're going to switch the clubhouse back to a combination lock. And we're going to leave the combination lock on the small gate, with the combo posted in the clubhouse. That is meant for anyone having issues to exit the club, and not for regular entry/exit.

If the battery on the lock is low, it will flash red 4 times before opening. Once we get a low battery alert, we will swap with the spare lock. The battery can then be changed while the lock is not on the gate (in case there are any issues with the battery change, which is what happened this summer), and this eliminates the possibility that the battery dies.

We're confident that these steps will eliminate any issues next year. We'll only look to expand the system again if members have a good experience. And if it's still not good, we'll look to change.

DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up on club news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here. 

 

Coming up this weekend…

AGM MEETING

Our AGM will take place Sunday November 16 at 2 pm at the club.  

Our Paper Pat, Party Rat, Racing Rat and Chief Rat are resigning and we’re looking for members interested in taking on those roles. Many thanks to Julie, Walburga, Ray and David (who has spent seven years on the board) for their service! 

As a reminder, members are welcome to run for any role on the board.

We will be putting together an agenda in advance for the meeting. If anyone would like to add an agenda item please email chiefrat@waterrats.ca and put AGM in the subject line.

Please find our executive board member reports here. If you are not able to attend and want to vote, please fill in our proxy form and assign your vote to someone else.

For those who attend the AGM in person, we will be announcing a special one day deal for our holiday party. Curious? Come and find out what’s happening!

HOLIDAY PARTY

Our holiday party is December 6, back at the ABYC. It’s looking to be quite the banger this year! Please join us!

Tickets this year will be $32.50 per person and include dinner (with wine). Note that you will need to purchase your ticket ONE WEEK in advance in order to pre-order your dinner. Please don’t delay!

There will be a slideshow at the party! Please send any fun photos of water rats events to webrat@waterrats.ca so we can include them!

We'll be giving out awards for:

+Best Sailing Ambassador (representing Water Rats at international meets) (Sail)
+Best Sailing Participant (Sail)
+Most Sportsmanlike (Sail)
+Most Enthusiastic Volunteer (Sail or Paddle)
+Best Capsize Recovery (or “Wettest Exit”) (Sail or Paddle)
+Human Compass Award – For “creative” route choices that turned a 5 km paddle into a scenic 12 km tour. (Paddle)
+Most Likely to Paddle Through Anything – Ice? Rain? Mosquito clouds? They’re out there anyway. (Paddle)
+Wildlife Liaison – For the paddler who interacts most closely with local birds, fish, or logs-that-look-like-beavers. (Paddle)
+Make up a new award and nominate somebody! (Sail or Paddle)

You are welcome to nominate when you make your ticket purchase. Or please email partyrat@waterrats.ca with your suggestions. 

Tickets are now available. Get yours today!

DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up onclub news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our club fall cleanup. Don’t forget to add your volunteer hours!

AGM ANNOUNCEMENT

Our AGM will take place Sunday November 16 at 2 pm at the club.  

Our Paper Pat, Party Rat, Racing Rat and Chief Rat are resigning and we’re looking for members interested in taking on those roles. Many thanks to Julie, Walburga, Ray and David (who has spent seven years on the board) for their service! 

As a reminder, members are welcome to run for any role on the board.

We will be putting together an agenda in advance for the meeting. If anyone would like to add an agenda item please email chiefrat@waterrats.ca and put AGM in the subject line.

Please find our executive board member reports here.

For those who attend the AGM in person, we will be announcing a special one day deal for our holiday party. 

HOLIDAY PARTY

Please join us on December 6 for our holiday party, back at the ABYC. Tickets this year will be $32.50 per person and include dinner (with wine). Note that you will need to purchase your ticket ONE WEEK in advance in order to pre-order your dinner.

There will be a slideshow at the party! Please send any fun photos of water rats events to webrat@waterrats.ca so we can include them!

We will need some volunteers for this event:

+Show off your crafty side and make table centerpieces.
+Arrange to get sponsorship prizes to giveaway at the event.
+Greet people at the entrance and give away tickets.
Please email partyrat@waterrats.ca with your interest. 

We'll be giving out awards for:

+Best Sailing Ambassador (representing Water Rats at international meets) (Sail)
+Best Sailing Participant (Sail)
+Most Sportsmanlike (Sail)
+Most Enthusiastic Volunteer (Sail or Paddle)
+Best Capsize Recovery (or “Wettest Exit”) (Sail or Paddle)
+Human Compass Award – For “creative” route choices that turned a 5 km paddle into a scenic 12 km tour. (Paddle)
+Most Likely to Paddle Through Anything – Ice? Rain? Mosquito clouds? They’re out there anyway. (Paddle)
+Wildlife Liaison – For the paddler who interacts most closely with local birds, fish, or logs-that-look-like-beavers. (Paddle)
+Make up a new award and nominate somebody! (Sail or Paddle)

You are welcome to nominate when you make your ticket purchase.

Tickets are now available. Get yours today!

DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up on club news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here.

Our season is coming to an end and it’s time to get our club ready for the winter. Please note that our fall cleanup has been delayed for one week (it will now be November 1) to leave some additional time for the leaves to fall from the trees.

FALL CLEAN UP

We’ll be having our annual fall cleanup on Saturday NOVEMBER 1 (with Sunday being the rain date). Come help us make the space beautiful and get some volunteer hours!

Bring a rake and some gloves. We will also need some volunteers to prepare lunch and bring in the dock (wetsuit needed). Contact groundsrat@waterrats.ca and put FALL BBQ in the subject line to help.

AGM ANNOUNCEMENT

Our AGM will take place Sunday November 16 at 2 pm at the club.  

Sadly, our Paper Pat, Party Rat and Chief Rat are resigning and we’re looking for members interested in taking on those roles. Many thanks to Julie, Walburga and David (who has spent for seven years on the board!) for their service! 

NOTE: if there is someone who would like to step up as party rat until the AGM please let chiefrat@waterrats.ca know (we need someone to help plan the holiday party and Walburga is on holiday!)

As a reminder, members are welcome to run for any role on the board.

We will be putting together an agenda in advance for the meeting. If anyone would like to add an agenda item please email chiefrat@waterrats.ca and put AGM in the subject line.

HOLIDAY PARTY

Please join us on Saturday December 6 for our holiday party, back at the ABYC. Tickets this year will be $32.50 per person and include dinner (with wine). 

There will be a slideshow at the party! Please send any fun photos of water rats event to webrat@waterrats.ca and put PHOTOS in the subject line so we can include them!

We will need some volunteers for this event.

Show off your crafty side and make table centerpieces.
Arrange to get sponsorship prizes to giveaway at the event.
Greet people at the entrance and give away tickets.
Please email chiefrat@waterrats.ca with your interest an put HOLIDAY PARTY in the subject line.

We'll be giving out awards for:

Best ambassador (representing Water Rats at international sailing meets)
Best participant in sailing
Most improved sailor
Most sportsmanlike
Most enthusiastic volunteer
Most outspoken 

Tickets are now available. Get yours today!

DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up on club news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here.

What a great summer we have had so far.  The club looks amazing and the weather has given us so many reasons to get out on the water. Join us at some upcoming events at the club: LAST SUMMER BBQ SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Our final summer BBQ will be Sunday September 14 from 4 - 6 pm. There will be delicious food and live music. If you are able to volunteer, please contact partyrat@waterrats.ca.  FALL CAT REGATTA SEPTEMBER 20/21 Cat sailors! Our annual Cat Regatta is coming up on September 20. Register here now. Breakfast and dinner are included for a very reasonable price. We still need a boat driver and assistant on Saturday. If you can help, please sign up here. In club news: MAIN GATE LOCK As you are likely aware, we’ve been experiencing some problems with our digital lock and we hope to have this fixed soon. IMPORTANT! The combo to the temporary lock is 9816. There is a visible line at the top of the lock which is challenging to see in the dark. The lock will not open if you line the numbers up in the middle, they need to line up at the top along the line. THE ABANDONED FLOATING DOCK This has been a challenge to resolve. The Port Authority is working on the situation and hopes to have the dock removed by mid-September. Fingers crossed that it’s gone soon! OUR LEASE WITH THE CITY  Our lease with the city has been up for renewal and after several meetings, we should see a new lease in early January.  There are still some things that need to be finalized, so we await their direction on final date. PAVING REGATTA ROAD  Looks like Regatta Road will be paved to Unwin in the next week or so which will definitely help with dust and dirt on our cars. Be prepared for delays while this takes place. FISH HABITAT ON THE RAT SPIT There has been talk of the creation of a fish habitat off of our spit and the city has drawn up plans, but nothing has been done and the project has not found funding yet.  We have been in several meetings with the City to voice our concerns with the habitat and how it will affect our sailing/kayaking experience negatively.  Please stay tuned for any updates as we will let our membership know as soon as we have more information.  DON’T FORGET… Submit your volunteer hours on our website. MISSING A NEWSLETTER? Visit our website to get caught up onclub news.  WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS? View our calendar here.

LAST SUMMER BBQ SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14

Our final summer BBQ will be Sunday September 14 from 4 - 6 pm. Please join us for some delicious food and live music. If you are able to volunteer, please contact partyrat@waterrats.ca.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO CLEAN CLUBHOUSE

We are looking for volunteers to help out on a regular basis to keep our lovely club house clean. Chores include: Broom and mop the floors, clean both change rooms, tidy cabinets and fridge. Mops and buckets are found in the men’s change room, detergents are under the kitchen cabinet. Please contact Elizabeth Lee (laiharfong1@icloud.com) if you are able to help out.

FALL CAT REGATTA SEPTEMBER 20/21

Cat sailors! Our annual Cat Regatta is coming up on September 20. Register here now. Breakfast and dinner are included in the very reasonable price. We still need lots of volunteers for this weekend event, please sign up here.

AND DON’T FORGET…

Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?

Visit our website to get caught up on club news.

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?

View our calendar here.

NEXT SUMMER BBQ JULY 22
We’re doing it again! Our next summer BBQ is Tuesday, July 22 at 7 pm! Join us at the club for a free dinner and some lake fun. If you are able to volunteer, please contact partyrat@waterrats.ca.

SUMMER REGATTA COMING UP
All sailors! Please join us for a one-day regatta on August 3! Here’s where to register. 

We need a volunteer who would be willing to pick up and deliver a simple breakfast from Tim Hortons to the club for 8:30 AM in the morning of Aug 3. Please contact Beata if you can help out.

AND DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up on club news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here. 

IMPORTANT! ANT SPRAY RESCHEDULED
Due to an illness, our next ant spray has been rescheduled to Thursday, July 10. Members are not permitted to enter the club during the entire morning. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

NEXT SUMMER BBQ JULY 22
We’re doing it again! Our next summer BBQ is next Tuesday, July 22 at 7 pm! Join us at the club for a free dinner and some lake fun. If you are able to volunteer, please contact partyrat@waterrats.ca.

SUMMER REGATTA COMING UP
All sailors! Please join us for a one-day regatta on August 3! Here’s where to register. We will need volunteers. Please contact Dan Borg at 416-254-8882 if you can help out.

HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE SALTO APP?
You are not alone! We’ve discovered that the Salto device doesn’t work well with phones in MagSafe cases. If you are using one of these, please tap your phone screen (not the back of the case) to the device or remove your phone from its case. This should enable the device to find your digital key more easily.

DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A BACKHOE OR DIGGER?
If so, please get in touch with groundsrat@waterrats.ca. There’s a project you may be able to help us out with.

AND DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up onclub news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here. 

REMINDER: FIRST BBQ JUNE 24
Calling all members! Our first summer BBQ is next Tuesday! Join us at the club for a free dinner and some lake fun. If you can volunteer please contact partyrat@waterrats.ca. 

PLEASE CUT THE GRASS UNDER YOUR BOATS
A reminder to all sailors to cut the grass under your boats. Also make sure your trailer tires are not flat. This helps us keep the property looking clean and tidy, especially with our lease renewal coming up! 

We are also seeking a volunteer to clean up the grass under the paddle racks. We have a club weed wacker. Please contact paddlerat@waterrats.ca to arrange.

DO YOU HAVE RECEIPTS TO SUBMIT?
All board members have new email addresses. Get in touch with Gord at moneyrat@waterrats.ca. Moving forward, requests will only be accepted through this address.

WE HAVE ROOM FOR MORE LASERS!
We’d love to recruit more active sailors for the club. Do you have friends who love to sail and have their own boat? Share the word with them!

AND DON’T FORGET…
Submit your volunteer hours on our website.

MISSING A NEWSLETTER?
Visit our website to get caught up onclub news. 

WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT CLUB EVENTS?
View our calendar here. 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: WATER RATS CLOSED TUESDAY JUNE 3 AM

It's that time of year again. We have booked our annual fire ant spraying on Tuesday June 3 and Tuesday July 8 from 9 am to 12 pm. The club will be closed during this time.

Sorry folks, as Tuesday appears to be a lovely day! Hope the weather holds out until noon for us!!