Welcome

Welcome to the Kincardine Power Squadron home page

During the next short while we will be preparing a communications centre here for our members, and for interested visitors

Our mission

Kincardine CPS is a volunteer organization of boaters dedicated to promoting boating safety . We offer training courses about boating, seamanship, navigation & vhf radio. Kincardine CPS is a part of the Georgian Trent region of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS-ECP).Canadian Power and Sail Squadron is nation-wide, non-profit, Organization. Membership in Canada is over 30,000.

A message from the Commander

Boating Greetings From Kincardine CPS/ ECP.

It looks like winter will never end, but end it will, and soon.  Looking back over the winter that has just passed, we at power squad put on a boating course, a VHS course for marine radio operators license and a PCOC course for meeting the boating requirement. All participants enjoyed each of the courses.

Socially, we also sponsored a Christmas dinner which was greatly enjoyed. This is the good part of CPS - Friends meeting friends.

As this sailing year is approaching. It is time to start preparing. What are my intentions in preparing my boat?

First I will check out the trailer wheel bearings. I give the wheels a spin to see if the bearings growl back at me. If they do they must go. The good news is bearings are not hard to change, nor too expensive (and don't forger the seal)!

Next come the trailer lights. I will connect the trailer harness to the car and have the captain help by applying the brake pedal.  Some points to watch for are anywhere wire can rub on metal. Watch for wire rubbing on sharp corners and also rusty contact points. I use a little grease or Vaseline on the connections to prevent this.

Now onto the boat…here lies a mass of work. First, the new GPS I got at the boat show has to be wired in and tested. Then comes re-installing all the bits I took off last year,and the bits I failed to fix because the winter came to soon. Much of the stuff is too numerous to list. Anyways, at my age, I would not remember , so I make a list. Don't go without a repair kit for your glasses - specks with one arm are not so good - all for the want of a screw.

The safety gear inventory you should have on board can be found in the boating regulations hand book or you can have a courtesy check free from our local coast guard. This is just a glimpses at some of the work I need to do, and hopefully a reminder for you. I find it nice to be retired and have the time to get this done.

Now there is the question of where to go. This lake can get downright nasty at times, so it is nice to be able to leave  the boat in the harbour in rough days. I like to sail in the North Channel – Manitoulin Island. My boat, being small and trailerable can “sail” from  Tobermory to Manitoulin Island in about two hours in the Chi-Cheemaun and hit water the other side in a day. A book called “Ports” covers a lot of information about the area and it shows a lot of good anchorages.

The North Channel will challenge most people’s navigation skills, especially with the rocks. The lake level is below chart datum, so having successfully completed the power squadron boating course helps keep us afloat.

Another thing for the trailerable sailor folk there is a group called Trailer Sailors that sail the north channel as a group every year. Their web sight is www.trailersailors.org      You might like to look them up on the web as they have lots of good pictures to see.

So, Happy Boating this summer, look out for the CPS flag and wave - because there goes a friend.

Yours in Boating;

John Ryan Commander, Kincardine Power Squadron