- Derek Hatfield lays keel for Spirit of Canada (Oct/04)
- Great Lakes water diversion proposal (Sep/04)
- Olympic Medals in Water Sports (Aug/04)
- Container Ship collides with Sailboat (Aug/04)
- IJC "Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement" review (Jun/04)
- Small Boat Safety to Transport Canada (Apr/04)
- Navigation Chart Recall (Jan/04)
- Toronto Bridge Construction (Jan/04)
- General Interest:
Derek Hatfield lays keel for Spirit of Canada
Oct/04:
Derek Hatfield begain construction of Spirit of Canada Open 60 as Canada's entry in the 2006-07 solo sailing race 5-Oceans Challenge (formerly the Around Alone Race). Construction will require 18,00 hours of labour and built with the help of several Canadian marine businesses. Derek was the 2003 Canadian Rolex Sailor of the Year and is one of only 126 to finish a single-handed race around the world. In an Open 40 in Class II, he finished 3rd overall, despite barely surviving a capsize near Cape Horn. More at www.spiritofcanada.net or (416)816-7446.
Previous news: Derek Hatfield completes Around Alone race (May/03)
Derek Hatfield plans to enter "Around Alone" race
(Aug/01)
Great Lakes Water Diversion Proposal
Sep/04: A joint U.S./Canadian proposal for an agreement on water diversion has been proposed by eight states and two provinces that border the Great Lakes (Council of Great Lakes Governors: CGLG.ORG). The "Implementing Agreement for Annex 2001" proposed diversion of water from the Great Lakes for resale by a group of eight U.S. states.
Currently, Ontario scrutinizes all water withdrawal requests of more than 50,000 litres and has put a moratorium on withdrawals between watersheds. Quebec has placed a moratorium on out-of-province diversions until it has implemented its new water policies. But no similar new protections are yet in place in the United States. 10 million Canadians (and millions of Americans) depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Comment deadline to the CGLG is October 18.
Olympic Medals in Water Sports
Aug/04: Kayaker Adam van Koeverden won gold in men's K1 500m and bronze in men's K1 1,000m). Kayaker Caroline Brunet won bronze in women's K1 500. The Canadian canoe and kayaking team qualified boats in 10 finals ? 4 more than at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
In sailing, Ross Macdonald and Mike Wolfs captured a silver medal in Star class sailing regatta at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In rowing, Cameron Baerg, Thomas Herschmiller, Jake Wetzel, and Barney Williams won Silver in Men's Coxless fours by a razor-thin margin of .08 seconds. Darcy Marquardt and Buffy-Lynne Williams placed fourth in the women's pairs.
In Diving, Alexandre Despatie won Silver in Men's Springboard. Blythe Hartley and Emilie Heymans won Bronze in Women's Synchronised high board diving. In all, 7 of Canada's 12 medals were won by our athletes in water sports. (More at: CBC.CA/olympics)
Container Ship collides with Sailboat
Aug/04: The Canada Senator, a Liberia-registered container ship enroute to Italy, collided with a sailboat in the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City. The 16-metre sailboat sank quickly. The weather was calm with fog patches and no wind. The sun had not yet risen. A man and a woman from the were rescued, but Provincial police divers did not find two men who went missing after the sinking.
IJC "Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement" review
Jun/04: The International Joint Commission (IJC.ORG) The governments of the United States and Canada has a review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1978) to prepare for the 12th Biennial Report, to be released in 2004. The IJC is interested in public input about the future of the Great Lakes - they will host a number of public meetings from June to September, as well as discussion on their Internet bulletin board. You are encouraged to log on and respond to other's thoughts or comment on agreement issues that are important to you. This may well be our last chance to create binding laws to protect the Great Lakes.
Small Boat Safety moving to Transport Canada
Apr/04: The Office of Small Boat Safety, created in Fisheries and Oceans Canada a few years ago, has moved back to Transport Canada (government directory) with policy responsibility for the following:
- pleasure craft safety
- pollution prevention and response
- marine navigation services
- navigable waters protection
The regulation of ship safety and vessel registration continues to be the responsibility of Transport Canada. No word yet on the future of the Coast Guard (DFO officials currently use CCG ships).
Navigation Chart Recall
Jan/04: The Canadian Hydrographic Service has recently discovered that some CHS charts, purchased between August 2002 and March 2003, have problems with ink and coating. Contact your dealer for replacement. (Details)
Toronto Bridge Construction
Jan/04: The Toronto Port Authority began construction of a bridge over the Western Gap to the island airport in December. Bridge construction has since halted, due to pressure from a group of yacht clubs, boating organizations and the public. Boaters main objection is that bridge closings over this very busy channel would have caused accidents and loss of life. They were joined by others who said the airport should be removed from the islands, the lands should be converted to parkland, and the Port Authority should be disbanded. After David Miller vowed to stop construction of the island airport bridge, he was elected mayor of Toronto - then he stopped it. Local organizers continue the fight. (CommunityAir.org)
