Parks Canada Attendance Down
The number of visits to Parks Canada attractions fell 7% from 21.8 million visits in 2006/2007 to 20.2 million visits 2010/2011. In 2009 the government announced a freeze on Parks Canada fees that has been extended into 2013 for the general public and into 2014 for groups. They have recently launched a Parks Canada clothing line to try and raise revenue and are considering other money making concepts.

Parks Canada has hired the Toronto marketing firm Veritas for $395,000. over the next two years to learn how the parks can better promote themselves and to look at other revenue building opportunities and in general boost the Parks Canada brand. The program specifically includes national parks and national marine conservation areas of which Georgian Bay has many. They are looking for a 10% increase in visits by 2015 and will be targeting urban centre new immigrants.

Come 2014 ... hang on to your wallets as the Parks Canada bureaucracy will ratchet up the budget and go about making up for lost time. Parks Canada does a pretty good job protecting and operating the Parks at the on site level, but the overhead and bureaucracy is staggering and for this reason, catching up at some point is almost a given - unless the politicians extend the freeze further into the future.

You'd think with all that government employee talent and exposure to the day to day park management situation they could save the consultant fees and invest that money in their own brand awareness destination marketing campaigns. Remember the Veritas contract is only consultant advice – after that you can be sure an advertising budget and other overhead will be required to deliver the consultants recommendations. Otherwise it will just become another report sitting on the shelf with no budget to support it right?

Personally my read is - leave it alone and the situation will mostly correct itself once the economy clearly turns around and folks have more discretionary income to travel. Of course the other longer term issue is demographics. Parks are very much family places and the wave of boomers is getting older and they are empty nesters for the most part, with kids off to work and university. So a shift to more couples and seniors attendance is inevitable. That's probably what the consultants will tell them for $395K.

I believe the fortunes of federal and provincial park attendance are largely tied to the effectiveness of provincial tourist marketing. Provincially, Quebec and Newfoundland are doing a great job on tourist marketing - but Ontario through their private sector Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership has done a tepid job and many of the new RTO geographic catchment areas have nothing in common and the dollars are being squandered on overhead and wages with little going into destination marketing.

Anyways, hats off to the men and ladies on the front lines who run around the parks keeping order and cleaning things up ... and a raspberry to the Parks Canada administration who should wean themselves off consultants and get out in the field and enlighten themselves as to the issues at hand and do this work themselves.

Perhaps all the senior Parks Canada staffers need take an all expenses trip to Greece to see how they manage the state parks there . Peter McKay can be their escort and arrange the flights and accommodations! I hear he knows a lot about arranging special flights and he sure knows how to pick nice hotels. Or maybe Peter can pay for the Parks Canada study – after all he just spent about the same amount of money redecorating his executive suite in Ottawa. And yes I'm Conservative .. at least last time I checked.

Will The European Debt Crisis Hit North American Boating Industry?
Lately there has been some good news pertaining to the boating industry in North America. Boat show sales are up. Consumer confidence is rising according to the USA Conference Board. Dealer sold boat sales has risen 11.6% nine months ending Sept. 30th 2011 over the same period 2010 based on Spader Business Management dealer reported statistics. 2011 dealer operating profit is up 3.9% the highest level since 2007 at 4.4%. New boat sales overall are up 16.2% and used boats up 11.6% this year. The average spend transaction rose 9%. Info Link Technologies reports outboard motorboat sales over 15 ft. went up 7.4% Sept 2010 to Sept 2011 ... first positive growth in over 5 years.

But there is a dark cloud looming. In Europe and Australia boat sales are falling. Australia has just lowered their interest rates after a number of hikes post recession. Asia manufacturing is slowing along with the raw materials they purchase from the west. And Europe - well it's a heck of a mess with all European countries paying higher or unsustainable bond yields to raise capital, austerity measure implementation in some European countries like Greece, Italy, Portugal & Spain ... high unemployment, banks going under, the Euro falling ... and it doesn't look like any short term solutions are on the horizon.

So far the North American economy has been able to shake off most of the fiscal problems and the affects of an imminent recession about to sweep Europe. Standard & Poors has all European countries (even Germany) on credit watch to downgrade. That could make bond yields really out of reach for many European countries when they are already at unsustainable levels of 7% now. Corporate earnings coming from the US and Canada have been fairly positive and most companies have cut costs and paid down debt and are in healthier shape than they have been in many years. But there's nothing much left to cut and future growth depends now on innovation, hiring and consumer spending. Signs have been looking very positive in North America but the million dollar question is how badly will Europe's problems affect America on this side of the pond? Lately it looks like the DOW & TSX markets are taking it in stride but how long will this last? It is possible that the European Union will get their act together and come up with a plan that can best manage a very bad situation over the long term, spreading out some of the pain while taking immediate measures to be fiscally more prudent. But short term they face certain recession and austerity and in this time of globalization it's a small world ... and domino affects can panic edgy markets spinning things out of control in a hurry affecting other markets an ocean away.

The Miami Boat Show and Toronto Boat Show will be a very important boat shows for reasons one might not have normally considered. Because of the timing to the European fiscal drop dead dates while stick handling these European issues. These two shows will be the virtual "Canary in the mine" for the marine industry in North America and the ongoing recovery of boat sales as a disposable income expenditures will show the industry clearly whether it will continue to lead out with it's recovery or fall back to the abyss of the last four years. Clearly the industry would be positioned for a major positive roll if it were not for this European uncertainty! Stay tuned and lets see if these two upcoming shows will deliver the prospects and sales that we hope for ... and that consumer optimism continues to rise from the ashes. Cross your fingers.

Trickle Down Economics
I had a interesting discussion recently on the Occupy Wall Street type protests that are going on around the world. While lately some of the focus of purpose is being lost to other fragmented interests, the original direction was clearly:

1. the need for jobs
2. the erosion of the middle class including the bigger divide between rich and poor
3. the perception of inequities in taxation of the wealthy
4. inequities of tariffs and low cost offshore produced goods flooding the markets that can often result in industries that no longer compete domestically in manufacturing

I think a lot of people who work and are well off have much sympathy and support for those that want to work but can't find jobs. We all want economic prosperity and both rich and poor are frustrated by the anemic economy, lack of political leadership in some cases and the constant turn of reoccurring bad fiscal policy and lack of regulation in the financial jurisdictions of many countries. I believe it's also reasonable to assume that most don't want to see CEO's of poorly performing private or public institutions or derelict businesses rewarded unduly by shareholders or with government taxpayer money for bad decision making. People have a right to complain and protest - that shouldn't translate to riots in the street and violence though.

But what I don't hear people talking about is the benefits that trickle down in some industries that result in a high ratio of economic benefit across all class structures. I heard that the "Occupy Wall Street" movement was planning on disrupting the Fort Lauderdale Yacht Show to make their point that life is not fair and those that can afford big yachts should be sharing more of their wealth. While it wouldn’t be fair to comment on individual cases (because I don't know any billionaire yacht owners personally), I think it is fair to say that the yachting/boating industry is in general an excellent example of how a manufactured product can have widespread positive economic benefits to many. Sometimes "trickle down economics" work.

Consider the following:

• boat building is still a labour intensive process ... many are employed from design, production, marketing, sales and post sales service
• boats use more than their fair share of raw materials from a broad cross section of suppliers including petroleum based resins, steel, other metals, plastics and wood
• many individual parts of a boat are subbed out to a wide variety of manufacturers
• the financial services industry and charter industries greatly benefit from boat builds, especially large yachts
• boats trade often and new boats are built to replace old boats that depreciate quickly but continue to require healthy amounts of cash for maintenance
• boats burn fuel (environmental concerns aside) and the oil industry is a huge and has far reaching positive economic impact around the world from the guy that pumps the fuel ... to the chemist in the refinery ... to the guy that drilled the well
• boat owners spend 10% - 20% per year of the purchase price of the boat paying for storage, dockage, maintenance, insurance, upgrades, equipment, fuel and all the taxes that go with those things
• everyone benefits ... marinas, local retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, parts suppliers, electronics, fuel suppliers, sundries & supplies, third party maintainers, sometimes crew and certainly all local businesses within a few miles of where the boat is docked or anchored
• service rates for yachts are much higher than service rates for mechanical products with wheels or white goods that sit in your house
• although there are usually relative low hours of actual operation added to a yacht yearly, the hourly averages to own and run a boat are in the $200 – $300 dollars per hour range (for actual use with costs rolled in) that trickles out and around ... even for boats in the 35' to 50' range (and exponentially higher as size increases)

Every yacht owner knows the shocking reality of the cost of ownership of a boat or yacht. The family car pales in comparison and quiet frankly a garage full of Ferrari's doesn't even come close to the kind of expenditures that even a 50” boat takes to maintain and the resulting dollars that it spreads through the economy.

You know the old saying – "a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into".

IF YOU WANT TO SEPARATE A WEALTHY MAN FROM HIS MONEY IN A HURRY AND HAVE IT TRICKLE EVERYWHERE THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMY - PRAY HE BUYS A YACHT

Now if your planning on buying a boat don't let this scare you. It only hurts when you write the cheque or pull out the Visa card and the rest of the time it's PURE HEAVEN! Boats are an overall excellent investment in your well being – but perhaps not so good to your pocketbook. However you can sleep well, knowing that you have done more than your fair share to help others in a very diversified way ... spreading money throughout the economy. You can't take it with you anyways - and it's a much better and more effective way to help others then say, general tourism or buying real estate.

So to those that were going to protest the Lauderdale Boat Show I say to you ... you're harassing the wrong folks! These boat buyers and boat owners are the sharers of wealth - not hoarders of wealth.

Gales of November
Georgian Bay is littered with hundreds of shipwrecks that have accumulated over the years. Even with modern navigation and forecasting capability mother nature still claims many a boat caught unaware by rapid changes in weather. There is no area on the Bay that isn't a grave for at least one ship, but around the east perimeter of Georgian Bay from Tobermory to Britt is where the largest concentration of wrecks can be found. Maybe "found" is the wrong word because there are still plenty of boats known to have gone down that have never been found.

If you are a captain on a recreational or commercial vessel and you believe in stats or the folklore of the "Witch of November" then this would be a good month to avoid the Bay. November is the month when the weather really turns over and the south and west winds tend to shift from the north as the jet stream pushes to the south. Cold fronts move south and clash with the still very warm air pushing up from southern USA. Boat sinking's due to gales and blinding snow storms are legendary during this month.

These ships are known to have gone down in November on Georgian Bay: Reliever, Mapledawn, W J Martin, Atlantic, June McLeod, Seattle, Northern Belle, Hibou, Gargantua, Michigan, Marquette, New Yago, James C King, China, Alice G, Wabuno, Hibou, Mary Ward, J H Jones. Many lost their lives that were caught off guard. Check out our Ship Wreck page for more information.

Most recreational boats are off the water by November but there are work boats and commercial vessels where November is just like any other month. Even the occasional bought or sold recreational boat gets delivered from A To B in this month. Mother nature can be cruel and the odds of having problems turn against you. Like a friend once said to me, "minor emergencies on a still day turn into all hell breaks loose catastrophes on a windy day". If you’re out in November the other boats that can assist are few and far between. Lifejackets, EPIRBS, liferafts, ditch kits all take on a whole new meaning during the gales of November. Even if ship wrecked and survivors were able to make it to some rocky outcrop, chances are one just prolongs the inevitable as exposure takes hold. The nights are long and cold in November.

So if you have to be on Georgian Bay in November ... respect mother nature, go prepared and take your best good luck charm with you to ward off the Witches of November. Most of all remember the weather forecast is only right about 75% of the time and it's the 25% when it's wrong that catches you with your pants down.

Etiquette While Underway
Well after our last piece on anchoring etiquette we received half a dozen emails suggesting doing an editorial on being nice to your fellow boaters while underway. So here it is.

The three specific comments that we get most often are as follows:

1. Local cottagers race around everywhere is smaller power boats and cut in and out of traffic with no adherence to speed limits close to shore or the wakes they are causing.
2. Larger yachts do not slow down when passing other boats causing tremendous wakes that throw the boat and it’s contents all over the place.
3. Boats entering narrow channels are not respecting the VHF Security warnings of others and they enter channels without responding to the Security warning causing a dangerous situation.

Now lets discuss a bit about each one.

Have any of you been through Honey Harbour lately on a weekend? Well I'm here to tell you it's a complete zoo. The problems I see are not with the bigger boats cruising through but with the small local boats running way to fast and weaving in and out of other boat traffic and across channels with total disregard to safety. I had one boat roar by and then stop dead in front of me in a narrow channel while the skipper pointed out landmarks to his passengers. A blast of the air horn was required to wake him up. Small boats don't realize (or maybe don't care) when they roar through narrow cuts that big boats are carefully crawling through the channel trying to avoid shallow water. The wake causes rolling on the bigger boat that can make it difficult to keep the big boat safely in the channel. I have seen small boats on the Small Craft Route race by big boats within a foot the boat in narrow channels. Often it is teens driving the boat but many adults are guilty as well. Not much can be done about this. These local runabouts in a race to nowhere don’t monitor VHF and they are obviously ignorant and self centered and will probably never change their ways.

Larger yachts are also guilty of passing slower boats with wakes that pitch slower moving boats all over the place. Usually it is power boats doing 15 knots passing sail boats doing 6 knots. In any event it is disrespectful and unnecessary. Faster boats passing slower boats should do a slow pass which only takes a few seconds or closely match the speed of the slower boat and creep by until the wake is past the slower boat. If you are doing a slow pass let the skipper of the slower boat know you will be coming up at speed behind the stern and then gliding by to port. I suggest that if you are waked by another boat passing, that you let the captain know on VHF 16 that you don't appreciate the wake and don’t forget to mention the boat name. Maybe peer pressure can help correct this common problem in the busier areas.

Two large boats in narrow channel meant for only one large boat is a recipe for disaster. Large boats entering a narrow channel are obligated to broadcast a Security warning on VHF 16 with location, direction and time to channel. Other boats are obligated to respond if they are in the channel or if they are also entering the channel from another direction and have an objection. First come first serve, so if you hear a security southbound and you are getting close to entering northbound then you should be waiting outside the channel for the boat that issued the security to pass. Everyone can make the mistake of missing a Security on occasion (and radio apology is in order) but some boats are habitual offenders and never acknowledge Securities and enter the channel regardless, playing chicken in the channel. It drives me crazy when I give a security and then halfway through the channel watch other boats enter without waiting and without acknowledgement. Twice in the last month I've had to wait in narrow channels for other boats that come in after the fact and want to push through regardless of the danger. I suggest admonishing the Captain by boat name on VHF. Something like this. "Captain of xxxx vessel you ignored my Security go channel xx" and then "Vessel xxxx why did you ignore my security endangering both boats? If you can’t follow some basic rules of the water then you shouldn't be skippering a boat - you should park it" and back to 16.

It's only going to get worse if boaters don't start showing some respect for fellow boaters and start following the rules of the water. I have heard from some safety conscious boaters that they avoid some areas because of the boat kayos ... so there are also some economic considerations at play as well. Just having the discussion can help and we all need to do our part. Treat you boat with the same care you would driving your car - with the chance of a cop around the next corner.

Anchoring Etiquette
The second weekend of July was to be a hot one so we headed out on a Thursday to make sure we got our preferred anchorage for the weekend. Sitting on the bridge watching the boats come into the harbour to anchor inspired this editorial, which I write as we swing slowly at our anchorage on a calm Saturday. The anchorage is busy but not full. Here are some observations.

Anchoring protocol is that you follow the lead of the first boats in the anchorage. Typically some boats will tie stern to along the shore out of the way and usually boats in the harbour are swinging on one anchor. If the first boat in out in the harbour drops a stern anchor then you should too. I was really surprised to see several boats come in forty feet from another and drop a stern anchor when the rest are all swinging freely. It was calm so it seemed there was space but as soon as a breeze comes up the swingers had the stern anchored boats as obstructions. Given that there was still tons of room to anchor safely and swing freely or tie stern to shore it is perplexing to say the least to see the lack of judgment of some folks who are operating boats.

It was also interesting to watch boats come in and scout a spot in amongst the already full areas of the harbour rather than take advantage of good anchorage spots on the perimeters of the existing boats already anchored. Bizarre ... it was like they wanted a group hug at the cost of damaging boats. Several put anchors down and ten minutes later figured out they didn't have the swing room and then picked up and left the anchorage to look for another while good spots with plenty of swing room get left ignored as if some disease lurked below.

Remember it is your responsibility as a skipper to ensure that you don't interfere with boats already at anchor before you. That means as you enter the anchorage you scout out possible spots and take note of wind direction, chart depths and whether existing boats have stern anchors down or not. Anchorages generally fill from the core out so why try and squeeze into the crowded centre of the core when the good available spots are on the perimeter?

The weirdest thing I saw was boat vacated a prime free swinging location just a ways behind me and before he was even out of the harbour another boat came in and set anchor with his boat twenty feet away to my starboard while starring right at this expanse of prime available swing room real estate just behind me. Boats all around him (including me) were giving him the stink eye wondering what the heck he was thinking. He had his anchor up and down three times within ten feet of his original drop point. He moved on his own eventually and left the anchorage after a little hissy fit with his wife who was manning the bow.

I guess one of the other common things you see is a big boat (say over 50 feet) with safe amount of chain down (say 100 feet in 12 feet of water) and a little boat comes in and drops 30 feet of rode straight up and down and doesn't even back into it to set the anchor. When the big boat swings there is going to be trouble so ere on the side of caution and put at least 7:1 down as you know the bigger heavier boats might have 10:1 down or more depending on the weather outlook. Remember it's usually too late to adjust scope when the anchorage is busy and a storm blows in in the middle of the night.

The last thing on my rant that drives me crazy is boats that anchor near me that don't have the tackle for the boat. Granted most manufacturers supply anchors and rode that are not adequate for serious safe cruising but good judgment says you go out and buy yourself an anchor and chain that will hold your boat in all conditions so you are not a liability to the rest of the boats at anchor. Sometimes it can be comical - there was a guy on mid 40 foot express cruiser who was overheard saying "I got 16 feet of chain down and 20 feet of rope" in an anchorage that was 12 feet deep. That's all he had and his plow anchor was puny. If you want fellow cruisers to think you have an idiot stamp on your head, do what this guy does. When you see a 40 foot boat with a 40 lb. anchor sporting all chain and lots of it you know the skipper means business and you appreciate that because you'll be able to sleep at night. In my opinion any boat over 30 feet should be carrying at least a minimum 100 feet of chain plus rope rode.

That's my rant and I'm sticking to it.

Watch The Weather
It seems every year the extremes in weather get less predictable. When you get one of those powerful warm fronts from the south supporting hot muggy days and a cold front from the north pushing back ... all hell can break loose with down drafts, waterspouts and even tornadoes. Waterspouts are seen commonly on Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay and usually they are not accompanied by unusual weather around the area – just hot sunny afternoons. Downdrafts and tornadoes are hard to predict and they can be sporadic or spotty touching down in an area and completely missing everything around the surrounds or they can touch down and stay down cutting a swath over a wide area as happened in Midland during 2010. The weather forecasters do not have a good track record of predicting tornadoes downdrafts or waterspouts until they are imminent or happening on the ground in bordering areas. If the weather is very hot and humid and the barometer is falling and perhaps afternoon or evening thunder showers are forecast then plan for the worst. On June 8th downdrafts hit the Kawartha & Haliburton regions causing major damage and power outages for up to week. Georgian Bay got some of that too in specific areas. Wye Heritage Marina experienced some boat damage and in general things were all over the place. By example my boat had much debris in it including gravel and dirt blown across the Bay. Blew the button down canvas off my cockpit bench seating. My wood picnic table was moved down the dock and the umbrella was snapped off just above table level. The picnic table beside us was in the water with the umbrella still in it. Neighbor on one side ... big gas BBQ all over the place and neighbors dock box on the other side upside down with the contents spilled.

A fella a few docks down did a video of the storm from his truck. It was wild and looked like a hurricane with waves coming up onto the dock causeway that is ten feet above the water level. It was forecast as possible thundershowers and 15 km hour winds. Now if you were at anchor when that came through ... even in a very sheltered anchorage with two anchors down you would be in trouble. Earlier the week before, another neighbor got caught at anchor in Lost Bay in a much lighter gusty blow and he dragged in the night and ended up against the rocks. For your own safety and to avoid boat damage watch the weather (check the weather page and in particular the NOAA Weather radar on this site) and if the barometer is falling on a very hot humid day while you're out at anchor, head for a dock before mid afternoon or nightfall. It could save your boat and even your life.

Once Upon A Time ... Chanticleer
As a child Ralph Evinrude was brought to Little Current to avoid the effects of Hay Fever which aggravated his severe respiratory problems. Later in life Evinrude headed Outboard Marine Corporation which included Evinrude & Johnson outboard motor manufacturing. In 1955 a wealthy Ralph Evinrude married celebrity Frances Langford (her second marriage) the famous actress and singer whose entertainment career spanned 1935 - 1954. She was known for her involvement with the Bob Hope USO shows and her most famous songs "I'm In The Mood For Love" and "In Waikiki". She was nicknamed "The Bamboo Blonde" which seemed to fit with her "Tiki Hawaiian" theme. They developed the Outrigger Resort & Restaurant in Jensen Beach on land she owned from her first marriage and the tiki style restaurant continues today as the Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House. It was the place to go in the 60's. (Chanticleer pictured docked at the resort). They had a summer home on an island in Baie Finn - Georgian Bay that they both loved ... and it was decided that they should fully utilize Evinrude's yacht as frequent live aboards and the crew would transport them from their other home & business in Jensen Beach Florida to the seasonal Georgian Bay summer home. In fact Chanticleer's generator powered the cottage at Baie Finn whenever Frances Langford was staying there. Frances Langford loved boats and fishing. Yachting was their common passion. They spent a great deal of time living aboard Chanticleer ... they were not just occasional visiting owners.

The first Chanticleer was a 118' steel Defoe built in 1947. Ralph Evinrude owned it before the Langford marriage. In 1985 I had the opportunity to see this yacht up close when we were docked beside each other in Spanish Wells Eleuthera. The yacht had an assortment of dinghies on deck and a line up of Evinrude Motors on davits. It is said the reason was that Langford liked to have a lot of boat options for fishing, but we were told by crew that the outboards were mostly for testing on various boat motors during their travels. Langford was fishing off the big yacht most of the time. This boat plied the Caribbean, Mexico, California, Atlantic east coast and Great Lakes including summers in Georgian Bay. It was used for many Hollywood fundraisers and many elite industrialists, Hollywood actors and politicians (even Nixon) visited the yacht over the years.

In 1986 Ralph Evinrude died. Shortly after Evinrude’s death Langford bought a 1973 98' Burger that had a cockpit added to 108” and spent a year refitting and decorating. It was also named Chanticleer. Langford continued to frequent the waters from the Caribbean to Georgian Bay aboard Chanticleer even with her eyesight failing as she loved her yacht. Along the way she had another marriage. In 2005 Frances Langford died at the age of 92 and her beloved Chanticleer was sold by the estate in 2006. It was repurchased in 2008 by Marty & Lisa Sutter who recognized the history of the yacht and did extensive renovations to the boat and it lives on to this day.

The original Chanticleer fell into disrepair but was seen at various times in Florida and the north east. In 2001 it was for sale while under restoration in Norfolk Virginia (see pics of original Chanticleer in this article). More recently it was said to have been seen restored and in the Great Lakes but that is not totally clear as people often believe the second Chanticleer was the first and vice versa. One thing is for sure, both yachts experienced a magical time in history and were a joy to many Georgian Bay boaters that saw them in The North Channel.

You can visit the second M/Y Chanticleer at www.chanticleer-yacht.com and the pictures commissioned by the Sutter's in the Gallery by well known adventure photographer Neil Rabinowitz are spectacular. Note the oblong port holes and cockpit which were features Langford commissioned on the purchase of the yacht. And the moral of the story is classic yachts should be preserved and deserve to live on as messengers of the history of times past. The second Chanticleer now spends her winters in BVI and her summers in a boat shed in Virginia. Chanticleers owners have indicated that they hope the yacht can visit the North Channel in the summer 2012 or 2013.

Nautical Folklore
In the early days of sailing commerce it was common for sailors to have their ears pierced to improve the eyesight. If they were gold earrings they could ensure a proper burial if they die at sea or in a foreign port. Crosses were tattooed to the soles of feet to ward off sharks and a rooster on top of the foot with a pig on the other could prevent a sailor from drowning.

Seeing a green flash right at sunset was a sign of good weather to come -
"Glimpse you ere the green ray
Count the morrow a fine day”

Sailors would also tattoo a sparrow or swallow for every 5000 nautical miles sailed and to ensure they could always find their way home as sparrows and swallows apparently do. It was bad luck to have a woman aboard a navy sailing ship ... except for bare breasted figureheads of women which could shame nature and keep the waves down. I personally believe that bare breasted women on board can ward off bad weather don’t you?.

Even today we accept red sky in the morning sailor take warning - red sky at night sailors delight. It is well documented that most good Captains and Second Mates could easily predict hurricanes in the Caribbean well in advance in time to take cover - by a variety of strange methods related to wind and wave directions. And lets face it, how did Newton ever come up with the theory that lead to the octant and sextant for navigation? Observe and ponder!

People were serious observers of nature at one point in history and had an animal like fixation on the subtle signs that could mean the difference between life and death whether on land or at sea. It was self serving and provided a sweet reward in the days of natural selection.

These senses have been lost to all but a few in the world we live in today - chart plotters, weather radar, satellite communications have numbed our senses into oblivion. Like the recent situation in Nevada with the couple stranded for seven weeks because they blindly followed their GPS even when the road turned to a goat path - the wife survives and the husband has not been found at the time of this writing. We depend heavily on technology. There was a time when humans could wander on land or sail on the seas of the world and survive perilous conditions and have their place in nature with the rest of the animal world.

One thing hasn't changed - the water can still be a dangerous place for those who get too complacent about mother nature and depend solely on technology. Study up on folklore as it isn't always as silly as it seems and use "the force" of your own senses in combination with technology and you will have rewarded yourself with something worth knowing that just might keep you safe in certain situations.

Think About It
Nibbling on sponge cake, watching the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil
Strumming my six string, on my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp they're beginning to boil

You know the song - everyone knows Margaritaville. So what if Jimmy Buffet makes a hundred million a year, tours relentlessly, owns two restaurant chains, merchandizes Parrot Head paraphernalia up the wazoo and lives in a West Palm mansion. The point is he did do business from a Caribbean island telephone booth at one point in his life. For that reason alone he deserves to remain high on the cool scale.

I wonder if Jimmy ever looks back and wonders if life was simpler and less complicated sitting on that porch swing in West End Florida before the lawyers, business managers and publicists came along. I wonder if he sometimes yearns for those days when his pockets were for the most part "empty" and time stood still on those hot sunny days - just like when you were a little kid and the days went on forever and the summers were endless. Maybe adults can live like that too, all through their working lives ... with less work and more adventure? Maybe Jimmy dreams about it and maybe he doesn't. Everyone loves Jimmy Buffet because his brand personifies what we all aspire to have deep down in our hearts - a laid back carefree adventurous lifestyle with little responsibility and no baggage.

I got thinking about this after reporting on the two couples who are working the marina for a season at Killarney Mountain Lodge to build up their cruising revenue to set sail once again for a multi decade never ending continuance of their sailing adventures around the world. Yes there are real people out there doing this. I met a few in the Caribbean and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. What goes on in the human mind that creates lifelong boat bums. Did we get it wrong? Way back in our twenties when we sailed off to the Caribbean, did we take the wrong fork in the road when we returned to the civilized corporate world? You can't buy back time and you can't do it over again but you can pass the benefit of knowledge to others with the bigger part of their life in front of them still. Comfortable life (maybe too comfortable) - no regrets - but we might all do it differently ... if we had a second chance.

Did I tell you about the couple we met going south forever on their sailboat who threw their telephone into Lake Ontario and ripped up their phone bills. They got as far as Florida and a year later they were back at the marina with their boat for sale. Not that easy to break the chains that tie us to our normal predictable lives. But there are those out there who are anchored right now in some remote harbour with no plans for tomorrow or the year after tomorrow.

One thing is for sure, on my death bed I'm not going to be thinking about 30 years of corporate meetings and the rat race. I'll be thinking of my childhood, wife and kids and the good times including the cruising in my 20's and the cruising in my 50's. My advise for those "ready, willing and able" is that the rat race isn't all it's cracked up to be. Go cruising for a year or two or do the loop while you can. There will always be a job when you need it - if you want it ... and you won’t be missed that much in the grand corporate scheme of things, whether you're the CEO or the guy that mops the floors - go cruising for a year or two ... or maybe ten. It's not the destination but the journey.

Focus Group with Parks Canada
Boating Georgian Bay was involved in a Focus Group with Parks Canada last fall and they were looking to understand what boaters want and how that may or may not coincide with Park use. Specifically they were looking to glean insight from the Georgian Bay Islands National Park that could be applied to the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in British Columbia. It is an important balance. On one hand Parks Canada has an obligation to insure minimum impact on the environment and on the other hand there would be no need for much of Parks Canada to exist if it were not for the tourism component of Park visits. Of course humans always impact on any environment to some degree. So it really begs the question as to how human activity is managed in balance with the impact by activity and how much is too much.

So over the course of the Focus Group discussions both sailors and power boaters gave their opinions on many issues related to cruising preferences, Park attributes, management issues, how to handle certain situations etc. Parks Canada really wanted to hear things from a boaters perspective and it was clear that they already understood the issues at hand and some of the rub points between those that want to enjoy public space and those that want restrictions on public space and those environmental purists that want no human activity whatsoever on public space.

Even inside the boating community it became apparent that there is a divergence of opinion between sailors and power boaters and even between yacht owners and small boat owners. By example there were a few who were endorsing generator free anchorages. Others were suggesting time windows for generator use in anchorages. And some like myself were suggesting not running a generator a few times a day is not an option for bigger boats in isolated anchorages - and it was more a matter of courtesy of use and education than the suggestion of banning generator use altogether. Most seemed to agree that it was really the portable generators sitting on swim platforms that created most of the noise issues and disturbances at anchorages. The bigger issue is perhaps the all night partiers rather than generator use and even the ability for legal enforcement when there’s a problem. Point is though, there was no overall consensus on many issues among boaters.

Now some of you may know that a few good folks have fought long and hard in the courts to insure that those boating on the water still had some rights and freedoms as to the use of the water. Most realize their has been some incredible battles over the public use of beach property vs. the right of ownership above the water line. You may also be aware that in some municipalities there are bylaws that allow the sale of water rights below the high water line for the purpose of permanent docks and mooring in front of homes. Most often this has been a grandfathered loop hole going back to when these properties were in use for mooring large ships where the ship terminal owned the land under the water. Everyone has an opinion and it is a murky situation indeed.

I have always been suspicious about government involvement pertaining to the rights and freedoms of others. For one, if you give a government bureaucrat and inch they'll take a mile. The second typical outcome is the public welfare gets paralyzed by an over abundance of rules and regulations. The third issue is when government creates structure they also want money to run the bureaucracy that comes with the new structure ... as if we don’t pay enough taxes already. However, few would argue against the notion that there is a need for some rules and regulations in our society.

So where am I going with this? I want to talk about boat moorings in public waters as one example of many that are coming down the tracks. In British Columbia they already have designated mooring locations at some Park anchorages and they are planning more. In Florida municipalities cannot control the offshore anchorages unless they implement mooring buoy fields which then gives them the right to charge and regulate the service. The cost is usually low (but out of your control) and in some cases a "turd tug" will even come to your boat to pump out the waste tank - perhaps a good idea, given the number of live-a-boards that frequent anchorages in Florida. In the Bahamas some of the small towns let free enterprise reign and local entrepreneurs will just drop an engine block to the bottom and attach a mooring buoy and next thing you have a business where they collect from those boats that want a mooring buoy rather than anchoring out. I can tell you in the Bahamas ... I was always happy to pick up a mooring buoy for a few bucks rather than take the trouble to set the anchor - and of course there is always the issue of dragging anchors in a tight harbour during a storm. Been there and done that, and it's not pretty in the middle of the night blowing 60.

In Georgian Bay particularly around the Park islands the anchorages can get very crowded and sometimes out of control on summer weekends.

The pro side of Parks Canada putting in mooring buoys might be:

• more boats could fit into some of these tiny anchorages as swing room would be minimal
• you wouldn't have a three ring circus every time a storm comes through and a quarter of the boats are dragging anchor
• you would spend more time enjoying the anchorage and less time putting ground tackle down
• in theory you could eliminate anchorages being so overcrowded with boats to the point of being ridiculous
• it would potentially give some enforcement body the right to manage the anchorage and have some say and jurisdiction over objectionable activities by few that ruin it for everybody
• it would create less disturbance on the bottom of the anchorage and would be environmentally responsible
• it could encourage more "stay at marina" boaters to become cruisers and spread their wealth more broadly into the economy

On the con side perhaps:

• some Park CO in uniform with a gun could be bugging you, telling you what you can and cannot do
• the person above is likely going to be collecting money for the service
• mooring buoys would make it too easy and attract boaters who would otherwise be staying at a marina somewhere in bad weather
• mooring buoys might encourage overcrowding via rafting
• it's against the principals of freedom and rights where when you own a boat, you can pretty much drop anchor wherever you want and no one can tell you to get lost
• it gives some enforcement body control of a mooring field and you end up with other enforcements and bureaucracy (like generator use policies)
• it could hurt transient marina business

So what is the answer? I don't know - but it is something we will have to deal with sooner than later because it's being talked around now. There are dozens of looming issues like this. As populations continue to grow, we all face potential changes. My only advice is that boaters should be on the same page together and should have in place a strong enough lobby that they have a seat at the table when these decisions are made by government and various hired consultants. My experience has been that often the decisions are almost in stone before the consultants are hired. The public hearings and consultants reports only serve to valid the whim and locked down wishes of the bureaucracy in a particular Ministry.

There are many boating organizations of various ilk's - from clubs to power squadrons to private sector industry groups both non profit and for profit. It is time that some kind of Canada wide alliance with teeth was formed between all boating organizations that want a managed approach and a seat at the table before policy gets dictated by various levels of government? If you love boating then get involved in an organization and have your say.

Tell us what you think via this survey.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Oil Crisis
Well just in time for boating season fuel prices are on their way up. Tensions in the Middle East have created some concern in the market place as to the availability of an uninterrupted supply of crude down the Suez Canal. Already Libya has most of it's wells and refineries shut down as civil war ensues. One can only hope that some form of democracy emerges, given the blood that has been shed by young revolutionists that want nothing more than the basic freedoms we all take for granted.

Most of the Libya oil goes to Italy, and virtually none goes to North America. In fact most of the US oil comes from Canada - followed by Saudi Arabia. So why are we getting whacked on fuel prices? Because oil is a worldly commodity controlled by speculative markets. Oil has far reaching affects that go way beyond filling up your tank. Manufacturing, farming, food processing, transportation, raw materials production and the list goes on. Oil is integrated into everything you do and everything you own. And yes, that includes your boat.

At the time of this writing, oil in North America is over $104 a barrel. Brent Sea Crude is even higher and Europe is really going to feel the brunt of the Middle East turmoil. At $125 dollars a barrel oil is likely to force the US back into recession. US officials are already trying to calm frazzled nerves by suggesting that supply can be supplemented from the US reserves over the short term ... but no one really believes that the situation in the Arab states will be a quick fix easy solution as the political outcome of the area will take years to evolve and hopefully land back on it’s feet.

We are very well off in Canada and our good fortune in resources will no doubt temper the downside of a double dip in the US economy. But that's not to say that we get away completely unscathed, as we are economically glued at the hip to the USA - and our other markets like China are not yet fully developed.

So what does this have to do with boating? Well a few things really. First of all, boat manufacturing is highly dependent on petroleum for the manufacturing process. Most boat manufacturers have just picked themselves off the ground are are still staggering as they restructure and get ready to ramp up their future production as the recession had just started to wane. Boat manufacturers truly will be out for the count if the US enters a double dip recession. The industry simply can not raise capital and pay down debt in such an environment - and the banks won't be giving any second chances. The remaining could be gone for good this time around.

The other factor of course is sales. In the last six months yacht sales have achieved some traction, but most boats are bought with a combination of discretionary income and bank financing - and when the markets turn down both dry up, and the boating industry gets whacked severely.

And there's one last thing and that is the operating costs for existing boat owners in fuel and repairs. Looking back the last three years there certainly were many boats that didn't leave the dock for fear of a repair bill or just the general expense of burning fuel.

• The boating industry is a significant player in the overall economy and the positive benefits are wide reaching spin through all aspects of the market place. Neither government or private enterprise can afford to see this industry flat on it's back so soon right after this past recession. So keeping business taxes low is good news but we should also continue to push our elected officials to squeeze more inefficiencies out of the process of governing.

Now we can't do much about the oil situation in the Middle East but on a micro scale, marina suppliers, operators and boat services have something they can contribute to keep the industry healthy. Fuel prices are going to rise at the docks ... but please don't gouge the users on fuel prices or the boats will stay at the docks again and there will be fewer of them. Margins on marine fuel have always been high at both the supplier and seller level when compared to the automotive sector. And it's not just a volume thing ... most busy marinas take on fresh fuel every few days and lets face it boats are high volume consumers when they are running. Yes everyone has to make a buck but please ... adjust your percentages accordingly. When fuel prices rise 40% the margins don't have to remain straight line as the price per litre goes up.

Believe me there's not many Canadians that are going to feel sorry for you when the yacht has to stay parked at the dock - but the marinas and the rest of the economy will feel it because cruising boats spend money that goes well beyond fuel ... into repairs, maintenance, transient dockage, food and discretionary spending. Fuel cost is the big psychological barrier and if the price at the pumps on the highway matched the price at the pumps at the gas dock, that would go a long ways to quelling the fears of the average boater ... and they might be around for another year to buy more fuel and pay for their dockage rather than sell the boat.

So boaters do your part and spend at the marina and marinas do your part and provide the best value and service you can ... given the situation at hand.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.