Canadian Boating February 2024 - 43

vantage
Point
EDUCATION EBBS AND FLOWS
- by Lise Blais Huot, Chief Commander of CPS-ECP
Today, let me tell an anecdote from our
early days as boaters and link it to one
of the Educational Department's initiatives.
My
husband and I had learned in the
Boating Course about the importance of
currents and how to set a course based
on them. Confident in the acquired
knowledge but without seeking the advice
of boaters experienced in the area,
we left a marina on the St-Laurent River,
heading west toward our home port.
It is late afternoon, amid the rising tide,
and the flood current combines with a
light downwind to assist our progress.
At dusk, the tide begins to ebb, the current
changes to ebb, and we have yet
to reach our destination.
We realize that the ebb current is much
more impressive than our estimate, to
the point of backing us up. We turned
on the engine for assistance, which
barely allowed us to stay right in front
of the same landmark all night until the
current turned back to flood again.
The Boating Course had given us basic
general knowledge of tides and currents
but no information on the particular local
conditions of our stretch of water.
Since then, my Squadron has offered a
half-day workshop on the tides and currents
typical of the St-Laurent Estuary.
This type of workshop is typical of what
the Educational Department wants to
offer to enhance our courses. There is
no need to ask a volunteer living somewhere
in Canada to write a seminar on
our local conditions. It is up to each of
us. We also have to submit each seminar
project to the Department for approval
to ensure that we comply with safety
requirements and that our insurance is
valid. ■
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CANADIANBOATING.CA
43
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to order or buy one at the Canadian
Boating Booth during the Toronto
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your CPS-ECP member number. ■
48'
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46'
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https://www.portsbooks.com http://www.CANADIANBOATING.CA
Canadian Boating February 2024

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