News Releases
Monday, 11 January 2021 13:11
Welcome Stephen Waldie, Sail Nova Scotia's New Provincial Skiff Coach
Sail Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA) are excited to announce Stephen Waldie as the provincial skiff development coach. Stephen brings 15 years of high-performance experience as an athlete and a coach to his new role. Hailing from Montreal, Stephen will be working with Club Race Team coaches across the province and leading the Nova Scotia Sailing Team program. Stephen will be joining a team of CSCA coaches which includes national coaches such as Jack Hanratty (Rugby Canada), Patrick Cody (Row Canada), Kevin McIntyre (Atlantic Division of Canoe Kayak Canada), Csom Latorowvski (Canoe Kayak Canada), and Kryzysztof Kierkowski (Sail Canada). Stephen is looking forward to growing the base of sailing athletes in Canada and encouraging young sailors to pursue high-performance racing. “I am passionate about sailing as a competitive sport, and my goal is always to inspire more young people to pursue high-performance sailing,” said Waldie. Stephen was the coach for Team Canada at the 2018 and 2019 Youth Worlds and named the Quebec Sailing Coach of the Year in 2019. “All of us at Sail Nova Scotia are excited to have Stephen Waldie join our team. We are looking forward to seeing the impact he will have on athletes and coaches in the sailing community,” said Frank Denis, Sail Nova Scotia Executive Director. Stephen’s official start date with Sail Nova Scotia is February 1, 2021. For more information please contact Frank Denis, Sail Nova Scotia Executive Director [email protected]
Thursday, 19 November 2020 11:28
Chris Harrington - BBYC Volunteer of the Year
Meet Chris Harrington - BBYC's wonderful Volunteer of the Year!Chris has been the kind of volunteer you could really count on in 2020. He cared about the members' experience during this difficult season. Chris was instrumental in the club experiencing a very positive summer by engaging members in activities during these trying Covid times. His insight and enthusiasm for keeping our members engaged and united created many opportunities for us to be innovative and create safe and engaging activities. Chris was always there to lend a helping hand whether it be repurposing furniture to create a wonderful outdoor seating area, or organizing a take-out lobster supper. Chris takes the time to help his fellow boaters and club staff members and cares about new member experiences and making BBYC members feel welcome. Chris has dedicated many hours in 2020 to BBYC. He oversaw the completion of the fuel dock, repaired equipment and fixed the learn to sail dock. He could even be found mowing the lawn. His leadership stood out during a very challenging year as we grappled with Covid -19 restrictions. For these reasons and more we nominate Chris as volunteer of the year 2020 for BBYC.
Wednesday, 18 November 2020 12:16
Maria Fitzgerald - A Sail NS Shooting Star Award Winner from Hubbards Sailing Club
Hubbards Sailing Club would love to nominate Maria Fitzgerald for Sail Nova Scotia’s Shooting Star award. Maria Fitzgerald has been a joy to have around the sailing club, ever since her debut in our Wet Feet program at age 5. A regular at HSC, we happily welcome her back year after year. Maria had a busy summer, balancing work, sailing, friends, and family commitments. Despite this, she always had an encouraging word for every coach and sailor at the club. She can often be heard on the water giving a pep talk to some of the younger sailors or letting the coaches know what a great job they are doing. This summer, Maria helped address some of the unique challenges related to COVID. She was an enormous help in keeping her laser race team bubble distanced from other groups. In past years, Maria loved playing games with the Wet Feet and CANSail 1/2 groups along with showing them her laser and encouraging them to keep with the sport. It was a big change for her this year, having to keep her distance from some of the younger classes. However, this did not dampen her enthusiasm. She adapted and found ways to communicate with the younger sailors, across bubble boundaries, keeping them happy and encouraged. This year marked Maria’s third season in the Laser 4.7. Her improvement in the boat over the past few seasons has also been a great encouragement to everyone at the club. Unfortunately, without a regatta circuit…
Tuesday, 17 November 2020 08:58
Roby Douglas & Robb Apold - RNSYS Volunteers of the Year
One of the major issues facing sailing today is how can we transition youth sailors into keelboats as traditional pathways for this currently do not exist. This past summer Roby volunteered his time with Robb's Farr 30 and partnered with the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Race Team to create a youth to keelboat program utilizing two Farr 30's. Participants would go out training 1-2 times a week and also have the opportunity to race on Wednesday nights as well as at the Lunenburg Welcome Back Regatta, & Fall One Design. Boats were made up of mainly all youth sailors and one older person in charge. This gave youth sailors a chance to race while traditional dinghy regattas were canceled but also an opportunity to experience keelboat racing in the region. This is a great step forward and while our race team could not travel due to COVID they were able to experience a new area of sailing with the Youth Farr 30 Race program. For their efforts leading this great initiative, Roby Douglas and Robb Apold are the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Volunteers of the Year.
Monday, 16 November 2020 09:30
Meet Noah MacMurty - BBYC Shooting Star Award Winner
Noah MacMurty is the BBYC Shooting Star Award Winner this year because his motivation has pushed the aspirations of the BBYC Racing Team and made everyone always put their best effort in. He is a very smart sailor and is growing to become a great athlete. His dedication amazes all of us, including his family. Congratulations Noah!
Friday, 13 November 2020 08:52
Sail NS Award of Merit - Welcome Back Regatta at LYC
Sail Nova Scotia is pleased to present a Merit Award to the Lunenburg Yacht Club for all their efforts putting together and running the Welcome Back Regatta in 2020. The Welcome Back Regatta held from Aug 21, -23, 2020 at LYC was an overwhelming success. With Covid-19 shadowing our every move this year in yacht clubs around Nova Scotia, building a regatta from scratch required dozens of focused volunteers. The number of boats/crew that were able to participate had to be limited based on shoreside facility Covid modified capacities. Early registrations meant capacity was quickly reached and the Regatta even had a waiting list. The Regatta was chaired by Jennifer Hall and the principal race officer was Colin Mann. Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, such as social distancing, the meetings and announcements were held outside. Food and drinks were also available outside for the participants, members and guests. To organize this Regatta, the number of volunteers required totalled 57. It would not have been able to succeed without these many volunteers offering their time and energy to lend a hand for the first major Regatta of 2020. The volunteers included the organizing committee, committee boat, mark boats, ticket sales for food and beverages, etc. The entire event was operated outside on the grounds of LYC and it was certainly quite a sight to behold. Congratulations to Commodore Janet Snair and all the team at Lunenburg Yacht Club.
Tuesday, 10 November 2020 10:22
Ryan Anderson - RNSYS Coach of the Year
Ryan’s dedication to coaching has allowed young athletes from all over Nova Scotia to develop a deep love for the sport. His rich experience in Laser guaranteed the technical knowledge he is able to pass over younger generations, but he has also succeeded in delivering such knowledge with fun, joy and inspiration to the athletes. During the challenging 2020 season, Ryan was very successful in keeping racing youth sailors engaged and pushing their training despite their racing calendar being suspended. These experiences have made RNSYS athletes develop not only sailing skills, but life skills. Ryan has been a great mentor and role model in teaching his athletes how to maintain their boats and fitness in the best condition to optimize performance at competitions. His discipline and passion for the sport has and will continue inspiring and developing Nova Scotia’s young generations.
Monday, 09 November 2020 08:23
Meet Patrick Edwards - Hubbards SC Volunteer of the Year
This spring held many uncertainties for sailing coaches in our province. With the questions surrounding whether the Hubbards Sailing Club program would run, coaches were unsure where their summer income would be coming from. As the treasurer on HSC’s Board of Directors, Patrick developed a plan on how the club could keep all our coaches on staff and how many hours they could offer each of them if programs did not go ahead as planned. This provided needed reassurance. Patrick was also a huge help in assisting coaches navigate the CESB and CERB benefits available to them. This was above and beyond volunteer action. There are not many workplaces that care enough about their employees to spend many hours researching what benefits are available to them and to help them navigate through tough situations. This action becomes especially impressive when considering that Patrick is strictly a volunteer at the club. When it became clear that our program would be going ahead, Patrick joined the club's COVID committee which helped develop the plan on how the club would operate this summer. He continued to meet and provide support all season, helping to deal with many of the challenges that appeared throughout the summer. This summer, HSC was fortunate to operate a successful program, close in capacity to past years. However, the applications for grants and subsidies, researched, prepared and submitted by Patrick were invaluable in keeping our club operational and is a huge reason why we were able to keep so…
Thursday, 05 November 2020 09:45
Alexa Dalzell - BBYC Coach of the Year
Alexa has been part of BBYC for many years, starting her own sailing career from this club at age seven. Alexa has coached many levels of sailors during her time at BBYC. For the past two years Alexa has held the position of Head Coach. Her commitment and dedication stood out in getting the sailing programs off the ground this year with effective Covid -19 protocols. She was positive and professional throughout. Her ability to think 'outside the box' resulted in the safest practices for our sailors. She was flexible, caring and wanted the best outcome for all. She had an excellent attitude and willingness to adapt. She provided direction to coaches, sailors and parents during a most challenging and uncertain time. For Alexa, the safety of the sailors and her team always came first. Having fun was always key. We are proud to have Alexa as the Head Coach for BBYC.
Wednesday, 04 November 2020 09:10
Abush Butler - RNSYS Shooting Star Award Winner
In 2020, Abush has demonstrated exceptional sportsman skills on and off the water. He is a highly valued and appreciated team player among his peers, and a great ambassador of the sport and Nova Scotia sailing. Abush participated in the RNSYS Learn To Sail C420 Program, where he incorporated a good foundation for double handed sailing. His interest for the sport kept his sailing going into the Fall season, where he participated at the Kennedy Cup finishing in 4th place in the C420 class. His coachability, work ethic and dedication to improve himself was noticed by the coaches so he was invited to participate at the Atlantic YOTS, providing the opportunity to initiate him in the i420 (Youth Worlds class, faster and more technical than C420) and receive some coaching from high performance coaches. YOTS coaches like Olympians Oliver Bone and Jacob Saunders were very impressed by Abush’s ability to welcome technical coaching and his coachability. Abush’s improvements were noticeable at the Fall Dinghy Regatta where he took the overall win in the i420 fleet. Agustin Ferrario the Head Coach at RNSYS is looking forward to what Abush’s future sailing will bring for him.
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Tuesday, 03 November 2020 09:15
Sarah Doane - Hubbards Coach of the Year
Hubbards Sailing Club is proud to announce Sarah Doane as its Coach of the Year. Sarah continues to grow and become an even more passionate sailing coach and the 2020 season was no exception. This year, Sarah was the director of HSC’s COVID-19 Committee, developed and implemented our program’s COVID safety procedures, and successfully ran the program at full capacity while maintaining social distancing and safety protocols. To say that Sarah was wildly successful in her role this year running one of the largest programs in Nova Scotia would be an understatement. Maggie Fitzgerald a youth sailor at Hubbards Sailing Club says "Sarah is one of the greatest coaches I have ever met. She always helps me when I need it and is always making sure everybody is doing what they need to be doing. She keeps everybody in line but also makes sure everybody is always having fun. The sailing club wouldn't be the same without her next year."Congratulations Sarah!
Monday, 02 November 2020 13:24
Susan Croan - Volunteer of the Year at Indian Point Yacht Club
Throughout the month of November, Sail NS will be highlighting Club nominations for annual awards. We will recognize every nomination and there will no "overall" winner. It has been a trying past 7 months and these people helped contribute to a wonderful year on the water. Our first Volunteer of the Year recipient is Susan Croan from the Indian Point Yacht Club. " Susan makes every race absolute fun for all participants, from her radio chatter to her crazy costumes for her team, she is a driving force in our yacht club. It is wonderful that we have such a great volunteer who is prepared to come out to every race, and who is able to organize the crew at a moment's notice. We don't know what we would do without her! Our Race Committee for 2020 was Susan Croan, Don Ives and Bob Bramwell, with help on occasion from Chris and Debbie Langille, Terry Conrad and Wendy Levy. Susan is the faithful organizer of the weekly MRRCYS races: This is the Martins River Radio Controlled Yacht Squadron, where many Yacht Club members and folks from other YC's race their model boats. Susan is the Race Committee!"
Monday, 21 September 2020 11:45
Yacht Clubs Hurricane Preparation Plans
With Hurricane season upon us, Sail Nova Scotia connected with yacht clubs in the province to share their Hurricane Preparation Plans. Here are some of them.Armdale Yacht Club INTRODUCTION Since 2003 we have learned to not take the threat of hurricanes lightly. With this in mind the Committee of Management would like to remind Members of their responsibilities to prepare their boats for severe weather. This plan attempts to make our Club as ready as possible to withstand the force posed by hurricane winds and surge. All action taken has the over-riding priority of protecting the Armdale Yacht Club Marina and Infrastructure. In doing so, we also offer protection to the Member’s boats. Getting as much windage/weight off the marina as possible protects the marina, the boats taken off the marina and those boats remaining on the marina. Pre- and post-hurricane, the area in front of the Yard Shop will be a designated a muster area for all Staff and Members to gather. All hurricane supplies such as ropes, pumps and chains, will be located at the Yard Shop. Moving onto marinas should only be done in pairs and wearing a PDF (Personal Floatation Device). Staff will not be on site if conditions are unsafe. Marina Sweep Chain Adjustments: Staff will be responsible for coordinating and completing the adjustments of marina sweep chains prior to the arrival of a hurricane. This work will also include the installation of additional anchor blocks and chains on the most exposed Marinas. The Marine…
Tuesday, 08 September 2020 09:30
Sail NS Hiring a Provincial Skiff Coach
In partnership with the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron and Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic, Sail Nova Scotia is hiring a full time Nova Scotia Skiff coach who will coach 29ers at the Skiff Intro level and lead the Emerging Next Gen athletes in the skiff. The position is based in Halifax. Sail Nova Scotia was hoping to fill the position in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed plans. See the ad below.
Thursday, 13 August 2020 08:59
No-Wake Buoys Installed on Halifax Waterfront
Sail NS is leading a group made up of Metro Yacht Clubs, Develop NS, and the Port Authority to increase safety when it comes to boating in Halifax Harbour including the NW Arm and Bedford Basin. Yesterday we received word that the Port Authority has installed two No Wake buoys on the Halifax Waterfront at Bishop's Landing and Cable Wharf. The next initiatives are more signage and the development of a Safety Card with important safety information for boaters in the Harbour.
Tuesday, 07 July 2020 08:19
Sophia Josenhans new Sail NS Technical Director
Sail Nova Scotia is excited to announce the hiring of Sophia Josenhans as our new Technical Director. From Lunenburg, Sophia has extensive experience leading sailing programs at LaHave River Yacht Club and Lunenburg Yacht Club. Sophia was also involved in Sail All which introduces schools to sailing programs. Sophia is a Sail Canada Learning Facilitator and able to re-certify and evaluate existing instructors. Sophia is looking forward to working with clubs on introducing more youth to the sport and most importantly retaining youth in the sport. She will be in contact with each of the 16 youth Learn to Sail programs this week and looks forward to connecting. She can be reached at [email protected] Please join me in welcoming Sophia to Sail Nova Scotia.
Wednesday, 03 June 2020 09:35
Let's Go Sailing!
Sail Nova Scotia is excited to announce that many clubs are currently working hard to put together a Racing program and deliver CANSail training for youth this summer, keeping in mind of course public health measures.Contact the club in your area to see what they are offering. It won't be "business as usual" but participants should be able to learn and enjoy the sport. Sail NS is in communication regularly with club leaders about modifying programs and we have heard of some great examples.You can find the Return to Play, Competition, and Training (all as one) document here For any questions about programming this summer please contact Frank Denis, Sail NS Executive Director at [email protected] you on the water!
Monday, 04 May 2020 10:42
4 NS Sailors Named to Canadian Sailing Development Squad
Congratulations to the 4 Nova Scotia sailors who were recently named to the Sail Canada Canadian Sailing Development Squad in 2020; Georgia & Antonia Lewin-Lafrance in the 49er FX class, Luke Ruitenburg in the Laser, and Jacob Chaplin-Saunders in the 470 class. See the full team list here https://www.sailing.ca/announcing-the-2020-2021-canadian-sailing-team-canadian-sailing-development-squad/
Saturday, 02 May 2020 09:36
Province Eases Restrictions; Yacht Clubs Open
On Friday, the Province eased restrictions regarding COVID-19. The restrictions eased included allowing yacht and sailing club members to access their boats in order to prepare them for the boating season. Read the full news release here:Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, announced today, May 1, the easing of some public health restrictions around COVID-19."We know that getting outdoors for recreation is important for people's physical and mental health," said Premier McNeil." That's why we are easing some restrictions, while still keeping the majority of our public health directives in place to continue fighting the virus. But I need to be clear: if we see an increase in positive cases or people not continuing to adhere to all the public health measures, the restrictions will return."Existing public health directives around social distancing and social gatherings remain in place. People must keep two metres apart and not gather in groups of more than five.The initial steps are:-- provincial and municipal parks can reopen, but playground equipment will continue to be off limits-- trails are allowed to open-- people are allowed to use and visit community gardens-- garden centres, nurseries and similar businesses can open-- sportfishing is permitted from shore or boat, but fishing derbies are not allowed-- people can attend boating, yacht or sailing clubs for the purpose of preparing boats for use-- golf driving ranges can open, including those at golf clubs, but the course must remain closed; golf clubs can perform necessary maintenance…
Tuesday, 07 April 2020 13:15
Update: Sail NS To Deliver Race Management Courses FULL
UPDATE: These courses are now full. We were expecting up to 20 and in the first 48 hours reached 50! We will explore adding more candidates and even another weekend of Race Management Courses. Any new information will be posted on our website here. Sail Nova Scotia was all set to hold our annual Sail Canada Race Official Courses April 18 & 19 at Bedford Basin Yacht Club. However, in-person courses are not possible this year. Working with the club and the Race Management Course Conductor Dan Conrod, we are excited to offer the courses virtually with Sail Nova Scotia covering all the costs. This means the courses are free for anyone interested! The costs can usually run $75 - $150 per person. We can accommodate as many people as interested. Those with current certification who are looking to get back up to speed before the racing season starts are welcome to join. Here is the schedule. Sail Canada Assistant Race Officer Course - Saturday, April 18 from 9 am - 1pmSail Canada Club Race Officer Course - Saturday, April 18 1 - 4 pm & Sunday, April 19 9am - 4pm The meeting will be hosted using Zoom. If you're interested in this great opportunity please e-mail [email protected] by Thursday, April 16 and we will add you to the list. All candidates will also receive a link to the current Sail Canada Race Management manual (2016 - 2020).
Wednesday, 01 April 2020 09:50
COVID-19 Sailors Q&A
Sail Nova Scotia is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our member clubs, schools, sailors, staff, volunteers and stakeholders as well as every Nova Scotian in the communities where we live, work and play. We recognize that these are difficult times for all the clubs and their members, and we are here to support you while ensuring we are following the recommendations from the Department of Health & Wellness. We continue to monitor the situation closely and to review the impact it will have on our sailing community. We are actively liaising between our membership, government and our stakeholders to communicate the best available information during these unprecedented times. We have created this page to answer some of the questions boaters have as we approach the 2020 season. If you have a question please share it with [email protected] and we will add it to this page and provide an answer. On Friday, May 1 the Province eased some restrictions. How does it affect yacht clubs?The first phase of the easing of restrictions allows for yacht clubs and marinas to open to allow members to prepare their boats, however, the State of Emergency is still in effect and social-distancing must be respected. Read the full news release from the province here New Question: If I don't or can't check on my boat at the yacht club is my insurance void if I need to submit a claim for damage?We posed that question to Andrew Robertson, Senior Vice-President of Gallagher Skippers'…
Tuesday, 31 March 2020 12:17
COVID-19 Links to Information
Sail Nova Scotia recognizes that during these trying times accessing information can be challenging and difficult to find. On this page we will post links to important information for sailing clubs, sailing instructors and sailors in Nova Scotia. If you would like to see something added to this page, please send a note to [email protected] Sail Canada Information Return to Sailing, Competition, and Training https://www.sailing.ca/statement-from-sail-canada-ceo-don-adams-in-response-covid-19/ Changes to Sail Canada Instructor Certification Policyhttps://www.sailing.ca/sail-canada-instructor-certification-accomodation/ Province of Nova Scotia Province of Nova Scotia State of Emergency Sport Nova Scotia Tips to Keep You Happy & Healthy During the Pandemic Government of Canada Resources The Government of Canada recently announced three emergency funding programs that yacht clubs may be interested in. Thanks to Boating Atlantic for compiling the following information. FEDERAL BUSINESS AID Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy The federal government has released the details of the new Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which would cover 75% of the first $58,700 normally earned by employees (up to a maximum benefit of $847 per week). Below are the key details for your business: Eligible employers include individuals, taxable corporations (including non-resident corporations operating in Canada), and partnerships consisting of eligible employers as well as non‑profit organizations and registered charities. To claim the benefit, employers will need to show at least a 30% drop in gross revenues in March, April, or May compared to the same month in 2019 — see table below: Wage Subsidy — Eligibility PeriodsPeriod 1 March 15–April 11March 2020 over March 2019Period 2 …
Saturday, 21 March 2020 11:41
Update: Sailing Instructor Clinics & Re-Certifications
Hi everyone, I hope everyone is doing well given these extraordinary circumstances. I wanted to update you on plans for our instructor courses this spring and re-certifications for those who need them. Sail NS will deliver our scheduled Fundamental Course for new instructors online over the Easter weekend as planned. We have 11 candidates so far, so please encourage your new instructors to sign up as the course will go ahead. They can register here https://sailnovascotia.checklick.com/ Our Tune-Up / Team Racing weekend is set for May 2-3 in Hubbards. We will make the call on whether to hold that by April 20. Sail Canada is currently looking at how provinces can run instructor clinics if self-isolation guidelines are still in place. Stay tuned. For those instructors with recently expired instructor certifications, First Aid, and or Coach Boat Safety, Sail Canada is looking at granting an extension on those so as not to restrict instructors from teaching this summer. When I have more details on those I will send them out. In the meantime, please, please, please, encourage your instructors to get familiar with using their CANSail profile to check expiry dates and access valuable resources. To do so they can log in here https://members.sailing.ca/index.php?action=_login.show_member_login If they have difficulty logging in have them e-mail me at [email protected] and I can help them. As for "When will we get the all clear for sailing programs?", for that we will wait for the Province to give the okay. Sport Nova…
Wednesday, 18 March 2020 09:22
Working From Home
Like everyone else these days, I will be working from home for the next while.You can reach me at [email protected] or by phone at 902-425-5450 ext 312. Leave a message and I will be notified by e-mail there is a message. Stay safe. Frank
Wednesday, 12 February 2020 13:59
Sail Nova Scotia Seeks a Technical Director
Sail Nova Scotia, with funding from the Support 4 Sport Technical Leadership Employment program (TLEP) is hiring a Technical Director. The successful candidate will be responsible for working with Clubs in Nova Scotia that offer or seek to offer CANSail programs (youth and adult) and the more than 60 registered instructors and coaches. The Technical Director will work to increase participation numbers, improve the quality of instruction & coaching, and ensure that programs are providing participants a quality sport experience across all levels of the athlete development pathway. The position works to advance Sail Nova Scotia initiatives when it comes to Participation and Coaches/Instructors. The position is based in Halifax and a valid driver’s license is required.All the details can be found in the ad below.