NSC - New Members Information

NSC WELCOMES YOU

To help you understand more about the operations of the Nepean Sailing Club, the following provides explanations to a number of commonly asked questions. Please feel free to contact the office for any additional information at 829-6462 or e-mail us at nsc-info at nsc.ca.

A volunteer Board of 11 Directors, who are elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting held in November, manages the NSC. A list of Board Members and their telephone numbers appears on the inside cover of the club's publication Telltale, web site and Membership Directory (Blue Book).

Click here to find Who's Who on the Board!

Volunteerism is the basis of NSC’s growth and success. What NSC is today, is due to this dedication to volunteerism and is fundamental for keeping fees low. Volunteers are both welcome and encouraged to participate in any work party or club committee.

There are a variety of membership categories depending on the type of membership and boat ownership. An NSC membership starts on 01 Nov. of any given year, and runs until 31 Oct. of the following year.

• Family or Adult Membership
  • Family (spouse and children under 18 years) or Adult
  • Required for wet or dry mooring
  • Senior’s discount 25% (after one-year of family/adult membership)
• Crewing Membership
  • Person 18 years plus, who wishes to joint the club for crewing only
• Student Membership
  • Individual under 18 years of age but not less than 10 years, or an individual over 18 years in full-time attendance at high school, college or university
  • Dinghy mooring only
• Out of Town Membership
  • Adult or Family living further than 120 km from NSC – No mooring

Annual Membership dues are invoiced in October, whereas Mooring Invoices are issued in February. Please note that membership dues are non-refundable. However, if circumstances arise whereby a refund or credit is required for mooring, storage, launch, haul-out etc., then a letter, addressed to the Membership Director for Board approval, should be written explaining the situation.

Full and Student memberships shall have the right to vote at general meetings of the Club held in both November and April of each fiscal year. These memberships will accumulate points at a rate of one point each year of continuous membership in the Club. This point system uses membership type and length of membership as primary criteria in allocating mooring slips.

Refer to our Fee Schedule for membership costs, or try our Fees Calculator to estimate your fees.

NSC promotes a Sail Share Program managed by Ottawa Sailing & Powerboating School. In this program, NSC members who have completed their Basic CYA training (or can demonstrate equivalent ability) can share the use of program boats with other participants. This provides an excellent opportunity for those who want to keep sailing after they have completed their lessons but want to gain more confidence and find out "what it’s all about" before becoming boat owners.

Popular, safe and comfortable, entry level one-design keelboats like the Tanzer 22 and Shark (24 feet) are used for this program. Visit the Sail Share Program (SSP) web page, or call Ottawa Sailing & Powerboating School at 721-8683, or see the Sail Share Program brochure located at NSC for additional information on this program.

All boats, tenders, trailers, cradles and dollies will be issued NSC identification numbers. It is imperative that these identification numbers be displayed clearly for documentation by our computer system. Boat ID stickers are available from the front office and must be placed on the Starboard Bow well above the water line. Trailer numbers will be painted on the trailer tongue and cradle numbers will be painted on both ends of the cradle. In addition, we request that cradles, trailers and dollies be clearly labeled with both the boat and owners name.

Access to the docks, compound and side pedestrian gates is through the Security Proximity Card provided to all current members. Two cards are provided for each family membership. Replacement cards, should you lose the card, is a $10.00 replacement fee.

Mooring allocation lists may be found on the club bulletin board located on the lower north-south hallway not less than two weeks prior to launch date. A member shall submit a written request for a change of mooring to the Rear Commodore including reason and/or justification for the change. Moorings must be occupied no later than 21 days after scheduled launch day. Failure to occupy a mooring by the specified date may result in the forfeiture of that mooring. After the official launch, temporary slips may be assigned based on the best possible use of harbour facilities for all club members, all boat sizes and boat types. Detailed mooring policy and procedures may be found in the By-Laws section of your Membership directory (Blue Book) or by contacting the Harbour Master or Club Manager. Launch day occurs in early May and Haul-out occurs in late October.

Power launch is a mooring category for boats that are stored on a trailer and can be launched on the club crane or at the public launch ramp. The mooring area for boats in this category is inside the compound in several rows, easily accessible by car for trailer hookup. The mooring fee paid with membership fee covers the cost of ramp launch/haul-out.

Absolutely no cars are permitted in the Dry Sail area around the dinghy moorings. Dinghies may only be launched with a member's or club-owned dolly as the ramp cannot sustain the weight of any vehicle. Vehicles are not permitted on the dinghy ramps. For added security the gate leading into the dry sail area is kept locked. To attain access, the key must be signed out at the Main Office.

The service docks (adjacent to the liftout/masting crane) are available to members on a 24-hour basis Monday to Thursday, Friday’s until 6:00 p.m. and only for 2 hours on weekends.

As a courtesy, the pump out, situated at the service dock, is limited to usage of 20 minutes. Similarly, power and fresh water are located at the service docks. Please contact the Club Manager if extended periods of time or stay over are required beyond the time limits imposed.

There is no charge for use of the crane by members for launching, haul-out and masting throughout the sailing season. The crane will lift a maximum safe working load of 10,000 lbs. Prior to use, members are responsible to book a time slot in the crane booking binder located at the club office. As a safety precaution, the crane is locked when not in use; therefore, the key must be obtained through the club office or bar upon presentation of appropriate identification.

See attached annex for procedures for launch and haul-out using Club Crane.

The club provides hauling carts to transport gear to the docks. The carts are located just inside the side gate under the deck area. Carts must be returned to this area after use.

The club office should be contacted and an Incident Report filed which is passed on to the Board of Directors. In addition the member should contact the Ottawa Police Service and their own insurance agent.

The VHF radio is located in the NSC members’ lounge. Most staff members are licensed operators. The NSC monitors channel 68.

Lists of the year's planned social activities are published in the Telltale and on the NSC's web homepage. Notices of upcoming events are also found on easels located in various areas in the building. During the summer months, regularly scheduled BBQ's are held. As well, catered dinners are held every Friday night with live entertainment during the winter months commencing in the new year and terminating prior to launch.

The NSC building is a Non-Smoking facility. Those who wish to smoke may do so outside the building on the deck and in the yard. Large sand filled receptacles are provided outside the doorways of the building for the purpose of extinguishing cigarettes, etc.

The NSC and BYC combine parts of their racing programs, so that the two clubs race on common courses. Races are governed by the current Racing Rules of Sailing, prescriptions of the CYA, PHRF-LO, and the sailing instructions. Fleet racing is offered for the following classes: One Design Keelboats, PHRF Keelboats, Women's PHRF Keelboats, One-Design Dinghies, Handicap Dinghies, Catamarans and Sailboards. The warning signal for the first start on weekday evenings is at 1815 hrs and for weekends the start time is defined in the sailing instructions. Boats must register for the series by completing an entry form at NSC or BYC. Forms are available on-line or at the club. Keelboats are required to fly class pennants (except for one-design racing), available from the club office. Keelboats are also required to have a current PHRF certificate, unless they race only in one-design. Members are permitted to have guest crew occasionally; however, all regular crew are required to become members of the club. A special Crewing membership is available. For more information about racing, see http://www.nsc.ca/nsc_racing/racing.htm.

The NSC offers a variety of learn-to-sail programs for both youth and adults (hosted by OSS) all summer long. All courses are open to the public. We have on site a full range of sailing courses that meet Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) standards. All instructors are CYA certified and insured. NSC sailing programs promote safe boating while providing participants a sound base of sailing, sportsmanship and racing skills. For a detailed description of the youth/adult/family, dinghy/keelboat/powerboat programs, please refer to the NSC Sailing brochure located on the counter rack at the front office. For dinghy programs, students use boats from the NSC Optimist, 420 and Mango fleets. Club sailboards are provided for the windsurfing programs. Cruising courses at NSC are offered by the Ottawa Sailing & Powerboating School. Similarly, the NSC offers an Adaptive Sail program using two Martin 16 sailboats. Facilities include ramp access to the boats and a dock transfer lift. OYSTR (Ottawa River Youth Sail Training Regatta) is NSC's annual youthfest regatta in August. It is recognized by the CYA nationally as a youth training event. Further detailed information regarding the courses can be obtained by calling the Sailing School at 828-1081 during the summer months.

The members' lounge is open year round with reduced hours during the off-sailing season. Bar hours are posted on the bulletin board in the front lobby and on the website. The lounge area is open to members and their guests when the building is open. The club does not have a restaurant on the premises; however, limited menus of lunch, dinner and snack foods are available at the bar, as well as a BBQ is offered most evenings during the sailing season. In the LLBO licensed area, no one is permitted to consume alcoholic beverages not purchased from the NSC bar. Members may purchase and bring non-NSC alcoholic beverages to their boat for personal consumption.

Rental of the East Room is open to members and the general public Monday to Friday (8am – 5pm) from May 1 to September 30; and 7 days per week from October 1 to April 30. For events requiring tables and chairs, the East Room has a maximum capacity of 120 persons. For standing events or theatre-style seating, the maximum capacity is 145 persons. The NSC welcomes a DJ of your choice to the premises and all food requirements are available with our in-house chef. The club is fully licensed by the LLBO and alcohol may not be brought into the premises unless purchased through the Club. Please contact the club office for further information regarding rates, availability of dates and policies or consult our website.

The club's publication entitled Telltale is published several times a year and is mailed to your home address and posted on our Web site. The newsletter of the NSC contains articles from the Board of Directors, calendar of social events and many more informative pieces of interesting reading. For information regarding advertising rates, articles and publishing dates contact the Editor or refer to our web site.

Regalia is a collection of clothing and other items made expressly for the NSC. Orders may be placed using the on-line form or with the Regalia primes. Regular stock items are on sale periodically throughout the year at the club. Special order deliveries are available a few weeks after being ordered. Orders are payable by cash, cheque or credit card at the time of pickup.

The Club's FOR SALE book is a large blue binder on the small table in the front lobby. All items either for sale or wanted must be listed in this book -- not on the club bulletin board. Likewise, items for sale can be posted on the NSC's web site simply by contacting the Web Master.

Ice - cubes or blocks - are available to members from the ice machine located on the ground level on the West side of the building. To obtain ice, payment must be made at either the office or bar.

The soft drink/juice machine is located on the ground level at the West side of the building. Members are encouraged to have the correct change.

Lockers are not available. Shower facilities are available in both washrooms, which are open 24 hours a day during the sailing season. The washrooms are handicap accessible.

1. Inspect all lifting equipment
2. Unlash strong-back and test hoisting/lowering function
3. Back in trailer, center line of trailer in line with marks on concrete.
4. Hoist strong-back to a height that will clear your boat. Move arm over your boat. The strong back must always be athwart ship Watch out for the hooks
5. Attach slings to hooks making sure safety clip closes.
6. Clear all lashings to trailer. Take up the slack at this time, but do not lift the boat off the pads. Crew members to come off boat at this time. Absolutely no one aboard during lift.
7. Hoist the boat carefully to clear the support pads of the trailer.
8. Insure that Crane control lines, and the boat mooring lines are kept on the same side of the boat as the crane arm at all times, both launching and hauling out.
9. Hoist the boat carefully to clear the support pads of the trailer.
10. Keep the boat oriented at right angles to crane arm, and watch for interference from the masting crane and its wires and lines.
11. Move the arm over the boat well using the rope guys. Control this motion by putting a turn around the cleats on the wall.
12. When the boat is centered, lower away in a continued controlled manner. Do not introduce jerking movement by stopping and starting the crane motor.
13. When the boat is floating, stop the lowering. Go aboard, ensure all is sound before taking off the slings.
14. If all is ship shape, remove outer wall side of the slings, and drop the free end in the water. Hoist the strong-back and slings clear of the well, and move the arm back to stowage position.
15. Lower and secure strong-back, remove slings and lay out along walkway in order to dry.
16. Park trailer in designated area or take it home.

If hoisting from the boat well, the steps as previously mentioned are recommended with the following additions:

• secure boat in well bow out, this will facilitate easier moving when hoisted
• hoist boat just clear of water to determine correct balance
• if boat appears to be well balanced lift away otherwise reposition the slings
• lower boat carefully onto pads of trailer, look for paint marks on hull as an indicator for fore and after alignment
• under no circumstances is the boat to rest only in the slings when out of the well cleaning of hulls must be done only while boat is resting on its pads on the trailer

It is essential to avoid sudden snatching, swinging and stopping of your boat while it is suspended since rapid acceleration and deceleration will greatly increase the stress on the crane equipment and could be hazardous.