Welcome to the NSC
The following information is intended to answer some common questions and help new members become more familiar with the Club. For additional help, contact the Club Office at 613-829-6462 or info@nsc.ca.
Club Governance
The NSC is a membership Club that rents space from the City of Ottawa. The Club’s operations are overseen by a volunteer board of 11 directors who are elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. A list of directors’ responsibilities and contact information for each director can be found on the NSC website.
Volunteering
Volunteerism is at the heart of our Club’s success and helps to keep fees as low as possible. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to participate in any work party or Club committee. Find out how to get involved.
Membership Categories
The NSC offers a range of membership types to suit individuals and families. The NSC’s membership year runs from November 1st to October 31st.
- Adult/Family Memberships: For Active Boaters & Families. Includes primary full member, cohabiting spouse or partner, and dependents up to 18 years of age. Primary adult or spouse/partner 36 years of age or older. Full club privileges and services.
- Young Adult/Family Memberships: Affordable Membership For Adults 18-35. Includes primary full member, cohabiting spouse or partner, and dependents up to 18 years of age. Primary adult and spouse between 18 and 35 years of age. Full club privileges and services.
- Student Membership: Consideration For Full-time Students. Individual membership for adults between 18 and 35 years of age enrolled full-time in an accredited post-secondary school. Dry Sail and Dinghy mooring privileges only.
- Crew Membership: Crewing And Social Activities. Individual adult membership is for those 18 years of age or older, looking to join primarily for crewing and/or social purposes only.
- Junior Membership: Special Membership For Junior Sailors. Individual membership for an unrelated (no Family membership) Junior 12 to 17 years of age. Dinghy mooring privileges only. Some restrictions, including legal age, apply.
For a table explaining the benefits of the various types of membership.
Membership fee invoices are distributed via email each year in October, and payment is due November 1st. Mooring invoices are distributed via email in February, and payment is due March 1st. If you expect to be away during either of these invoicing periods, please contact the office to arrange payment and to avoid late payment penalties.
Membership dues are non-refundable.
To request credits for mooring dues, please contact the Office.
Full and Student memberships include the right to vote at General Meetings of the Club. These memberships accumulate tenure points at a rate of one point for each year of continuous membership. The points system is used in allocating moorings.
Mooring Allocations
With floating dock facilities for 501 boats, the NSC’s harbour is among the largest of any Canadian sailing or yacht club. Most of the time our harbour is full or close to full, but like any club, we experience regular turnover in our membership, which means that slips do become available on an ongoing basis. As a result, new members who wish to moor a boat in the harbour rarely wait long for a slip. Depending on the size of your boat and the availability of suitable slips, you may not need to wait at all.
If, when you join the Club, no appropriate slip is available for your boat, we will advise you to put your boat on the wait list. To do so, you must hold a full membership (Adult or Family), and you must have paid the wait list deposit fee, which is currently $100. When a slip becomes available, we will apply the fee to the cost of your mooring.
In general, smaller boats are easier to accommodate than larger vessels. However, the vast majority of members who join during the off-season (and put their names on the Wait List at that time) have a slip allocated before, or early in, the new season. Staff members assign mooring allocations to new members throughout the season as they become available.
The maximum vessel dimensions that the NSC will accommodate are as follows: Length overall 37′ 6″, beam 12’ 9″, draft 5’ 6”. We define length overall as meaning the full measured length of the vessel from the furthest point forward to the furthest point aft.
For more information about the annual mooring allocation process, eligibility for mooring allocation and members’ mooring rights and responsibilities, please refer to the official Mooring Allocation and Harbour Policies.
We post updated lists on the NSC website each spring not less than two weeks prior to the Club’s official launch day, which is generally the first Saturday in May.
Moorings must be occupied no later than 21 days after commercial Club launch day. Failure to occupy a mooring by the specified date may result in the forfeiture of that mooring. After launch day, you may have a temporary slip assigned to you based on the best possible use of harbour facilities for all Club members, all boat sizes and boat types.
Members who wish to request a change in mooring should complete and submit a Mooring Allocation Request (MAC) form detailing the specifications of their request.
Trailer Launch
Trailer launch is a mooring category for boats stored on a trailer and that can be launched on the Club crane or at the public launch ramp. The mooring area for boats in this category is inside the yard, in several rows, easily accessible by car for trailer hook-up.
Dry Sail Area
Cars are not 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.
Service Docks
The NSC’s service docks are available for members who wish to pump out their holding tanks, recharge batteries, obtain fresh water, wash their boats or refuel. Two hoses are present at service slips: one for fresh water and a second for river water (as indicated by the posted signs). River water should be used when washing your boat or flushing a holding tank.
Each service dock includes signage that indicates what services are available at each slip and how long a member can stay there. If you require additional time on the service dock, please contact the Office to make those arrangements.
Special restrictions apply to Slip #9, beside the south crane well, which must be available at all times for people who are trailer-launching their boats.
Pump-out Procedures
Bear in mind that there is usually at least one experienced member at the service dock, and he or she will likely be happy to help out or offer advice.
Running the length of the service dock, on the surface of the dock near the wall, is a grey plastic pipe. Extending vertically from the pipe is a series of inlets fitted with red T-valves. You also find a long green hose with clamps on one end and a shut-off valve on the other end. The hose will generally be connected to one of the inlets. To pump out your boat’s holding tank, follow these steps:
- If the hose won’t reach your boat’s waste deck fitting, simply flip open the clamps, disconnect the hose from the inlet and move it to an inlet that is closer to your boat.
- Make sure all of the red T-valves are in the closed (horizontal) position, and then open the one for the inlet you plan to use.
- Close the valve on the pump-out hose nozzle and then insert it into your boat’s waste pump-out deck fitting. Keep a bit of downward pressure on the nozzle so that the rubber end forms a seal against the deck fitting. Then open the valve on the nozzle. There is a good amount of pressure in the system so it won’t take long to empty your holding tank – typically 30-60 seconds at most depending on the size of your holding tank.
- Close the valve on the nozzle before you remove it from the deck fitting. Then carefully lay the nozzle down on your deck.
- Use one of the marked river water hoses along the service dock to rinse and flush your holding tank. Several hoses are available, so finding one that reaches your boat should be easy. To prevent contact transfer contamination of yours or other members’ fresh water tanks, never use the fresh water hoses for rinsing or flushing your holding tank. Always use a river water hose when flushing your tank or washing your boat. Fresh water hoses provide clean city water and should only be used to fill your freshwater tanks.
- When you have finished filling your holding tank, insert the pump-out nozzle and empty the tank again. (Note: many people repeat Steps 5 & 6 to ensure that the holding tank is as clean as possible. At the end of the season, you might flush your holding tank three times just to be sure.)
- Return the green pump-out hose to the dock and shut off the red T-valve. Return the river water hose to the dock and coil it neatly around its bracket. Please don’t leave hoses lying uncoiled on the dock.
Refueling
To protect the environment and the water quality of the Ottawa River, refueling at your slip is strictly prohibited. All refueling must be done at the Service Docks, where special equipment is available to deal with accidental spills.
Cranes
There is no charge for the use of the Club cranes by members for launching, hauling out and masting throughout the sailing season. However, for safety reasons and to comply with the Club’s insurance policy, any member who wishes to use a crane must first complete a crane familiarization session.
The North and South lifting cranes will each lift a maximum safe working load of 10,000 lbs. The load limit on the South masting crane is 300 lbs; on the North masting crane the load limit is 1,000 lbs.
Members who wish to use one of the cranes should book a time slot using the Club’s Crane Booking software, located in NS Connect.
The Galley
The NSC’s restaurant, The Galley, is open seven days a week during boating season, with limited hours in the off-season. View the current hours and menu information.
Social Activities
Lists of the year’s planned social activities are published on the NSC website. Notices of upcoming events are also included in The Telltale, the Club’s newsletter. For more information about the Club’s regularly scheduled events, please see the events page on this site.
Racing
The NSC offers its members a comprehensive sailing program for all levels of sailing ability and boat types, including regular weeknight racing and weekend sailing events throughout the season. Participating in the program is a great way to enhance one’s sailing skills, socialize with other members, and simply get out and enjoy the water and your Club on a regular basis.
On weeknights, we offer regular series racing. Mondays are women-only keelboats; on Tuesdays PHRF/handicap keelboats; on Wednesdays dinghies and catamarans; and on Thursdays one-design and whitetail-only keelboats. Boats from other clubs on Lac Deschenes, such as BYC and CVGR, share the same course and start. Weeknight racing usually starts around 6 pm on the water.
On weekends throughout the season, there are long-distance races, specialty fun events, and organized club regattas. For new racers and those wishing more experience, we provide race practices on three Friday evenings in the spring.
Racing Registration
If you are a sailboat owner you may participate in as few or as many of the organized weeknight races or weekend events as you choose. One simple race registration form covers it all (for handicap keelboat racing you will require a PHRF handicap certificate, which can be obtained through the Club). Members are permitted to have guest crew occasionally; however, all regular crew are required to become members of the club.
Crewing
If you are looking to crew on another member’s boat, you can explore potential opportunities by speaking with your fellow members or the designated Fleet representative for the night you are interested in. There is also an online NSC Crew Bank page where you can post your interest, experience, and contact details for skippers who are seeking crew.
To learn more about the program and how to participate, the full program overview – including schedules, available race fleets, registration, and tips to getting started – is available on the NSC Racing page. There are opportunities to join (volunteer) on the Fleet Committee. Talk with our Club’s Fleet Captain.
Boating/Sailing Lessons
The NSC offers sail training opportunities for children and youth, as well as the Able Sail program which provides opportunities for those with physical limitations to get out on the water. We also partner with Advantage Boating, who provide sailing courses for adults. Additional information is located on our Sail Training and Able Sail web pages, and the Advantage Boating website.
Sail Share Program
The NSC promotes a Sail Share Program managed by Advantage Boating. Those wishing to participate in Sail Share must hold a full membership at the Club. For details on the Sail Share Program, please refer to the Advantage Boating website.
Members’ Database
The NSC Bluebook is a database of members’ information such as address, phone number, boat name and model, mooring, etc. Visit the Member Area webpage for a link to the Bluebook and other resources. To log in, enter your last name and your membership number. After logging in, you can verify that the Club has your correct contact details by clicking “View/Update your personal information”. If any of the details are wrong, enter the correct information and click the button to send your changes to the database administrator. The database is updated once a month.
Marine Emergencies
Please see the Marine Emergencies page on this site for more information.
Identifying Boats, Cradles and Trailers
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. The Office will assign identification numbers to your boat and its associated equipment.
Access Cards
Access to the docks, compound and side pedestrian gates is controlled through the use of security proximity cards. Members are issued one card when they join. If you lose your card, make sure you notify the office so it can be deactivated. Replacement cards come at a cost of $10.
Members’ Lounge
The members’ lounge is open year-round with reduced hours during the off-season. Bar and Galley hours are posted online. The lounge area is open to members and their guests when the building is open. In the AGCO-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 boats for personal consumption.
Harbourview Hall Rentals
Rental of Club space is limited and varies throughout the year. Please contact the Office to discuss your rental needs.
Merchandise
NSC Merchandise comprises garments and accessories made expressly for the NSC. Place your order directly online.
Boats/Equipment for Sale
Members who wish to buy or sell boats or boating-related items can post notices for free on the Club’s online classified ad page.
Ice
Ice cubes and blocks are available to members from the ice machines located on the deck and on the ground level on the west side of the building.
Hauling Carts
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.
Theft/Damage
In the event of boat theft or damage, members should notify the Office. In addition, the member should contact the Ottawa Police Service and his/her insurance agent.
Showers
Shower facilities are available in the main Clubhouse, and are available 24 hours a day during the sailing season. For security, the washrooms are locked between 10 pm and 8 am. During these hours, members can access the washrooms by using their gate access cards. The washrooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Non-Smoking Policy
The NSC is a non-smoking facility. Smoking is not permitted inside or within 9 metres of any Club building.
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