…we’ve been expecting you!  Fleet Captain Dominic Goodwill outlines all the ways to participate in boating activities at the Nepean Sailing Club.

In our last normal season (2018), we achieved 300 finished races between Nepean Sailing Club and our friends from Britannia Yacht Club. That is the most of any operation in North America. We offered a good program through the past 3 challenging years.

This year the spring melt (frechette) forecast is normal, and we have no unusual health regulations. But we are keeping a weather eye out for changes… Currently, there are fair winds and a following sea, so the boating program is full steam ahead for 2022. Lac Deschenes has 42km of water and a good 6 month season. We are ready for you!

The annual Turkey Trot race

Ways you can play:

• Rent a sailing dinghy or paddleboard
• Join a boat or find a crew through the Crew Bank
• Go racing at one of our 100’s of races, round the buoys and up-river
• Race at one of the 5 NSC regattas which cover fast, slow, large and small sailing boats
• Host a pick-up crew on your boat for a weekday day-time social cruise – contact the fleet captain to help out, program coming soon – sail and power
• Learn how to run races
• Learn how to sail better
• Come out and play at SailPast, Turkey Trot and Baskins Beach.
• … or just head out, anchor, and enjoy the water

For advice on achieving your boating goals, talk to anyone in the Fleet Committee or Shawn Batten our Sailing Activities Manager sailing@nsc.ca.

There are opportunities outside Fleet also. For youth learn to sail, try our youth sailing school at NSC .

For adult learn to sail, cruising and navigation skills, look for our training partner Advantage Boating , who also offer keelboat sail share.

“It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” – George William Curtis.

So, bring whatever vessel you have, or hop on board with a friend. No matter whether it is sail, power or paddle. We will see you out on the water!

Midnight madness

Dominic is the Fleet Captain at NSC. That means he facilitates all organized boating activities (except sail training and able sailing). He works with 30 core volunteers in the Fleet Committee, 100’s of volunteers overall, and 7 fleet staff.

Dominic races his J/80, which is a 27-foot keelboat with an asymmetric spinnaker, and his Albacore, which is a classic 15-foot dinghy.

Dominic is an experienced and enthusiastic sailor, but has never claimed to be good at it. He knows that you should win the start and then extend, and hopes to achieve that one day. He is glad that the Ottawa sailing season only lasts 6 months, as otherwise he would never get home. He believes that the more boaters participate, the better will be the boating life on Lac Deschenes. He believes that high-quality Fleet programs are the pinnacle of the NSC member experience. His favourite event is Turkey Trot because of the variety of boats and members that participate, but one-design racing is awesome too.

Find him at fleet@nsc.ca

Regatta lineup

This presentation is part of the NSC Winter Speaker’s program, which promotes ongoing learning about all things nautical, as well as cruising and competitive sailing. Our contributors and organizers are all volunteers, and they and our audience come from clubs and organizations bordering both sides of the Ottawa River.

The meeting is free to attend, but we ask that you consider making a small donation. All proceeds will go to the NSC Legacy Fund, which supports competitive sailing for youth and Able Sail members.

Please register here.  After registration, you will receive an email with a link to attend the Zoom meeting.

The meeting starts at 7.30 pm, but we recommend that you check in to the “waiting room” up to 15 minutes early to check your connection for good quality video and sound. We will be playing content that will both enable you to test, and provide useful information about upcoming events.

During the webinar, you can use the Q&A button to ask questions at any time. The moderator will relay any questions to the presenter at the end of the presentation.

You can find the full Winter Speaker schedule, as well ask links to recordings of previous sessions in 2022 here.

If you would like to volunteer as a speaker, help with the speaker series, or if you have any questions, please contact winterspeaker@nsc.ca.