In the wind: July 7, 2021
Surfski Demo Day at Jericho Beach Kayak Centre – Saturday, July 10th!
Here’s your chance to try out the latest and greatest surfskis from Think & Epic. Think owner Daryl Remmler and our very own Bob Putnam will be at Jericho Beach to help and answer any questions you may have! Join us from 9am-1pm and test drive your next surfski! This is a free event & requires no registration.
Steer Clear of Jericho Pier
Two White Striped Can Buoys Mark Safe Passage Around Casting Zone
There have been some unfortunate encounters between boaters and the fishers on the end of the Jericho Pier. The Jericho Pier is the only place in Vancouver where people without boats can get out over the water to fish or crab. It’s a very finite, stationary space and boaters have a whole ocean of opportunity to navigate around the 30-40M extended casting zone. We have positioned two white striped orange can buoys just out of (wind assisted) crab trap casting range off the NE corner and the North end of the Jericho Pier to assist safe navigation. We recommend that boaters not pass between the Jericho Pier and these safety can buoys.
NO SWIMMING in front of the Jericho Sailing Centre
The beach between the Jericho Pier and the rock groyne at the east end of the Jericho Sailing Centre is Vancouver’s only public beach designated for the launch of small, naturally powered craft: sailing dinghies, rowboats, windsurfers, canoes, kayaks, etc., and swimming is strictly prohibited. Vancouver has some of the best swimming beaches of any city in the world, however, the stretch of Jericho Beach in front of the Jericho Sailing Centre is NOT one of them.
The danger for swimmers in this area is the extreme amount of small boat traffic including many craft skippered by beginners and novices. It’s all good fun until someone gets a Hobie in the head. Excellent, lifeguarded swim beaches are located to the west at Locarno Beach (with waters warmed by the sands of Spanish Bank) or to the east at the Jericho Beach swim area.
If you see someone swimming in this area please let them know (the area is well signed) or inform the JSCA office or a Jericho Rescue Team member.
Parks Canada Killer Whale Outreach at Jericho Sailing Centre July 24 & August 14
The Parks Canada Southern Resident Killer Whale outreach team will be at the Jericho Sailing Centre on July 24 and August 14 from 0900-1700H to raise awareness about the Southern Resident Killer Whale protection measures (specifically for recreational paddlers, boaters and fishers) as well as providing fun, engaging, and informative content about killer whales that is accessible to everyone. We have a small outreach set-up with props and information pamphlets.Facebook post we shared on this topic https://fb.watch/6q4Y8ti3a7/
A reminder that as of June 1, 2021, Transport Canada’s Interim Order for the Protection of Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) in the Waters of Southern British Columbia is in effect. This includes Interim Sanctuary Zones near the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Interim Sanctuary Zones have been created as spaces of refuge for the Southern Resident Killer Whales to rest, socialize and eat. Do not enter the Interim Sanctuary Zones off the east coast of Saturna Island, south-west of North Pender Island or at Swiftsure Bank from June 1 – November 30. No fishing and no boating allowed. Learn more and know before you go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7hRkfdarQI
Send Us Your Jericho Photos
We are always on the lookout for photos of activities in and around the Jericho Sailing Centre to share in our newsletter.
Photo: provided by Sue
Photo: Dominique Labrosse
Photo: Dominique Labrosse
English Bay Safety Seminar July 19
Not long after the invention of the first boat, thought to be about 900,000 years ago, came the first concept of water safety. Experience can be a stern master and as human beings evolved at the helm they learned valuable lessons, often in the hardest of ways. Every capsize and grounding, every ship wreck and sea disaster, brought more knowledge that, when shared, ensured boating could be a safer and more enjoyable experience.
There are many contributing factors which can lead up to incidents and accidents on the water. Through 9000 centuries of experience most of them are known and easily preventable. Every year the Jericho Rescue Team provides assistance to over 200 mariners on the waters in the vicinity of the Jericho Sailing Centre. Often when people are in distress on the water they were simply missing one or two important nuggets of water safety information that could have helped prevent their predicament.
The English Bay Safety Seminar was developed for users of the Jericho Sailing Centre to help keep them safe at play while on the waters of English Bay. The seminar covers basic water safety fundamentals along with user specific information drawn from the logs of the Jericho Rescue Team who have intervened in thousands of “sea disasters” over the past 46 years.
Why make your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of others? Don’t challenge Darwin’s theory, make sure your water safety knowledge is the fittest it can be. Your survival may well depend upon it. Find the missing links and fill in the gaps in your water safety knowledge by attending a FREE English Bay Safety Seminar via Zoom June 19, July 15. 1900H RSVP by return email to receive the meeting code.
Rookie Racing Seminar August 14
Interested in trying sail racing? There is no better way to improve your sailing skill. We’ll help you navigate through all the rules and prepare you to jump into our regular Sunday Racing event the following day at 1230H. Anyone interested in learning to race is encouraged to attend the Rookie Racing Seminar via Zoom on August 14 @ 1600H. RSVP via reply email to get the meeting code.
Many Thanks to the Great Volunteers of our Gatekeeper Ambassador Program
As we normalize Jericho Sailing Centre operations we are still looking for volunteers to welcome people unfamiliar with our facility and help steer them in the right direction. Please continue to sign up via the Gatekeeper Ambassador TeamApp.
Jericho Sailing Centre has the Best Patio in Vancouver
The Galley Patio & Grill hours of operation for July are Mon-Fri 1130-2100H; Sat-Sun 1100-2100H weather permitting
The Galley is continuing to adapt to changing guidelines for restaurants.
The Best Nachos in Town are Back!
2021 Jericho Schools in Session
JSCA partner schools are open for the season. For program information cruise their websites:
Windsure Adventure Watersports – Windsurfing, Stand Up Paddling, Skimboards
MacSailing – Dinghy Sailing and Canoeing
Jericho Beach Kayak Centre – Kayaking and Surf Skiing
Jericho Clubs: Why own just 1 boat when you can access a Fleet of boats?
A great way to enjoy recreational ocean access on Vancouver’s largest playground is to join one of the community based clubs based out of the Jericho Sailing Centre. These low cost, not for profit, volunteer driven organizations provide a wide variety of boat access and training programs for dinghy sailing, paddling, windsurfing, SUP and rowing programs as well as social opportunities. Clubs looking for new crew include:
ClubLocarno – http://www.clublocarno.com/
UBC Sailing Club- https://ubcsailing.org/
Viking Sailing Club – http://www.vikingsailingclub.bc.ca/join-our-club/
Jericho Paddling Club- http://www.jerichooutrigger.com/membership.html
Discovery Sailing Club – http://discoverysailing.org/
Companionway Sailing Club – http://www.companionwaysailing.ca/
Salish Sea Coastal Rowing Club – http://www.salishsearowing.ca/page-18087
Sea Dragon Sea Scouts – https://www.facebook.com/seadragonseascouts/
Adaptive Sailing Association of BC- https://asabc.org/
For more info. on all JSCA Affiliated Clubs surf over to https://jsca.bc.ca/clubs/
Jericho Sailing CentreCovid-19 Safety Protocols Update – Restart Step 3
Here are the latest updates to the Jericho Sailing Centre Covid-19 Safety Protocols which went into effect on July 1:
- Sailor’s Lounge Lounge and roof top deck open to members.
- Mask use mandatory in the building, optional in the compound.
- Indoor washrooms capacity limits removed.
- Gates 1, 2 and the South gate open to the public (no more contact tracing required). Gate 4 Windsure customer flow and Gate 5 Jericho Beach Kayak customer flow retained. Gate 3 still controlled member access only. East gate still controlled.
- Other than the Burrard room, all rooms in the Jericho Sailing Centre building are back to their original capacities.
- One-way travel in the building.
- Member service window barrier and office configuration will be retained. Indoor mask use by staff retained. Outdoor mask use by staff optional.
- Indoor shower and change room usage under consideration. Will remain closed for the time being awaiting Park Board lead on issue.
- Continue to be kind to each other and give each other generous personal space.
We anticipate further changes, tweaking and tuning, as we move through the summer. Thank you for being considerate of others.
Jericho Sail Racing
Sunday Racing – Sundays through Sept. 5 First start 1230H
Tuesday Nite Racing – Tuesdays through Sept.7 First start 1815H
Rules changes and reminders for sail racers
Sail racers should note that a new set of the Racing Rules of Sailing came into effect January 1st 2021. Of note is the ability of the race committee to score competitors as NSC (did Not Sail the Course) without a protest and hearing if they witness you not sailing the course properly. As of last year we generally sail with an open start line but a closed finish line. If the race committee witnesses you sailing through the finish line when not finishing you will be scored NSC.
Another change is that Start and finish now occur when any part of the hull is over the line; the boat’s crew and equipment were removed from the definition. A reminder that in the standard Jericho Sailing Instructions, we are now putting fleets who have been recalled to the back of the starting order so that other fleets may continue to race on schedule. A good overview of the new rule changes is available here :https://sailzing.com/racing-rules-of-sailing-2021-2024-changes-impacting-sailors/ The standard JSCA sailing instructions that apply to Sunday and Tuesday racing are available on our event pages: https://jsca.bc.ca/events/
Online registration for sailing events
Although there is currently no limit on the number of people allowed to race at Jericho, online registration is still required. There have been changes to the online registration program (available at jracing.org). The most important are:
Temporary sail numbers. If you don’t know your sail number when your register (e.g. if you sail a co-op boat), check “Enter sail number later.”You will be given a temporary sail number, such as “Laser 1”. If you haven’t entered your real sail number before you race, you may be asked to sail past the committee boat and call out this number, so they can check that you are registered.After you’ve raced, go to the results. The sail number you raced with will be there. Click the “Register” button beside this sail number and enter your name (and your crew’s name for a two person boat). If you registered online (as required), this will complete your registration.
Temporary crew names. If you sail a two person boat (Tasar or F18) you may not know who your crew will be when you register. Check “Select or enter a name later” and you will be able to register.If you haven’t registered your crew before you race, you can go to the results, click “Register”, and add your crew’s name.
Updating your registration. As well using “Register” in the results, you can update your sail number or crew name using the Online registration program at any time, before or after racing.
Please let me or Dominique Labrosse know if you have problems, and I will do my best to resolve them.
Richard Spencer (richard@rhspencer.ca)
Online registration for sailing events: an update
The limit on the number of competitors for Sunday and Tuesday racing has been removed, but please continue to register online before each event. Letting other people know you will be racing encourages them to come out and join in, and helps build your fleet. Now, if you haven’t registered online before an event, you can register by clicking the “Register” button in the results. If your name isn’t in the results, please click the button, register, and make sure your results are included in the Series results.