In the wind: Feb 21, 2022

Covid Fatigue?

Effective natural therapeutic remedies at Jericho Sailing Centre
Sailing out from two years of distressing pandemic turbulence we are all harbouring a communal cargo of “Covid Fatigue” that, if we let it, can create a drag on spirits which may cause our lives to seem somewhat less buoyant. Overcome that sinking feeling with the Jericho Sailing Centre’s full store of, over the beach, natural therapeutic remedies easily accessible; no prescription required. Take unlimited doses of two-hour ocean cleansing sessions on Vancouver’s largest playground on a kayak, SUP, windsurfer, rowing skiff or sailing dinghy and you’ll soon feel that stress and fatigue disembarking your mind and body in soul soothing waves. 

Jericho Sailing Centre Association 2022 Membership Year

The 2022/2023 Membership & Storage invoices will be sent via email this week and are due on April 1st. Please update us if you have changed your email address to ensure you receive it.

New this year – We are now able to accept Payment via Interac e-Transfer to accounts@jsca.bc.ca. Please include your invoice number in the notes if choosing to pay with this method.

Please ensure that you are aware of your responsibilities under the new policy.

Jericho Pier

Although a king tide storm surge combination was a significant contributing factor, the Jericho Pier might possibly be open to the public today had it not been for a broken up log boom sending dozens of logs into it on January 7, 2022 causing catastrophic damage. The pier was still closed on that day from the November 15, 2021 king/storm combo that delivered Vancouver the infamous Barge Chilling Beach.

Our January 7 2022 Gallery shows the damage as it was occurring, the incursion of ocean into the Jericho Sailing Centre Compound minutes after high tide, and the aftermath of destruction to the Pier.

Google photos Jan 7 2022 storm gallery

Many thanks to all of the JSCA members who came out to help us put the beach back on the beach as up to half a metre of sand was left on the northern fringe of the compound.It is very unlikely the pier will reopen this summer as the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation struggles to address an overwhelming amount of parkland foreshore damage on a limited budget. To get a sense of the scope of their challenge, check out the presentation from their January 24 meeting (click the image below to open the report): 

https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2022/20220124/PRESENTATION-ExtremeWeatherImpactsDamages-20220124.pdf

Jericho Pier users are left to ponder the following question: If the owners of the Barge on Chilling Beach are responsible for removing their property and the costs of any environmental repairs, why aren’t the owners of that log boom held to the same standard?

Tuesday Nite Racing… but warmer!

A Virtual Regatta series organized by JSCA member Julian Hannabuss has been underway for a few weeks now. If you’ve missed out on the first three weeks of racing, don’t worry, it’s not too late to join in.

The series runs Tuesday evenings between 1930 – 2030 hrs, with 4 races per night. Remaining dates include February 22 and March 1. Note that with Virtual Regatta basic racing is still free, but a membership grants access to improved racing tools.

Interested e-sailors can contact Julian directly by email at jhannabuss@hotmail.com and he’ll follow up with instructions on how to participate.

Indoor Showers, Changerooms and Sailor’s Lounge now available to fully vaccinated members

The Sailor’s Lounge, indoor showers and changing facilities are now available to fully vaccinated JSCA members. Show your BC Vaccine Card or equivalent at the JSCA office and your member card will be updated for ongoing access. For the time being our outdoor shower on the South East corner of the building is available however, the showers on the west wall of the building are not active.

Compound Security

The Jericho Sailing Centre is open to JSCA members and accompanying guests only at this time. Please help us keep gates closed when not in use to avoid non-members leaking in. We look forward to welcoming the public back when our schools and the Galley Patio & Grill resume regular operations in April.

JSCA On Water Programs Launch in April

We are preparing for a full season of on water programming with a couple of extra special events in the plans for this year.

Right now Jericho Beach Kayak is running weekly winter paddles on Saturdays 1300-1500 hrs.

Regular on water programs push off in April and reach hull speed by the start of May:

Rentals and lessons for Mac Sailing, Windsure and Jericho Beach Kayak will be in full swing starting in May.

The end of May sees the Jericho Paddling Club host local OC-6 crews for the Jericho Iron Race while June will be an especially busy month with three sailing regattas including the ILCA Canadian Masters Championships June 24-26 (more on that below).

Keep your eye on the events section of our web site at jsca.bc.ca/events for additions to the schedule and up to date information on all our on water programs.

2022 ILCA (Laser) Canadian Masters Championships at Jericho June 24-26

The local ILCA fleet along with the JSCA is proud to host the 2022 ILCA (International Laser Class Association) Canadian Masters Championships here at the Jericho Sailing Centre.

This event is available to all ILCA sailors 30 years of age and older as of June 24. As this is a masters event there are the following age categories:
30-44 Apprentice
45-54 Master
55-64 Grand Master
65-74 Great Grand Master
75+ Legend

Scoring considerations are made for older sailors to even out the competition. This is a three day event with on water judging, a BBQ included for all sailors and volunteers on the Saturday evening, prizes for the top sailors and draw prizes for all participants and volunteers.

Our regatta co-chairs Bob Ennenberg, Tony Martin and Tim Murphy have been busily working behind the scenes to create a fun regatta for all involved. We will however, need the Jericho community to help make this event a success. If you are interested in helping out feel free to reach out by email to ILCAN_masters@jsca.bc.ca. To find out more click here.

Jericho Sailing Centre Maintenance Report

Josh Grigg – JSCA Maintenance Manager

We are emerging from winter and seeing glimpses of spring! Our maintenance crew have been spending these cold months working on indoor repairs and improvements, as well as reassessing and upgrading our recycling program, energy usage, and environmental footprint among other things. We are now gearing up and getting the facility ready for another busy season!

What to know
We are preparing to turn the yard water back on by March 1st. We are watching the weather forecast closely and the temperature is predicted to drop Feb 20th- 25th but we should be in the clear after that.In March we will be bringing in a large bin again to dispose of the accumulated waste around the yard. If you have Jericho related waste or recycling, please let our staff know and we can help dispose of it correctly.

What to look out for
This spring we are having the exterior of our building repainted as well as the stucco replaced on the exterior East wall. There will be some barriers around our entrance foyer because of the scaffolding and repairs, but we are working hard to minimize any disruption. We are also having a section of the roof replaced but this should not pose any inconvenience to our members.

How to help
Please help us keep Jericho tidy! Coil hoses after use, replace any deteriorating tarps, and dispose of waste and recycling in the appropriate bins.

We would greatly appreciate any members that would like to help clean up the yard, or participate in maintenance projects this season. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with storm clean-up last month. We will be scheduling volunteer work parties in the coming months so stay posted! 

Cold Water Recreation

Appropriate Attire – Dress for Cold Water Immersion
The water temperature is now well below the level where it is safe to recreate without proper cold water attire: wetsuit, drysuit, etc. People who get into serious trouble at this time of year have often made the mistake of dressing for the air temperature not the water temperature, which might be OK until something goes wrong and they suddenly find themselves unexpectedly immersed in cold water.

Always Stay with Your Craft
When a sailing dinghy, windsurfer or kayak capsizes they are usually within a couple of swim strokes of their crew. Some craft, particularly SUP’s and surf skis, require a safety leash (in good condition and properly attached) as they can easily get away in a capsize situation. Never leave your craft in an emergency situation as it is far easier to spot from a distance than a person in the water.

Use the Buddy System
Always sail, paddle, row with someone else, especially in cold water conditions. Let a reliable friend or relative know when and where you are going and when you expect to return. Diligently contact them upon your safe return.

Off Season Launch Log
Please use the Jericho Sailing Centre facilities at this time of year at your own discretion. All users understand that they are ultimately responsible for their own safety. In addition to letting a friend or family member know of your safety float plan you can check in at the JSCA office to register in our off Season Launch Log. The JSCA assumes no risk or liability for your safety on the water.

Be Aware of Sunset
Make sure your safety float plan includes plenty of time to get off of the water before sunset. If something goes wrong for you: equipment failure; changing conditions; fatigue, etc., you are very difficult to find in the dark.

Here is a link to one of our favourite cold water education sites: http://beyondcoldwaterbootcamp.com/

Jericho Sailing Centre Current Covid-19 Safety Protocols

The Jericho Sailing Centre Association is committed to fighting the spread of Covid-19.

Mask use mandatory in the building, optional in the compound.
Please bring your own mask. Disposable masks available for purchase in the JSCA Office.

  • Roof top deck open to members.
  • Sailor’s Lounge open to vaccinated members.
  • Indoor shower and change rooms available to vaccinated members.
  • Present your BC Vaccine Card or equivalent documentatioat the JSCA office for access to the showers and the Sailors’ Lounge.
  • Indoor capacity limits removed. 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 retained.
  • Continue to be kind to each other and give each other generous personal space.

We anticipate further changes, tweaking and tuning, as we approach the summer boating season. Thank you for being considerate of others.

On the water, safety is your responsibility

On the ocean there are elements of risk that common sense and personal awareness can help reduce. Regardless of how you decide to use the ocean always show courtesy to others. Please adhere to the code listed below and share with others the responsibility for a safe ocean experience.
It is every member’s responsibility to know and observe the rules of the road when on or near the water. Here are some key rules which every Jericho member must know and practice.

0.5 IT IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY TO AVOID A COLLISION

  1. Always wear your P.F.D. on the water.
  2. Sail powered craft have the right of way over power craft, paddle and rowing powered craft.
  3. All non-commercial vessels shall keep well clear of commercial vessels.
  4. It is illegal and extremely dangerous to pass between a tug and it’s tow.
  5. A port tack sailing vessel shall keep clear of a starboard tack vessel.
  6. A windward vessel shall keep clear of a leeward vessel.
  7. A vessel clear astern shall keep clear of a vessel ahead.
  8. Any vessel overtaking another shall keep clear.
  9. A vessel tacking or gybing shall keep clear of a vessel on a tack.
  10. The area south of the orange can buoys is for training or transiting only.
  11. Swimming or wading on the beach in front of the Centre is prohibited and is particularly dangerous for small children.
  12. It is unsafe to loiter or let children play near the bottom of launching ramps.
  13. Stay well clear of the end of the Jericho Pier as fishers cast lines as far as possible
  14. Be cautious of pathway traffic when launching/retrieving
  15. Do not leave your craft on the shoreline for extended periods of time
    Common sense goes a long way toward maintaining a safe environment. Membership in the Jericho Sailing Centre Association is contingent on members knowing and observing the Safe Ocean Sailing rules.

For more water safety info., tread water over to: English Bay Safety.

Jericho Sailing Centre Etiquette

Common sense and consideration of fellow members help make the Jericho Sailing Centre a true community centre with a friendly salt water community atmosphere. Here are a few etiquette reminders to keep things sailing along smoothly:

  • Do not leave your craft unattended on the shoreline for extended periods – share the shore.
  • RAMPS, and the areas adjacent to launching ramps, are for craft launch/retrieval only. Do not rig, repair or otherwise loiter in this area.
  • Do not leave or rig your craft in the rinsing areas adjacent to hosing stations.
  • The Jericho Sailing Centre is a SMOKE/VAPE FREE facility. There is No Smoking/Vaping permitted in any Vancouver Park or beach area.
  • Give pathway users the right of way and bear in mind they may be distracted and not aware that you are crossing the pathway with your craft or launch rope.
  • Launch dollies are for launching/retrieval only (not for storage) and must be returned to the fence immediately after use.
  • If you launch from your own dolly or trailer return it to your storage spot after launching.
  • Do not use the winches unless you are familiar with their safe operation. Winch instruction is available from staff or Jericho Rescue Team members. Only members or registered guests may use winches & dollies.
  • Only leashed, well behaved, non-barking/whining dogs are allowed in the compound, no dogs are allowed in the building or on the deck. Do not tie dogs to the base of stairwells or in other traffic areas. Do not leave your dog onshore while you are on the water. The City prohibits dogs on beaches. In consideration of other Jericho users please consider leaving your dog at home while visiting the Jericho Sailing Centre.
  • Please coil hoses immediately after use and conserve water.
  • Do not block aisle ways.
  • Rinse racks are for rinsing not drying.
  • Swimming is prohibited in front of the Jericho Sailing Centre.