In the wind: October 5, 2023
Splash-tacular Longboat Weekend
Thirty-five hundred paddlers enjoyed spectacular Vancouver early autumn weekend weather for the 35th annual UBCREC Day of the Longboat event. There was an abundance of lively, youthful, vigourous and enthusiastic energy, plenty of splashing, and more than a little swimming as 15 canoes capsized over the course of the two day event keeping the Jericho Rescue Team very busy. Jericho Sailing Centre’s Safety & Events Manager, Dominique Labrosse while air traffic controlling our safety net clicked off these images and a few more which you can see in his Longboat Gallery.
Kudos to Jericho Rescue Team
Events such as the Day of the Longboat could not occur at the Jericho Sailing Centre without the support of our dedicated Jericho Rescue Team volunteers. Many thanks to these volunteers who came out on the 2 Longboat weekends: Anton Pitts, Lou Parsons, Florian Krauthan, Shaun Xing, Ryan Sawyer, Erik Price, Mike Stonefield, Kevin Melanson, Tegan Peacock, Ian Ross, Paul Dylla, Derek Page, John Fleetham, Sinead Sprigg. During the competition, 150 paddlers were assisted from capsized canoes to shore by the Jericho Rescue Team.
Fall Events at Jericho
Penguin Cup Racing Series October 8, 15 and 22 at 1230H
JSCA Volunteer Appreciation & Racing Awards Dinner Oct. 22 at 1700H
PAY PARKING UPDATE
NO OFF SEASON PARKING PASS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE, HOWEVER,
in response to Jericho Beach Park community feedback, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will consider a Motion to establish a Low Season Parking Pass at their October 16 meeting.
Please continue to respectfully and constructively voice your support for Low Season Parking Passes in Jericho Beach Park by:
Submitting feedback to the park board via the Van311 app at the following link: https://van311.ca/services/park-board-commissioner-feedback
From here you are asked to enter the following:
Location (1300 Discovery Street)
Park name, facility, site or service Provide details of your request/feedback.
If you are using the Jericho Sailing Centre in October please come to our office reception window prior to paying for parking.
Receding Daylight
Don’t run out of sailboat fuel. Be aware of daylight hours and always carry a paddle.
As time sails further away from the 2023 Summer Solstice evenings are becoming shorter by a couple of minutes each day: tonight’s sunset is at 1843H. During fair weather the wind frequently shuts off abruptly within an hour of sunset. A good rule of thumb if you are in a wind fueled craft is: never sail further from Jericho within that hour than you are prepared to paddle back.
Jericho Sailing Centre Association
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 1900H
The Jericho Sailing Centre Association’s 50th Annual General Meeting will be held Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 1900H in the English Bay Room of the Jericho Sailing Centre and online. The 2022/2023 J.S.C.A. Board and Committees will report on their accomplishments this past year and the challenges for the future. Please plan to attend and participate in the future direction of your ocean access community centre.
Call for Nominations
Voting will take place to elect eight members for a two-year term to our 15 member Board of Directors. The J.S.C.A. Board meets regularly to set policy and determine Jericho’s direction. Interested members who have time and expertise to offer are invited to submit a letter indicating their experience and areas of interest to the J.S.C.A. Nominations Committee c/o the Jericho office no later than 1700H, Tuesday, October 10. The nomination letter must include your name, address and telephone number. For additional information contact Mike Cotter, J.S.C.A. General Manager 604-224-4177 or email mike@jsca.bc.ca.
Special Resolutions
The Special Resolutions 1 through 17 to amend the JSCA Constitution and Bylaws were developed over the past year by the JSCA Bylaws Committee and recommended by the JSCA Board of Directors for approval by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
CMG 2045 Survey Results
Dear Jericho Sailing Centre Association Members:
Hard to believe it’s the end of another fine season on the water at the Jericho Sailing Centre. I hope you all made a point of enjoying some fun-filled hours navigating the winds and the waves this season. We had a pretty varied mix of blustery breezes and placid days which hopefully provided ideal conditions for sailors and paddlers alike.
I want to thank those of you who took the time to complete our Course Made Good 2045 summer survey. Jericho’s Board and Staff have worked hard over the last year to draft our latest 20+ year strategic development plan. We’ve prepared the document in anticipation of our scheduled agreement renewal date with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (VBPR) in the Fall of 2025. We believe this plan will greatly enhance the facility, services, programs, and overall user experience for our members, guests, and community partners at large. We always want to ensure we’re actively anticipating potential growth in user demand, required enhancements to operational infrastructure, and the evolving needs of our many stakeholder groups. But it’s important for us to check in with you — our active members — to ensure we’re on the right track. More than 200 respondents completed the CMG2045 Survey, helped rank their priority concerns, and also shared some thoughtful feedback on where we can do better.
I’m happy to attach the “Quantitative Results” of the finished survey in this weeks “In The Wind.” And I’d like to acknowledge some of the very helpful ideas that were put forth in regards to compound management, new compound equipment, facility upgrades, washroom and shower utility, environmentally sustainable initiatives, our website and weather cams, and more. All these suggestions are being reviewed by both the Planning and Operations Committees for potential inclusion in future operating budgets.
I hope you’re all able to manage a few more hours on the water as we progress through the Autumn cycle. And we look forward to seeing you attending our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023. Until then, wishing you Fair Winds!
Chris Stairs, President Jericho Sailing Centre Association
Racing Awards and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
The annual JSCA Racing Awards and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is Sunday, October 22 at 1700H. Tickets are $15 and available in the JSCA office up until Friday, October 20. There will be a slideshow presentation and awards bestowed upon our notable racers and volunteers. As our way of showing appreciation for our volunteers, they receive complementary tickets. If you volunteered for the JSCA in 2022 and haven’t yet received your invitation please contact the JSCA office.
Jericho Sailing Centre School Partners
Jericho Sailing Centre’s school partners introduce thousands of people to ocean recreation each year. Surf over to their websites for information:
Jericho Beach Kayak Centre
Kayaking and Surf Ski lesson, rental and pass programs. JBK
Windsure Adventure Watersports
Windsurfing, Wing Surfing, Wing Foiling, SUP and skimboarding lesson, rental and pass programs. Windsure
MacSailing
Dinghy Sailing and Canoe lesson, rental and pass programs. MacSailing
Galley Patio and Grill
Hours of Operation (weather permitting): Weekends only after October 1.
English Bay Safety Seminar
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 49+ 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.
Sail the Slideshow on our Website
There be Dragons here!: Find out where not to go in Vancouver Harbour
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. PFD’s MUST be properly fitted.
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.
16. Stay at least 300M clear of ships at anchor in Vancouver Harbour.
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 flake 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.