Commander's Page
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For
over 65 years, the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron have provided
recreational boaters with courses in safety and navigation. In
177 Squadron’s across Canada, our instructors help students to
develop the extra knowledge required to ensure that all your boating
experiences are pleasurable. CPS provides you with the skills to
get out there, and to safely bring your family back.As Commander of the Ottawa Power and Sail Squadron, I have the privilege of serving on a Bridge that is staffed with a dedicated team of volunteers with the common goal of promoting Safe Boating through Education.
I have been a member of the Ottawa Power and Sail Squadron since 1994 and joined the Bridge in early 2002 as the Communications Officer and then the Rideau Ripples Editor in 2004, and next the XO in 2005. I have enjoyed each of my responsibilities on the Bridge and look forward to this new challenging responsibility.
I have always been interested in boats and boating. Although I am a non-swimmer I find myself fascinated with the beauty and peacefulness of bodies of water. My boating pastime started way back in 1969 in Vancouver when I took a sailing course with a company called the Jib Set. This allowed me to rent their 26’ sailboats and I would continue to rent sailboats whenever the opportunity arose, including a bare boat charter in the Virgin Islands.
After more than 20 years away from the water a chance over night stay in the St. Lawrence River on our neighbours wooden Chris Craft made us realise how much we missed boating. In late October of 1993 we purchased a 1956 35’ Chris Craft Constellation (yup, a wood boat) which was already up on wood pilings under cover at French Bay in Clayton, New York. This turned out to be a lucky break for us as it allowed us to take the boating course so that we would know what we were doing when be brought the boat into Canada and also to join the Squadron. Thirteen wonderful years later we sold the boat to do something different. Well, how was I to know that; once a river rat, always a river rat, and consequently we only lasted 1.5 years on shore and in September 2004 we purchased a fibreglass boat in Maryland and had ourselves quite a bit of adventure bringing the boat to Canada on its own bottom. We now cruise out of slip 85 at Williams Marine on the St. Lawrence River.
Whether this is your first or fiftieth visit to our Squadron website please take the time to bookmark our home page. Do visit us often as our information is updated regularly. I highly recommend that you visit our Courses page and determine what areas you could use some updated instruction on. Consider taking a course. Our instructors are very knowledgeable and have a passion for passing this information on to our students.
Our Squadron Events page is another place I would recommend you stop by and visit. We have many social and informational events throughout the year for you – all boating related and of course, membership is not required. We have a blast at our Annual Picnic.
This year, Ottawa plays host to the 2007 CPS Annual Conference on October 24th to 28th. I encourage you to attend to this National Event since it is so close to our location. If you have some spare time, why not consider donating a couple of hours of your time to help the Squadron as we play host along with other Squadrons in our District.
I extent to you my personal invitation to come out and enjoy friendship and camaraderie on and off the water with fellow members who share your love of the water and a desire for knowledge about boating
We have a great squadron that is well organized, which reflects the work of many volunteers who freely give their time and energy to make us one of the best in the country. Let us share our boating knowledge and experience to help you create your own great boating memories. With our main purpose of Safe Boating through Education, I fly the CPS flag with pride and invite others to join our Squadron and do the same.
See you on the water,
Gordon Abry, AP
Squadron Commander