The Official Magazine of the Bluewater Cruising Association
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Calgary Fleet Report: February 2017

Christine McGregor

Destiny
Whitby 42 Ketch
March 4th, 2017

The February fleet meeting in Calgary continued the tradition of bringing temporarily land locked sailors together to discuss current and pressing topics for BCA members in the midst of planning an offshore adventure.

A welcomed continuation from our January meeting, Pam and Ted Simper facilitated the topic of provisioning, weather and communications. Valuable insights for extending the life of fresh produce, meal planning for passages and being mindful of possible first few days of sea sickness were particularly interesting perspectives to bring to the group.  Smart storage ideas and preventative measures for keeping stowaway bugs off your boat also are key topics for the group to consider.

Weather is always a topic of considerable interest for fleet members, so Ted discussed a number of weather services available to offshore sailors, as well as communication devices and methods of receiving weather data at sea.

Ted Simper demonstrating to the group how read and interpret pilot charts, pointing out some of the extra features of Jimmy Cornell’s Ocean Atlas pilot charts.

To wrap up the evening, the group generated a topic wish list for upcoming fleet meetings, to make sure future meeting topics meet the needs and interests of the membership.  We will be further narrowing down the list in the coming weeks and have a great curriculum to cover for the duration of the season.  Some of the suggestions made were: route selection and planning, handling medical emergencies offshore (fortunate that we have some doctors in the group!), top 10 things you will have to fix offshore and how to fix them and using tools such as Google Earth reef images in Open CPN.

March 20, 2017 is the date of the next Calgary fleet meeting, and if you are interested in joining the group to further your knowledge, support and camaraderie around your upcoming offshore plans, be sure to mark your calendar!  You can email or come see Christine McGregor, Calgary Fleet coordinator, at the next BCA Club night.  Cost to join is $50 per boat and everyone is welcome!

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