Nepean Sailing Club

Nepean Sailing Club
AbbreviationNSC
Formation1979
Legal statusactive
Purposeadvocate and public voice, educator and network for recreational and competitive sailors, coaches, volunteers and events
Location
Official language
English, French
AffiliationsCanadian Canoe Association, Advantage Boating; Britannia Yacht Club.
Websitewww.nsc.ca

The Nepean Sailing Club (NSC) is a sailing club located on Lac Deschênes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The club is based in Dick Bell Park, along Carling Avenue, adjacent to Andrew Haydon Park in the former city of Nepean.

History

The club was officially opened on July 29, 1979, with an initial membership of 350. Construction on the original 300 metre breakwater was completed by 1983. Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects won an architectural award in 1990 for the design of the main clubhouse.

Features

The main areas include hand and vehicle launch ramps; green and blue gazebos; Clubhouse, Registration, Office and Washrooms; youth sailing pavilion, first aid, washrooms, changing facility; wheelchair pathway; parking and dock access.

Life at the Club

Enrolment

Membership today is almost 1900 members. The club maintains its emphasis on sailing. The club has floating dock facilities for over 500[1] boats. The club also maintains an active dry sail program for day-sailing.

Programs

Nepean Sailing Club Dick Bell Park Sign
Nepean Sailing Club beaver and boats in harbour
Nepean Sailing Club lighthouse and Martin 16 sailboats

The sailing season extends from mid-April to late October. Sail training programs are active during the summer months for both youth and adults.

Every year the club hosts sailing regattas that attract sailors from across Canada and internationally. The local racing scene consists of fleet, PY and PHRF races on an almost daily basis along with special racing events on weekends throughout the season. Many racing events are held in cooperation with the nearby Britannia Yacht Club (BYC) and Club de Voile Grande-Rivière (CVGR).

Mondays typically see the women's racing. Tuesdays are PHRF. Wednesdays see 5o5s, Lasers racing one design, catamarans, and Albacores and Fireballs combining for handicap racing. Thursdays see C&C27s, Tanzer 22s, and Sharks race one design, J24s and Kirby 25s racing level, with three fleets of JAM (jib and main) racing PHRF. A distance race or regatta can be observed almost every weekend.

The Nepean Sailing Club also maintains an active Able Sail program with a fleet of Martin 16 boats, wheel-chair access, and an active team of volunteers who escort the boats.[2]

A number of trophies and awards are presented for evening and series events in addition to the trophies listed in Special events. The aggregate trophies awarded on basis of points earned in evening and weekend events include the Nautilus Trophy, Journal Trophy, Kelpie Cup, C&C 27 Overall Champion, and Jam Dish. Interclub awards are scored for series racing: The Chandlery Cup, Kirby 25 Best Performance Trophy, Authentic Yachts Trophy, NSC Beagle Bown, and Keepers.

Evening Series Calendar

Mondays typically see the women's PHRF racing and the skiffs and Lasers racing. Tuesdays are PHRF keelboats. Wednesdays see 5o5s, Lasers racing one design, catamarans, and Albacores and Fireballs combining for handicap racing. Thursdays see C&C27s, Tanzer 22s, Sharks, Mirage 24s race one design with three fleets of jib and main (JAM) racing PHRF. NSC has a racing program involving both (PHRF and JAM fleets). NSC fields teams to compete against other clubs in team racing. BYC has a regular weekday evening racing schedule and a weekend racing schedule organized by the membership. Members of the NSC High Performance Team have the opportunity to learn what it is like to compete against the best in the world, and the experience they gain at races and regattas will certainly help them as they progress in their sailing careers.

Day Description Series Awards
Mondays Women's PHRF (skippered & crewed by women) Series I (8 Races) & II (8 Races) The Chandlery Cup, keepers
Tuesdays PHRF Keelboats Spring Series (7 race nights), Summer Series (7 race nights), Fall series (7 race nights) Keepers, Sugar Bowl, J.G. Hickson Memorial, B Fleet Trophy,
Wednesdays BYC One-design Dinghy and Sailboard Spring Series (7 race nights), Summer Series (7 race nights), Fall series (7 race nights) The Don Martin Trophy, Nautilus Trophy, Keepers
Wednesdays NSC One-Design Dinghy, Catamaran, Handicap Dinghy Spring Series (7 race nights), Summer Series (7 race nights), Fall series (7 race nights) Keepers
Thursdays One-design Keelboats Spring Series (7 race nights), Summer Series (7 race nights), Fall series (7 race nights) Keepers
Thursdays PHRF JAM Fleets Spring Series (7 race nights), Summer Series (7 race nights), Fall series (7 race nights) Spring/Summer Series Trophy, Sugar Bowl, Shark Aggregate Trophy, Yuile Around the Buoys, Keepers
Sundays Frostbite Series - PHRF Keelboat & PFRF Keelboat & PHRF JAM & Skiffs October (6 races, 2 per day) Keepers

Weekend and Special Events

A distance race or regatta can be observed almost every weekend. Some events are open to any member of a club of the Canadian Yachting Association. Some events are interclub, which means that boats from all sailing clubs on Lac Deschênes may participate. Many racing events are held in cooperation with the nearby Britannia Yacht Club and Club de voile Grande-Rivière. BYC & NSC have a schedule of cruising and day sailing events organized by the membership for fun, as memorials for members who serve in the Canadian Forces, and as fundraisers for local charities.

Month Event Host Awards
May Singlehanded Regatta - PRF & Sharks BYC The Great BYC Challenge Cup & Ragtime Trophy
May Shorey Race BYC Constance Shorey Memorial Trophy, Corinthian Trophy, Marina Trophy, Victoria Trophy, Keepers
May Spring 50 Mile Race BYC Artemis Trophy, Blue-Bell Trophy, Keepers
June Commodore's Sailpast BYC/NSC N/A
June Pinhey's Point Race -ILD Race BYC BYC Fleet Trophy, Edwin L. Brittain Trophy, Vice Commodore's Trophy, L.S. Sherwood Tray, Forrest Tray, Evening Citizen Trophy, Director's Trophy, Keepers
June MacGregor Venture Rendezvous (fun) NSC N/A
June Jefferson Pursuit Race BYC pursuit race where the slowest boats start before the fastests boats
June NSC One-Design Regatta, Capital City Sharp Regatta NSC Keepers
July Canada Day Cup & Saucer Race (fun) BYC N/A
July Hinterhoeller Regatta BYC Hinterhoeller Trophy
July Pinhey's Point Race -ILD Race NSC Nautilus Trophy, Keepers
July Up-river Sail & Raft-up NSC N/A
July Quyon Race BYC Quyon Cup, Eun Na Mara, Oldest Boat, Quyon Open, W.L. Donnelly Memorial Trophy, Shark Trophy, B.B.C. Trophy, Quyon Trophy
July Homeward Bound Race BYC Homeward Bound Trophy, The Tony Lawson Trophy, Keepers
July BYC Cruise Week BYC N/A
July National Capital Cup (Martins) NSC restricted to sailors with disabilities
July Easter Seal Regatta (fun) BYC/NSC charity regatta to raise funds for Easter Seals (Canada) Easter Seals Society of Ottawa-Carleton
July Don Hewett Memorial Regatta (juniors) BYC Don Hewitt Memorial Trophy
July Joint Mohr Island Race - ILD Race BYC Craig Trophy, Negark Handicap Trophy, Shark Trophy, Thunderbird Trophy, Cook Trophy, Keepers, Scott's Restaurant Co Trophy, Lone Ranger Cup, MacDonald Plaque, Keepers
July Ian Meller Memorial Regatta BYC The Ian Meller Memorial Trophy
July Baskin's Odd Couple Race BYC Brule Bucket, Corrected Time Trophy, Karisa Trophy, Aston Jug
August Baskin's Weekend & Baskin's Beach BBQ BYC N/A
August Stan Carsons Memorial C&C Regatta BYC Special instructions issued
August O'Pen Bic UNregatta NSC For junior racers.
August National Capital Regatta BYC Reid & Pattee Trophy, Caveat Cup, Molson Award, Skene Trophy, The Bucket, Carl Strike Memorial Trophy, Yuile Award, BYC Y-Flyer NCR Trophy, Keepers
August Joint Stony Point Race- ILD Race NSC Evans and Kert Trophy, Shark Trophy, SK Trophy, Keepers
August Midnight Madness (fun) NSC After Hours Bowl, Keepers
August NSC Harbourmaster's Race/BBQ (Fun) NSC Harbour Master's Bowl, Keepers
September Armitage Race / Baskin's Weekend/Cornboil BYC Lt. Col C.E. Long Trophy, Hanseat Trophy, M. Norman Trophy, Calypso Bucket, Keepers
September 100 Mile Race BYC Firecracker Cup, Stage 1 trophy, Keepers
September BYC Sailboard Open Regatta BYC Keepers
September Fanfare Regatta - 505 Fleet 4 Regatta NSC 505 Fleet 4 Trophy, Keepers
September Single-handed Keelboat Race NSC Whippet Cup, Ottobahn Trophy, Keepers
September Queen's Park Race -ILD Race BYC D.P. Wadell Trophy, Pritchard & Andrews Co. Trophy, Queen's Park Trophy, Shark Trophy, T. Appleton Trophy, Queen's Park Race Trophy, Keepers
September Fall 50 Mile Race BYC Miss Peggy Trophy, Robin Hood Trophy, The Rhodes Cup, The Joan W Woods Memorial, Keepers
September Nepean Cup Match Race NSC Special instructions will be issued
October 20 Mile Trophy Race -ILD Race NSC Brule Bowl, Keepers
October BYC Club Championships BYC
October Turkey Trot (fun) NSC Leon's TV Trophy, Keepers
October Frostbite Race (fun) BYC Molson Frostbite Trophy
November Remembrance Day Regatta (fun) BYC Remembrance Day Regatta Trophy

The Galley

Nepean Sailing Club metal sign

Nepean Sailing Club also features a restaurant named "The Galley". It is open to the public, and features a patio overlooking the harbour. The Galley can be found on the upper floor of the clubhouse, and has a large room that can be rented for events.

Wildlife

Nepean Sailing Club purple martin houses

For birdwatchers, species in or passing through the area include Arctic tern, black tern, New World blackbirds, black brant, Canada geese, common goldeneye, common merganser, common tern, double-crested cormorants, great blue heron, green-winged teal, gulls, killdeer, northern pintails, rails, red-throated loon, ring-billed gull, songbirds, spotted sandpiper, swallows, loggerhead shrike, least bittern, and wood ducks. The fish species in the Ottawa River near BYC include brown trout, small mouth bass and walleye. The reptiles, amphibians, and salamanders include American eels, American ginseng, American bullfrog, green frog, mudpuppy, painted turtles, snapping turtles, spotted turtle, and spring peeper. The mammals in the area include beaver, coyotes, eastern chipmunks, mink, muskrat, otter, porcupine, raccoons, red foxes, red squirrels, and woodchucks.

Partnerships

Nepean Sailing Club main lounge roof trophies and burgees

As a Provincial Training Centre for 2012, NSC supports the training of Athletes at the Olympic level. As a Development Training Centre for 2012, NSC supports the training of Athletes from the Grassroots to the National Team Level and supports the development of Coaches from Level 1 (CANSail 1&2) to Level 4–5.[3]

The Britannia Yacht Club is developing a joint marketing campaign with the Nepean Sailing Club to increase awareness of recreational and competitive sailing in Ottawa.

Through Advantage Boating, there are adult and children's Learn to Sail Programs.

References

  1. ^ "New Members' Information | Nepean Sailing Club".
  2. ^ Nepean Sailing Club. "NSC Able Sail". nsc.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Ontario Regional Training Centres". Archived from the original on 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

45°21′14″N 75°49′27″W / 45.353936°N 75.824078°W / 45.353936; -75.824078