The Comox Bay Sailing Club is delighted to finally be in a position to buy two new 420 sailing dinghies. These boats are the product of five years of hard work by the late John Dickson, Stewart Swain, Jim Cooper and Brian Stoutenburg, whose vision to start a dinghy sailing school and introduce a new generation of Comox Valley sailors to the sport has become a reality.
The four visionaries sat down five years ago and created the Comox Dinghy Sailing School (a branch of the Comox Bay Sailing Club). They invited the Mobile Optimist Sailing Program (a travelling sailing school for kids) to the Valley and used the club's already well-worn boats to run teen and adult courses. Five years later the proceeds of the courses are buying two brand new boats both of which are available to club members and will be used to train future sailors.
The new boats are not all that is creating excitement at the Comox Bay Sailing Club. There is a comprehensive summer schedule of courses for all ages. There is a new collaborative program with Hornby and Powell River to share boats and instructors so that all three communities can run kids sailing courses this summer.
Rob Douglas, Canadian Yachting Association 2010 Coach of the Year, has developed a very successful kids' race team. The race team has been representing the Valley in provincial races and is sending 13-year-old Chris Volkers to compete at a national event in Nova Scotia.
There is a very active keel-boat racing group racing every other weekend in the fall and spring. One of the Comox boats, Tripp Tease, will be competing in the Telus VanIsle 360, a two-week race circumnavigating Vancouver Island, starting June 4. (www.vanisle360.com).
To learn more visit the Comox Bay Sailing Club website, look for courses in the Recreation Reporter, e-mail us at cbscsailing@gmail.com, phone 250 890 9154, or talk to us on the docks.
– Comox Bay Sailing Club