The UBC Sailing Club invites all Jericho Sailing Centre members to our Jericho beach party: Sailors vs. Pirates from 7PM this Saturday, July 11, at the Jericho Sailing Centre.

Have a burger or two, throw back a few drams of beer or sangria, and dance the night away.

Featuring hot Vancouver band the Werewolves and cool tunes from DJ Deezel.

Dress up in your best sailor's uniform, or come as a pirate if you dare!

Purchase tickets for $10 through Thursday, or $15 thereafter:

• online at: https://eventbrite.ca/event/17550079761/ 
• at the Jericho office (cash only)
• or at the door

Please bring your Jericho membership card to the party, to prove your affiliation with the JSCA.  

With Metro Vancouver water supply declining at a startling rate due to unusually low precipitation in May and June (as well as the current heat wave), the JSCA is asking users of the Jericho Sailing Centre to do their part by using water as sparingly as possible when rinsing sand and salt off of equipment.

For more on this, dribble over to: missing the rain

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has commenced a "Keep our Water Clean" campaign in an effort to improve water quality in areas such as False Creek and local beaches. The Park Board is promoting "Free Pump-Out Services" for boats with sewage holding tanks at City owned, Burrard & Heather Civic Marinas. The Park Board is also reminding all users of City beaches and our ocean playground to put waste in it's place.

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation lifeguards at Jericho Beach have asked us to remind users of the Jericho Sailing Centre that all boats must keep clear of the swim area to the east of us. The Park Board has installed new swim area markers to clearly show boaters where they should not be. Recently a swimmer in this area was struck in the head with an oar.

Conversely, there is no swimming or wading permitted in the water adjacent to the Jericho Sailing Centre. The area is well signed but every summer we meet people who don't see the signs or think such rules should not apply to them. If you see such a person please let our office or any Jericho Rescue Team member know. 

JSCA's affiliated schools: Ecomarine, Windsure & MacSailing provide the best in professional, recreational marine instruction for kids (and adults) of all ages for le$$ than you might expect.

Summer Ocean Camps

Champion of re-opening the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, Sara Kalis Gilbert, daughter of a former Captain at the station, has convinced the Auditor General of Canada to review claims made by Canadian Coast Guard Management in Ottawa, and local Conservative MP's, following the English Bay Fuel spill which occurred on April 8 & 9, 2015.

The Environmental Petition filed by Ms. Gilbert and accepted by the Auditor General requires Fisheries and Oceans Minister, Gail Shea, to respond to the following issues no later than September 21, 2015:

"*the accuracy of statement regarding the fact that the Kits Base closure would not have made "one iota" of a difference in the detection of the Marathassa spill,

*the accuracy of the statement that "there was no pollution control equipment at the Kits Base"

*the discrepancies between statements made by the Minister, Commissioner Thomas, and A/Commissioner Girouard as well as various MPs

*the accuracy of the statement by Commissioner Thomas that the Kits Base did not have trained personnel

*the appointment of former Commissioner John Butler to perform a review of the Marathassa oil spill and whether it is appropriate or not.

*Whether the MCTS closures and the Kits Base closure can be justified in relation to loss of life/environmental impact "

Ms. Gilbert has also requested that the Office of the Auditor General conduct a Performance Audit into the 2013 closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station. The PA would conduct a thorough risk analysis with respect to the health and safety of Canadians in context with taxpayer savings. The DFO claimed at the time the closure would save $900K a year. Recently, a DFO briefing pegged the savings for 2014-15 at $665K.

Last Thursday's big winds on local waters kept the Coast Guard's summer Inshore Rescue Boat station on Deadman Island busy beyond their capacity. CKNW's Shane Woodford filed the following report:

"The Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirms the Coast Guard IRB station in Stanley Park was offline for six hours last night. Apparently crew were jumping from one call to another without sleep. Exhausted crew were given six hours to sleep. The station came back online at two this morning. For six hours there was no Coast Guard presence in the inner harbour to respond to any calls. The IRB station was introduced after the closure of Kitsilano Coast Guard base."

Sara Kalis Gilbert has forwarded this information to the OAG of Canada to further substantiate the need for her Performance Audit request. 

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 by attending a FREE English Bay Safety Seminar July 20 or August 17. All times at 1900H RSVP JSCA office.