2014 Countdown to Launch - Boating Tips on Twitter

It has been a long, cold winter but spring is starting to make the odd appearance.  The good news is that in just 30 days boats  will be launched at most marinas and yacht clubs from coast to coast.  It is time to put the skis and skates away and get ready for another season of boating.  

We are busy these days talking to new boaters and preparing renewals so our customers will have their insurance ready to go.   This is the perfect time for you to check your safety gear,  get the boat cleaned up , refresh your memory of the racing rules of sailing and boating regulations.

To help you get started I will post one 60 second video each day  at 7AM for the next 30 days.  There will be topics for every boater from sail to power to paddle sports.  

I hope you can join me on Twitter starting April 1.  

***Countdown to Launch ****

30 Days - 30 Video Tips 

https://twitter.com/SkippersPlan 

New Age of Sail Exhibit in Kingston, Ontario

If you're cruising near Kingston this summer there is a new exhibit at the Marine Museum that is worth checking out. 

The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston to Present a Major Exhibit and Outdoor Exhibition entitled - New Age of Sail: The Story of Canada’s Sailing Boom.

New Age of Sail Exhibit

From May 5 to November 30, 2014, The Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston will present a look back at the explosive growth in the popularity of recreational sailing from the late 1950’s, through the 70’s.

Entitled New Age of Sail: The Story of Canada’s Sailing Boom, the exhibit will recall the exciting developments in design, construction and marketing that popularized the sport of sailing.

During these innovative years, the transition from wood construction to fiberglass gave designers the ability to conceive lighter, stronger and more durable boats. They were boats that builders could mass produce for an affordable price. And since they required less maintenance than their wooden predecessors, their owners could spend more time sailing them, and less time working to keep them shipshape. New yacht clubs and class associations sprang up as a post WWll affluent middle class began looking for new ways to spend leisure time.

The New Age of Sail Exhibit will engage, inform and inspire. Visitors will encounter the past and present of recreational sailing. 

Find out more at

http://www.marmuseum.ca/index.php/visitor-info/new-age-of-sail-exhibit-2014

Introducing our New Marine Assistance Program

Whether your plans include fishing with friends, sailing the open water or taking a leisurely cruise along a river, you can enjoy it all with the peace of mind knowing you have the insurance coverage you need from Aviva and Skippers' Plan.

And now, it’s our pleasure to offer you even more value through your Skippers' Plan insurance coverage, with the new, complimentary Aviva Marine Assistance program.

           Value-added benefits included

The Aviva Marine Assistance program is automatically added to your boat insurance policy so you can now benefit from:

• Emergency boat towing services anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (24/7)
• Marine navigation and trip planning information and services
• Assistance determining the market value of your boat
• Unlimited, confidential legal assistance via telephone
• Health assistance via telephone, anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (24/7)
• Concierge services to help with your boating questions such as: finding marinas, boat ramps, repair services, storage, licenses, permits and more

                We’re here for you

Thanks again for choosing us. We look forward to serving you with the level of quality and assistance you deserve.  Additional information and your Marine Assistance Program membership card will be sent with your renewal and in new policies.
 
The Marine Assistance Program goes live on April 1, 2014.  After that date you can contact 1-844-240-4151 to access this exciting new program.

Municipal Marinas, Insurance & Boaters - The Rest of the Story

I admit that my initial response to municipal marinas demanding to be added as an additional insured was somewhat adversarial.     After further consideration my position has softened because boat owners (my clients) are not being harmed and there is even some benefit - see my  earlier blog entry.  As it turns out there may be more to this story with new legislation  being considered  at  Queens Park.

A recent article in Canadian Underwriter sheds light on legal and insurance issues facing municipalities (see link below).   If you don't know anything about joint and several liability this is a good introduction.

As the article explains, if 2 or more parties cause an accident fault is divided between them.  The law says that a party who is only 1% at fault can be held responsible for paying 100% of the judgement.  The well-insured party who is 1% at fault (aka Deep Pocket) pays and then has to go after co-defendants who may be  uninsured or under-insured.    Municipalities are well-insured so they are the best "deep pocket"  and easiest path to satisfy a judgement.    As a result  Municipalities are seeing their  insurance premiums  increase to unsustainable levels.    When you add the risk of  unlimited environmental claims like we saw in the Kawarthas  and you can understand why municipalities are starting to push back against the status quo.

This is an issue that affects everyone because in the end the taxpayers pay the premiums.    For my part I will not be critical of municipal marinas seeking some level of protection from what appears to be an uneven playing field.   If you keep your boat at a municipal marina perhaps this explains just one of the issues going on behind the curtain.  
    

http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/news/ontario-to-reform-law-stipulating-joint-and-several-liability-in-negligence-lawsuits-against/1002945131/

Ice and snow bring more water to Great Lakes

Finally there is some good news about water levels in the Great Lakes.  It also lends a sense of purpose to the frigid temperatures we have endured this winter.  All I hope for now is that boaters winterized their boats properly and there is no increase in  freezing damage claims. 

The Ottawa Citizen article is linked below but here are the highlights:

• Lakes Huron and Michigan, which are joined and share the same water level, are 33 centimetres below the long-term average. But that’s a huge improvement: This time last year they were 70 cm below average.   
•  Lake Superior and Lake Erie are only two and four cm below average, respectively. Ontario is actually above average by four cm.
•   Ice covers 88.4 per cent of the total surface of all the lakes, up 10 percentage points in the past week. It’s threatening to bust through the 1979 record of 94 per cent if the freeze continues into March.

 Ice is the key to the rising levels, Nevin said. “Evaporation is the largest source of water loss.”
 
Ice and snow bring more water to Great Lakes