Wednesday, June 20, 2001

Internet the sailor's best friend

By ANDREW FLYNN-- The Canadian Press

TORONTO (CP) -- Sailors are a gregarious lot, ever willing to "gam" (sailor slang for chat) about the weather, new boats, old boats, sails, knots, disasters and the like.

So naturally nautical culture has taken to the Internet, the perfect venue for trading information, getting the latest sailing news and procuring the thousands of odds and ends sailboats seem to require endlessly.

Sailing sites are a particular boon to the neophyte, but even weathered old salts can benefit from the incredible wealth of sailing resources to be found on the Internet today.

Canada, having the world's longest coastline (a whopping 243,792 kilometres) and being 7.6 per cent covered by bodies of fresh water, is a natural haven for the sailor. Given that and the fact that Canadians have taken to the Internet in huge numbers, it's no surprise that many top sailing sites originate here.

The Internet-based magazine www.cruising.ca is a site for beginners and veterans alike, with links to yachting organizations, news pertinent to Canadian sailors, shopping guides and basic information.

Gam on Yachting is probably the country's most venerable publication, a print magazine founded in 1957 that is now available online. Geared less toward the novice than the advanced sailor, Gam nonetheless promotes communication between sailors of all levels. A free membership to the site grants access to the magazine's newly created message boards, where visitors can discuss a range of sailing-related topics.

Sailing magazines and portals are an excellent all-around resource. SailNet (www.sailnet.com) is one of the most widely recognized sites in the world . Other excellent portals include www.sailingsource.com, www.sailfree.com, www.sailorschoice.com, www.boatowners.com, and www.nautilia.net/en.

Canadian sailing's governing body is the Canadian Yachting Association (www.sailing.ca). It's Web site provides information on training and sailing competition in Canada, as well as official rules accepted by the sailing community.

Through links to provincial associations, it maintains a network of information on sailing schools, coach and instructor training and yacht clubs around the country.

Boating safety is a perennial concern in the sailing community. In Canada, all boating rules and regulations are administered through the Canadian Office of Boating Safety (www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/obs-bsn). Jointly administered by Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans, the office promotes the proper use of safety features like life jackets.

Of particular interest to boaters is the Notice to Mariners (www.notmar.com) from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. At the site can be found important information about changing rules and regulations and also the system of navigation aids (lights, buoys and fog signals) maintained by the department.

There's no question that sailing is a very equipment-intensive pastime (starting with the most basic of needs -- a boat). While newer, larger, and more expensive boats are generally sold by marine brokers there's also a huge resale market for sailboats.

Boat for Sale (www.boatforsale.net) began in the mid-'80s as a classified ad magazine for boat sales but has now converted its copious cross-country (though most are for the Great Lakes region) listings to the Internet.

Other boat sales sites can be found at www.thesailboatmarket.com, www.yachtsales.com and www.thesailboatmarket.com.

There are sites too for the very, very advanced. While these are generally for expert transglobal sailors, they can also provide a little blue water (open ocean) inspiration for the uninitiated.

Sea Room (www.searoom.com), maintained by Torontonians Tony and Annie Cook is dedicated to those who enjoy travelling and living aboard a sailboat, an obsession commonly known as cruising.

Around Alone (www.aroundalone.com), will give newcomers a taste of what it's like to take a small boat around the world single-handed. Around Alone is a race that spans 43,470 kilometres of the world's roughest and most remote oceans.

And finally, for the most advanced of all -- those who not only sail, but create the vessel to do it on -- there's www.boatbuilding.com, a guide to the design, construction and repair of sailboats.