Consider this:
According to US Search and Rescue statistics, if you are taking five people for a ride in your boat one of them will be nervous and apprehensive about their decision to go out with you in your boat. Not only will a short 'briefing' talk prior to departing help relax that passenger, but in my opinion it adds four additional benefits.
The four benefits of a short pre-departure talk to your passengers are:
1) A person cannot be nervous and have fun at the same time. Reduce their nervousness by pointing out that your boat has ample safety equipment. This will help the apprehensive passenger feel more comfortable.
2) By letting everyone know what safety equipment you have onboard and where it is located, you improve your chances of successfully addressing any real emergencies that could occur. For example, if a person should fall overboard, chances are that one of your passengers will recall you telling them where the throw cushion is located.
3) Raising the subject of boat safety items gives passengers a chance to ask questions. And usually, they do.
4) Telling others where safety items are located is a procedural check that you actually have that equipment onboard, and its a reminder to yourself where to find it. This is all part of a good pre-trip checklist.
Here is an example of a passenger pre-departure chat:
"Hi folks. With the good weather, we don't expect any problems, but just as a safety reminder here are a couple of important points to remember about this boat.
We keep a throw cushion here behind this seat. It will help recover someone that may fall into the water. The line attached to it will help you pull a person in the water back to the boat. To easily get into the boat from the water, there is a boarding ladder located right here. We have a push to talk VHF radio right here, but in these waters a cell phone works fine and you can just dial 911, the same as you would onshore. If you want to hail another boat, the horn button is right here on the helm, or you can wave your arms to the side --- like this. A first aid kit is kept in this locker. We have two fire extinguishers on this boat -- one here and one beside the helm. Be sure and locate a grab handle that is close to you and you can grab it if I tell you we are going to hit a bump. In this floor locker is a boat hook and a paddle. Up in the bow locker, we have a bailing bucket and an anchor. We even have blankets onboard, should anyone get chilly, and there is sunscreen if you didn't bring any. To stay hydrated, this cooler has several cold bottles of water. Our chart for these waters is right here, should you care to follow along where we are going. Very importantly,...
]]>Today certainly doesn't make me think about boating, but it does make me long for springtime. Remember the Rocking Dock? It was another in a series of major improvements at the Marina and it was a big hit. For 2022 we have more surprises in store that will make Port of Call, more than ever, Ottawa's best boating destination.
The improvements don't stop there. For 2022 we are again making more room in the harbours and we have a fully renovated washroom building with much easier access. The Rocking Dock food stand will also see a refresh.
Also new for this season is the upgrading of our rental fleet. Renting a boat has become a very popular option for people wanting to do something just a bit different with their summer days. There is no better way to enjoy your family and friends than a day on the water and the experience can be yours without the expense and difficulty of boat ownership.
We have a waiting list for seasonal docking again this season. Each year we send an early-booking email out to our existing docking customers to give them the opportunity to keep their spot for the season. Due to the high demand for docking, we have moved our deadlines. You need to have your slip reserved by February 28th, that is just a few days from now. After this date has passed, we will be opening up our remaining slips to the patient boaters on our waiting list. If you are on our waiting list, please watch your email, will be be reaching out to you in early March.
Enjoy the rest of the winter, we look forward to seeing you in the Spring.
]]>Winter may not be out to get you, but it sure seems to be after your boat. Reading through 10 years' worth of winterizing claims, the Seaworthy editors were astonished at how many ways cold weather and ice can damage something made of metal, plastic, and fiberglass that lives its life out in the elements. The single most common winterizing mistake is not getting all the water out of — or enough antifreeze into — the engine, which is why our new winterizing brochure focuses on making sure you don't end up with a cracked engine block or manifold. But there are a lot of other ways winter can get your boat, most of which could be avoided with good winterizing practices. Engine damage aside, these are the 10 most common winter "gotchas" and how to avoid them.
This article was written by Beth A. Leonard for the BoatUS. Click here to read the full article.
This summer two of our biggest jobs were due to the "Buddy Special". While we appreciate the work, it is heartbreaking to present the boat owner with a repair quote.
A lot of the freezing claims we get start with an owner calling and saying, "I let my buddy winterize the boat." The rest of the news is never good and most often involves cracked engine blocks spewing brown bubbles or muddy-looking oil. Winterizing is not rocket science, but forgetting even one detail, or doing it incorrectly, can spell disaster for the boat — and your friendship — next spring. If you're not comfortable winterizing your boat, have an experienced professional do it.
To see the other nine ways in which winter can wreak havoc on your boat, please read the source article.
A great new place to eat on the river, centrally located at Port of Call Marina in Dunrobin Ontario.
Named "The Rocking Dock", the truck will be opened today at noon (May 28, 2021) and will be open every day this summer until 8PM.
Port of Call Marina is providing a 60' dock for guests to park their boats while visiting the Chip Truck. The dock will be launched in the coming weeks, but we will make sure guests can reach the new facility.
]]>We worked until almost Christmas and took a few weeks off. Once we returned at the first of January, we have been working flat-out building docks for our upgraded harbour and for local home owners along the Ottawa River. The picture above is what is in the shop right now. This is a large U-shaped floating dock with a built in boat lift that will spend it's summers just downstream from our own harbour.
We had very busy summer which turned into a very busy fall season. We now have all the boats put to bed and now we have our winter work lined up. For the most part, this winter will be all about building docks. We did a major harbour upgrade last summer, the primary harbour is deeper and wider. We will be able to accommodate larger boats, so we need larger docks. The service life of the old wooden docks that have been in service here since the 1970s has ended and new steel docks will be installed in the spring.
It is not just our own upgrades we are working on, we have several custom dock projects under way for river residents.
The hoe-ram came and the hoe-ram went. We closed the harbour for a week to make upgrades to the main harbour at the marina. About 1000 meters of rock was excavated from the harbour bringing our low-water depth to six feet right to the shore. The rock that was taken from the water was used as clean fill along the west and east berms which will provide excellent wind shelter when maneuvering in the harbours.
We are very happy with the results of this long week of work. We look forward to taking advantage of these upgrades to provide our customers with a better boating experience here on the Ottawa River.
]]>Our harbour will be close from August 24th through 28 for repairs. If your boat is in the harbour, you will not be able to use it during this period. This will also affect our launch ramp and gas dock.
]]>We are open for business again as of May 16th 2020. The Covid-19 lockdown has been lifted for marinas in Ontario so that means we will be operating in full swing while respecting social distancing measures. Right now we are able to allow one person into our retail store at a time but all other aspects of the marina are in operation. The resuming of business has only been one day and already we are very busy getting boats out of storage and ready for you to enjoy. Call us and we'll get your boat out of storage.
The photo above was taken by the Ottawa Citizen. A few minutes after the premier announced that Marinas were to open, we were received calls from both CBC and the Ottawa Citizen. Our story was page-1 above the fold and our CBC interview can be seen here.
]]>With the Covid19 pandemic affecting everybody, it might seem that going boating is a good idea. We couldn't agree more, but we all need to be sensible. The river is not ready for boating and our launch ramp remains closed to the public. We are working with a small crew preparing for when we can allow the public to access the facilities and the river, but we remain closed to the public.
Please check back here for updates or call us at 613-832-1414 or email info@portofcall.ca
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