I am very proud to announce that Sail Nelson is the recipient of Canada’s Best Boating Safety Initiative Award for 2019!

What is the Best Boating Safety Initiative Award?

The Best Boating Safety Initiative award is a Canadian Safe Boating Council award. This award is presented to an organization that creates an event or a new initiative promoting safe boating practices in Canada. There were several other nominees for 2019 and the competition was tough! However, Sail Nelson pulled through for the win and we are bringing this prestigious award to our little community!

Why were we nominated?

Sail Nelson was nominated by BC Sailing for our Nelson Safe Boating Event, which we held in Nelson at Lakeside Park on May 25, 2019.

What is the Nelson Safe Boating Event?

The third week of May is the National Safe Boating Week for Canada and the US. This is when most of us boaters launch our boating season and get out on the water. It kicks off with the May long weekend.

I decided that Sail Nelson should bring together some of our safety partners to help the community learn more about safe boating practices. And so, the first annual Nelson Safe Boating Event was born!

Who are our partners and supporters?

Well let me tell you that when I sent out the call for participation, we had a great number of organizations and partners that wanted to join Sail Nelson with this initiative! These partners made the event a great success and brought so much valuable information to the public. They include:

  • Nelson Search & Rescue
  • Nelson Fire Rescue Services
  • Osprey Foundation
  • BC Sailing (who nominated us for this award!)
  • Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society
  • OneFire Safety
  • BC Conservation Officer Service
  • Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons
  • Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA)
  • AdventureSmart
  • Nelson Paddling Club
  • Nelson Police Association
  • Jones Boys Boats
  • Christina Lake Marina
  • Nelson Rowing Club
  • Canadian Hydrographic Service
  • Canadian Safe Boating Council
  • and many more!

Sail Nelson could not have made this event possible without all of your participation and enthusiasm so THANK YOU! We also could not have made this event possible without the help, determination and support of our key volunteers including Graham Toews, Kim Green, Ginger Lester, Leanna Andrews and Will Halleran. There were many other people behind the scenes as well, so thank you to you all!

Who else has won this award?

Sail Nelson has joined the ranks of some very high-level safety organizations who have won this award in the past. Past winners include: Canadian Red Cross, ICOM Canada, Canadian Power Squadron, Kid’s Don’t Float, and the Lifesaving Society of Alberta. I am humbled and grateful that Sail Nelson is joining this list of professional boating safety organizations

The little school that could…

Sail Nelson has been a dream of mine since I started teaching in Hamilton at Harbour West Sailing Adventures in the 90s. I saw what a professional boating education could do for people and the adventures it could provide. Education is freedom, and sailing education is freedom of adventure. I am passionate about helping others to live out their water adventures and I could not have asked for a better community to help me achieve my boating education goals. Thank you Nelson for helping my little school be on the big Canadian boating map!

What’s next?

This is just the beginning for Sail Nelson. I am just warming up and I have so much more to offer, but this is a darn good start! Join us on May 23, 2020 at Lakeside Park for the next Nelson Safe Boating Event!

Captain Penny

Leave a Reply