Marine emergencies make news. With some common sense and prior training, many of these emergencies should never happen. That is where the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron (CPS) comes in. While organizations such as the Canadian Coast Guard and RCM-SAR deal with emergencies after they occur, CPS provides training before – to prevent them taking place at all.
CPS is a not-for-profit national organization with over 20,000 members. Our courses are standardized across the country. We’re divided into units or squadrons, of which there are two here on the Coast. The Sunshine Coast Squadron, of which I am commander, has been active for more than 50 years. We have just under 200 members and volunteer instructors.
Our usual training season stretches from October to April. Otherwise, most of us are out on the water enjoying the world-class marine environment we’re so fortunate to have here. Our training program is delivered in various ways, from the traditional classroom, to informal seminars, short-term workshops, and online individual study courses.
We cover basic to advanced topics. These range from interpreting basic signage and buoys, basic and advanced navigation, electronic navigation with GPS, and local weather systems. On behalf of Transport Canada we provide the Pleasure Craft Operator Certificate (PCOC), a minimum legal requirement. For Industry Canada we provide the VHF Radio Operator course ROC(M), also a legal requirement.
Our squadron is affiliated with Gibsons Yacht Club. Since many of our students are new to the Coast, we want to put them together with experienced boaters so they can continue to safely practise what they have learned from CPS.
We also provide vessel safety checks at no cost, and an annual opportunity to return expired flares.
– Jack Adams, Commander, Sunshine Coast Squadron CPS
