Ben Eoin Yacht Club & Marina
4950 East Bay Highway B1J 1N9 Sydney, NS, Canada

Tania Aebi completed her solo circumnavigation aboard a Contessa 26, Varuna, in 1987 at age 21; at the time, the first American woman and the youngest person to... do so. Tania was denied a record by Guinness because she received assistance (at the Panama Canal, where it’s impossible not to be assisted) and had a friend aboard for 80 miles between islands in the South Pacific. But the writing she did about the journey helped connect with a wide audience, and earned her the recognition for an outstanding accomplishment that record books denied. Her sailing charters in the last year were thwarted by the pandemic, but she has plans for USVI / Puerto Rico in December this year and Italy’s Aeolian islands in 2022 contact via taniaaebi.com. Monday was international women's day: we're recognizing women like Tania all week, in appreciation for their contributions to the sailing community. Nominate others you’d like to see featured below!

Changes coming to Halifax Harbour buoys. We will all be confused for a while! Great reason to buy a new paper chart once the changes come into effect.

Reminder to boater.... We are a Mermaid Marine and now a Strait-Mackay dealer. All 2020 books remain in effect. Let me know if there is anything you want to order. [email protected]

Thanks to David Pat Muggah for this photo.

No, it is neither a flying ship nor an edited image. It can be explained by the ray diagram below. You cannot see the actual ship but the image of it.

Sail NS is excited to launch a new Facebook page in conjunction with many partners as a resource and platform for beginner, experienced, and visiting sailors an...d boaters to Nova Scotia. All can contribute to the new page and through your contributions, Canada’s Ocean Playground will be celebrated and showcased by champions like yourselves local and visiting members of Nova Scotia’s sailing and boating community. You can find the new page here Sailing and Boating in Nova Scotia Give it a like and let us know what you think. See more

Join us for part 2 of our boating basics series! We're happy to welcome Ocean Yacht Sales Limited and Walker Financial as guest speakers, and there will be ample time for questions on everything from how to find a boat, insurance needs, and financing consideration! Feel free to submit questions ahead of time as well! Please note, this is hosted on zoom, so be sure to join a few minutes early if it's your first time using zoom!

Iona is a favourite stop on the water when sailing around! A beautiful beach, free access to the public wharf, great fishing, and the Iona Height Inn, Highland Village Museum, Wheelhouse Cafe, and Fickle Frog Pub all walking distance from the water. It's so great to see an opportunity to support them in the off season as well, as today is not the day to sail to Iona!

Only 2 more days until our next boating basis webinar, all about buying boats! We may even throw in some tips on how big a boat you can fit under your tree this year *hint: get a bigger tree I've figured out how to link Zoom to facebook, so we will be going live on Facebook with this event for ease of access! Hope to see some people join us! And as always, it will be available to watch after the fact.

Happening in 3 hours! Tonight, we will discuss some basic aids to safe and fun boating for beginners, covering useful websites, resources, apps, and touching on hardware! Look forward to seeing you!

Just a note! The cider house tour and tasting has been delayed due to unforseen circumstances. An updated date and itinerary will be announced soon! Thank you for your patience and support!

Looking for something to do on this chilly fall day, and want to get some Christmas shopping done? Our neighbours up the road have a great outdoor market on today! The list of vendors looks amazing!

Hello BEYC community! Our YouTube Page is now active, and we've uploaded the video from our first Webinar, Boating Basics: An intro to marine apps. Feel free to check out the videos, and subscribe to our page, as we'll be adding content in the coming weeks, months, and sailing seasons! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnTgj1Dy6TE

Yikes! With 50 knots in the forecast for tomorrow, its a good fall day to spend inside updating charts and electronics while enjoying the fall Nova Scotia harvest from Island Folk Cider House! There's still a few spots left for the tour this Wednesday! Message us on Facebook or email [email protected] to reserve a spot! Proceeds support the sailing programs at BEYC!

Ben Eoin Yacht Club is the perfect setting for your special day! Our setting is beautiful in any season, be it Spring Summer or Fall. We host weddings, parties, showers, reunions or whatever you may require. ... Reserve your date now by contacting John at [email protected] There are still some openings left for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Book now!

On this rainy fall day, we swung by one of our fall series sponsors, Sydney Curling Club, to present a small token of our appreciation and check out the action at the Bon Speil! The entire crew of Corsican II won free memberships to curling, as the second place finishers in our Big Spruce Brewing Fall Series!

Go Sailing They Said... It Will Be Fun They Said...

Sorry sailors for the delay in posting these results! We had another gorgeous night on the water, and the marine forecast was spot on with a good bump up in the wind speed just as the race got underway! Kookaloo stole first again, and are now solidly in the overall lead spot. The leaderboard is rounded out by Corsican II in 2nd, and Barrel Rider in 3rd, which coincidentally matches up with last nights placing as well. We have 2 races left - next Wednesday, and the thanksg...iving weekend on Saturday! And that will wrap up our summer of racing and sailing! Next weeks race should coincide with a peak in fall colours, so should be a beautiful time on the water! The overall winner will take home the handy trophy combo beer holder shown in the pics, and the winner of the Thanksgiving race will take home a turkey! We'll have other prizes as well to give away!

Next weeks race is going to offer some pretty breathtaking views of the hills surrounding East Bay! Who else "falls" for fall boating?

With the help of the Ocean Tracking Network field team, Apoqnmatulti’k now has receivers positioned at the main entrances to the Bras d’Or Lake! These receivers... will capture the movement of katew (American eel) between the Bras d'Or Lake and the Atlantic Ocean, and provide insight into the length of time the species inhabits the lake. American eel have the greatest range of any fish species in North America. The data collected by the receivers will help fill knowledge gaps in eel behaviour and residency patterns, as well as determine essential winter and feeding grounds. Mi'kmaq rely on eel in the Bras d’Or Lake for food and ceremonial purposes. Learning more about how eel use the lake and surrounding coastal ponds is essential for the transfer of knowledge and culture, as well as the sustainable management of the species.

Meet the fleet #4! As we await another race tomorrow, it's time to change it up! Today's highlight is on our first vessel so far that isn't Canadian made! In fact, you'll notice she looks quite different from the previous 3 vessels, with 2 hulls spanning a total of 14' across! Meet Patience Two, skippered by owner Doug! An american made vessel, she is lauded for her ease of handling and ability to get sailors of all skills on the water. And Doug uses that to his, and ...the sailing communities, advantage! Dockside after the finish line, you will often meet new crew aboard Patience Two, first time sailors out to try their luck around the cans. Doug makes the sport accessible and fun, and helps introduce people to sailing, and he is a big part of improving accessibility to the sport locally! Don't let his crew fool you, though - when the wind is up, watch out for when Patience Two rolls out her "screacher", a giant headsail that plows her through the water at lightning speed! Catamarans work on slightly different principles to monohulls. She relies on her beam to keep her steady when sailing to weather, combined with an optional dagger board, as opposed to the lead keels of the other boats. This means she draws a fraction of the water, and can get into places other sailboats only dream of! Patience Two is no stranger to all corners of the Bras D'or lake, but you'll also see her on her way to PEI, in the Sydney Harbour, down around Canso, and really... anywhere the wind takes them! With 2 quarter births, and a full size queen bed in the front cabin, she keeps her guests comfortable and in the lap of luxury as she cruises around the maritimes! Don't be shocked to see Patience Two out for a sail in a snowfall! Doug and crew are avid sailors, and are usually the first boat in the water in the spring, and the last to come out! Patience Two hasn't missed a race this fall, and we look forward to seeing her line up for the remaining 3 races this fall!

BEYC Racers! Change of Race TIME AND DATE this week to Thursday, Oct 1st, start sequence begins at 5:30pm, as we wait for the weather to look more like this... While yacht racers have nerves of steel, putting their passion on the line behind the thin protection of a loudly bellowed "STARBOARD!", it is likely they're also partially made of sugar and will melt in high winds and rain. This may not be scientifically accurate, but why risk it, right? Wednesday is calling for... gusts above 30knots, and a good chance of rain, while Thursday looks Utopian by comparison! In order to continue to encourage participation, we're officially moving the race to Thursday. Can't wait to see you iron-willed, miscible folks at the start line! Do try to keep up!

Lots of fall boating still left, and the fall race series is in full swing, but the office staff are busy figuring out haul outs and organizing the yard! A couple reminders as owners prepare to haul for the winter: Have waivers and other paper work completed prior to the time of lift, this can be done at anytime prior and you will be given a card indicating all is in order prior to lift Be sure to have an updated insurance policy for us, if not already submitted... Jacks stands and/or cradles are ready to go Have sufficient help with you to aid with lines and stands Arrive hour prior to lift to ensure everything is ready to enter the camber at the scheduled time Any questions, please call us at the Marina! Happy fall boating!

Meet the race fleet #3! With the fall race series still in full swing, today's highlight is on Salazar, a C&C 37/40, wonderfully maintained and skillfully skippered by owner Ken. Salazar had an impressive start on Friday's race, for her first start in a race ever at Ben Eoin Yacht Club! Welcome to the series Salazar, Ken and Crew! We were happy to provide a welcome round from Big Spruce Brewing, the fall race sponsor, to the crew at the finish line! ... Built in 1990, Salazar is more than she seems. With a redesigned keel, drawing an impressive 8ft of draft, she is a sight to behold! You can tell Ken is passionate about her - just look up the model, and you'll see his name as an important contributor to data on the boat. On her tripple spreader masthead rig, you'll see she's rod rigged, helping keep the mast in column as the impressive 770 ft2 of sails drive her quickly through the water - in fact, with a PHRF of 90, she's the fastest boat in the fleet! She was built as a racer/cruiser, and is capable of tackling ocean races as well, with her impressive 12.5' beam and 7,000lb lead keel. With only 112 built, we're lucky to be able to share the bay with this beautiful vessel! We hope to see Ken and Crew out again!

Salazar heading to the upwind mark during one of the fall series races.

Wow! What an amazing night on the water! 7 vessels came out for our 4 fall series race - a make up from the missed race Wednesday. You can't order up better weather than tonight! The fleet was close, with 6 of 7 boats finishing within 6 minutes of each other! Kookaloo is solidifying her spot on the overall standings with another 1st tonight. Corsican II came in a close second, and Karl on Black Magic, our spotlight for today, came in 3rd to round out the podium. ... Congrats to Barrel Rider for keeping her mast upright this race, and a huge welcome to Salazar, for joining the fleet tonight! They won the random round of beer from Big Spruce brewing tonight, with Kookaloo getting the other round for the first place.

Race Streamed from my GoPro with https://live4.io/v #LIVE4gopro

Quick test Streamed from my GoPro with https://live4.io/v #LIVE4gopro

Meet the race fleet - part 2! As we get ready to have another race tonight, 5:30pm start (I hope to livestream the start from one of the boats, so watch for that), we continue on introducing our race fleet! Today, we are excited to introduce the smallest of our fleet, Black Magic, a Nash 20, clocking in at 20 feet length over all (LOA). Also a Canadian built vessel, don't let the tiny hull deceive you! With a cabin, small sleeping area, porta potty, and outboard strappe...d to the back, don't be shocked to see Skipper Karl in the same corners of the lake as larger vessels! She's a seaworthy boat, despite her size, and Karl is no stranger to testing her limits. Whether the weather is a calm 5 knot breeze on a warm sunny day, or gusting to 20 knots with waves and rain testing the foul weather gear of her crew, Karl is always lining up for the start line with the biggest grin you could imagine! Boat speed is a function of length, as well as a few other factors, so it's not surprising that she has a PHRF rating of 324. Although a smaller boat may seem to have a few disadvantages for round the can racing, Karl has us scratching our heads as he regularly finishes in the top 5 of the fleet! We're convinced he's skulling... With a mast height just under 30 feet, total sail area of just under 200 m2, and a displacement of just under 2000lbs, when the wind is light, Black Magic does some hocus pocus as she skips across the water! Compare that to a displacement of 8000lbs for Corsican II, introduced yesterday, and you can start to see where the magic really happens in lighter air! We're excited to see Karl out again tonight for another race and... just his luck... the wind forecast is light!

Beautiful calm evening at BEYC last night! The sun put on a spectacular display! Thanks to one of our members for this high flying shot!

Meet the BEYC Race Fleet!! First up is Corsican II, a C&C 30 Mk 1 masthead sloop. Skippered by Ray, our wonderful club commodore, Corsican II is a regular finisher in the top 3 spots during our weekly races. He's currently sitting 4th in the fall series, but only 2.5 points away from the top boat! With production starting in 1973, 800 were built, and all in Niagara, on Lake Ontario, making this a truly Canadian sailing vessel! It was the longest production run of any C&C ...boat, and carrying a ballast of 3,450lbs attached to a solid fiberglass hull, it is an incredibly sturdy and durable boat! Ray handles the 455m2 of sail area on this masthead sloop with ease to power Corsican II along at 5 - 7 knots, keeping the competition on their toes. She carries a PHRF rating of 190. Some cool features about Corsican II - You can easily identify her by Sail Number 74218. She has a blue dodger, and can typically be seen in races with the BBQ on the back rail. We can only assume extra protein underway is his secret to success! She's equipped with an alcohol stove, and has a full table, head, and enough room to sleep 4 comfortably... Don't be shocked to see Corsican II out for longer multiple day cruises around the lakes and along the coast of Cape Breton! If you want to see Corsican II in action, we have a few races remaining for the fall series, with the next one tomorrow (friday) at 5:30 start. Great viewing of the start line on the brake-wall infront of the club as the boats line up! #candc30

Numbers are in after Teddy’s trek across Nova Scotia. For Cape Breton, strongest gusts were observed around Grand Etang on Tuesday evening and along the Bras d’...Or Lake (Iona) and SE Cape Breton (Gabarus) Wednesday afternoon. Mesonet stations that did not reach 85km/h or higher are not listed in the summary (most of which, did not). For rainfall, a sharp contrast between in totals of eastern vs. western side of the Cape Breton Highlands was fascinating.. as our weather often is! Many of us might look back at Hurricane Teddy feeling a bit underwhelmed.. perhaps because we were expecting another Dorian? However, Teddy did deliver some surprises, such as heavy rainfall in northern CB and strong winds in Isle Madame and along the Bras d’Or. There was a lot of hype leading up to Teddy because it was a strong hurricane just a day before reaching NS. Of course, Teddy was expected to weaken before making landfall as a post-tropical storm and that’s exactly what happened. On a more positive note.. the final week of September should be much warmer than normal, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low to mid 20s. Enjoy!

Attention BEYC race fleet! With Teddy rolling away from us now, there will be a "make-up" race this Friday, as skippers pit yacht against yacht for the incredible grand prize of bragging rights and Big Spruce beer! The forecast is looking amazing and we may have a view of some of the beautiful fall colours on display from the water. Hope to see a few boats out! With only a few races left in the fall series, just 3.5 points separate the top 4 boats! Kookaloo (1st), Drumbeat (2nd), Barrel Rider (3rd), Corsican II (4th). It will be a nail biter to the end!

We're into the thick of it now. We've been seeing consistent gusts above 80km/hr and 90km/hr since 11:30. Strongest gust at the weather station is showing 92km/hr! Wow! Sustained winds around 45km/hr.

This video shows the movement of the dock, but also the relative protection of the marina. Taken during gusts up into the high 50's and low 60's. Also showing the direction of the wind. Even though you can see the wind pushing boats against the fingers, all fenders and lines were checked and looking good and secure.

The wind is now building with consistent gusts in the 50, 60, and above range (km/hr). The wind is coming from over the clubhouse down into the marina. Photos show most boats, lines and fenders all looking good. No issues yet seen from heavy rain, although there is a fascinating school of around 100 jellyfish right by the river outflow. The main dock is swinging quite substantially towards the outer end. We had previously relocated heavier and higher sided boats from this ...area of the dock to reduce strain. Stay safe everyone!

Note to members in the community who may need some last minute supplies. Be careful of debris, water on roads, etc if having to venture out!

Good morning. Relatively calm night at Ben Eoin. The weather station showed the strongest gust at 7:14, but not nearly as strong as yesterday. Sustained winds of ~15km/hr. That's a far cry from the 40 knots sustained down the coast in Tor Bay, with gusts close to 60 knots! The model has shifted, and the eye is expected to pass to the west of us, and you can see that the wind has been gradually shifting since about 1am. Mid day should still bring the strongest winds. So far,... it looks like the heaviest wind will still be blocked somewhat by the mountain, so hopefully that fairs well for us. Will post photos as they are available. Stay safe everyone! And remember, you can see real time weather info at the clubs weather station, available through the webpage: http://www.capebretonweather.ca/BenEoinYachtClub/Current.htm

Last update for the day - gentle warm rain falling. The wind has shifted to behind the clubhouse, so barely a breath of wind now in the marina, and its calm outside the breakwall. It looks like tomorrow morning through mid day will bring the strongest winds. Interesting, the rain has washed quite a bit of mud and debris into the marina and the water is very murky. Our little brook, which has been dry all summer, is a steady river now. John was down throughout the day for a walk around, and I just did the same. Lines, fenders, and shore power cables all look great. I've attached several photos. I did a quick scan of water lines too, as the rain has been heavy at times. So far so good. Stay safe, everyone!