History of Cruisers' Net-2011

   

                roy2                     

History of the Little Current Cruisers’ Net - 2011

 
        

The 2011 season started with a new record being set for calls on the very first day. On  July 1, 52 boats called in. All previous one-day records were broken on July 31, when 172 boats called in that morning. By the end of the season – August 30, 6,684 calls had been recorded from 862 distinct boats. The number of distinct boats calling in is down from the past two years but this is a result of a significant decrease in boaters cruising the North Channel with reports of up to a 22% decrease in traffic.

During the summer, we  hosted six Cruisers’ Net Happy Hours at the Anchor Inn on Fridays from 3 pm-5 pm with an average of 30+ boaters showing up for great fellowship and free hors d’oeuvres compliments of Kelly O’Hare co-owner of the Inn and manager of the restaurant.  

Two Cruisers' Net parties, one on July 24th and another on August 23rd once again saw record attendance.  At our August Rendezvous, boaters enjoyed tours of Pepper Point Gardens, Coldwater’s Rainbow Trout farm on LaCloche Island, two guest speakers gave presentations on Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon, and 124 people from 61 boats attended the Tuesday evening pot luck supper. Door prizes were handed out, compliments of the Anchor Inn, Turners of Little Current, Treasure Cove Gallery, 10 Mile Point Trading Point, Coldwater Fisheries and personal gifts from speaker Heather Beecroft of Treasure Cove Gallery and from Dave and Donna Laux of SWALLOW.

The highlight of this summer’s season was a fund-raising drive for the Manitoulin Health Center. Before the start of the 2011 season, David and Barbara Chipperfield aboard the boat “ROBERT SYDNEY” wrote:

                   "Roy, we are aware that Manitoulin Island’s two hospitals are presently in the midst

                   of a fundraising campaign to acquire updated imaging equipment. Would you please

                   consider giving the boating community an opportunity to support the hospital fundraiser

                   via the Cruisers’ Net? Many of us have been thankful in the past for the medical support

                   at the Little Current Hospital and others may well need it in the future. We thought it would

                   be special to leave such a gift to the people of Manitoulin Island and to future boaters

                   who love cruising the North Channel.”

Once a week, I would talk about the program and invite boaters who wished to support the hospital to put their cheques for the Tree of Life campaign in an envelope, leave it in my name at the Anchor Inn.  Then, I ensured that each donation was credited to the boating community. At the August Rendezvous, we presented a large public relations cheque to the hospital for $6,300. I am thrilled and overwhelmed to report that donations have continued to come in and, as of Sept. 19, $7,200 has been donated. In addition, the Wallace and Fielding families, who own LaCloche Island will match each dollar collected through the Cruisers Net. This means your donations now totals $14,400.

If you would like to be part of this campaign and make a donation on behalf of the North Channel boating community, please make out your cheque to M.H.C. Tree of Life Campaign. On the bottom of the cheque write: Cruisers’ Net and your Boat Name. Send the cheque to my address: Roy Eaton, P.O. Box 567, Little Current, ON P0P1K0. I will ensure it is credited to our group and thus your donation will be doubled. Canadian boaters will receive a tax receipt but I’m afraid  out-of-country donations won’t be eligible in your country.

In closing, keeping the Cruisers’ Net running uninterrupted seven days a week, was made possible thanks to those who took over the broadcast when I was wasn’t available - Fred Burger of OUTSTANDING, Dave Naples of JAKES and John Lucy of ULTIMATE THERAPY.  In addition, I thank so many of you who have dropped in to the broadcast and helped record the morning’s calls. This program has been broadcast from the Anchor Inn each summer for the past 8 years and, with their continued great support, it will continue for a number more

Fair winds and safe harbours

Roy Eaton

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If you would like to read the past history of the Cruisers’ Net, it can be found on the Little Current Yacht Club’s web site at:  http://lcyc.ca/cruisers-net/history-of-cruisers-net-part-1  and  http://lcyc.ca/cruisers-net/history-of-cruisers-net-part-2

Statistics for                          2005         2006         2007        2008          2009           2010            2011

First Day Check-ins                    1                 2            20            42               35              27                52

Last Day Check-ins                  16               26            24            53               47              46                38

Average Daily # of Calls           16               33            56            76               91            101              108

Season’s total calls                1024          2043        3450          4708         5,846         6,284          6,684

Distinct Boats Calling In           342            532          742           825         1,003            894             862

Record calls in one day                ?               ?              ?               ?             161            164             172

*The Cruisers’ Net started in 2004 but no records were kept.

         

 

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