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Contact Membership for clarifications or any question not answered here.
Q1: Who can use the Club Boats?
Only members who have purchased the Club Boat add-on may use the club boats. The Club Boat add-on is only available to the Full and Young Adult membership levels.
Q2: When are Club Boats not available?
Sail Training has first claim to club boats. This is:
1. Adult lessons: Typically weeknight during the month of June
2. Youth camps: 8-4 M-F in July, and possibly August
Sail Training usually uses the Lasers and/or the RS Quests, and rarely the Hobie Waves.
Q3: How long can I use a Club Boat for?
During high-demand times (warm weather, favourable wind) please limit your club boat session to 2 hours, if others are waiting to use that club boat.
Exception: If you use a club boat for club racing, then you can use it for the entire event.
Q4: When is club racing?
Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons for June to August, and on Sundays in September.
Q5: Which membership levels cover multiple people?
Only the Full membership level covers multiple people.
Q6: Can I invite a guest to the club?
A person can be a guest at the club up to three times per season. For more than three visits per season they would need their own membership.
Guests can accompany a member on a club-owned boat (if that member has the Club Boat add-on), but guests cannot sail club boats on their own.
Q7: Do you offer tours?
No but you can visit the club for a brief look around, at your own risk. No boating or swimming.
Please stay off the grass if the ground is soft or wet.
Q8: Why the Initiation Fee?
The initiation fee is like an investment into the club's current assets, which have been paid for by previous year's members. Every new member pays it.
Q9: Are pets permitted at the club?
No.
Q10: What is your refund policy?
No refunds.
Q11: Can members store their boats at the club over the winter?
No, we do not have winter storage for member-owned boats. Only club-owned boats may be stored at the club over the winter.
Member-owned boats must be removed by the fall closing, and cannot be brought to the club until the spring opening.
Q12: How do I access the club buildings?
Members get their own key, so you can come and go when you like. The key unlocks the main clubhouse doors, the sail room, the washrooms, and the padlocks on the sheds. Lock up if you're the only one at the club and you leave, either for home or out for a sail.
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Lac Deschênes Sailing Club owns twenty two sailboats:
- eight Lasers (ideal for one adult or two teenagers)
- five Hobie Waves (small catamaran ideal for one or two persons)
- one Hobie Getaway (larger catamaran for more advanced sailors)
- three Quest RS (ideal for families of up to five or up to four adults)
- three Open Bics (ideal for one or two teenagers)
- one CL16 and one Albacore (ideal for up to three adults)
In addition for the Lasers, two radial sails with spars and two 4.7 sails with spars are available for high winds and/or for lighter sailors.
Club Boat Members have access to these boats throughout the season. They can cruise or race with them as an owner would. In addition to Club Boat access fees ($94.50 + $511.19 family membership or $194.48 if you are 30 or younger) Club Boat Members are required to do the work needed to store and maintain the boats. LDSC pays for any parts or materials required. LDSC Club Boat Membership is a great way to start sailing or to expand your sailing experience and bring friends.
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LDSC is committed to continuous improvement to ensure the health and well being of our members, volunteers and staff. We need to be aware of any and all incidents that occur in order to take appropriate action to prevent similar negative situations in the future and continuously improve our club.
If you experience or witness any of the following kinds of situations on club grounds or while sailing on the Ottawa River, please report it officially to the club.
- Emergency: 911 should be called. Examples of emergencies:
- Serious Injury
- Fire
- Watercraft in distress
- Vandalism or break-in in progress
- Physical violence
- General incident: Not an emergency but any kind of event the club leadership should be notified
- Event that caused injury or damage
- Close call that could have resulted in damage or injury
- Non-physical interpersonal incident
- Unsafe use of the club
- Safety concern: Anything amiss at the club that could impact users safety
- Hazard that could cause harm
- Faulty equipment
- Deficiency in safety equipment (ex missing first aid kit, or low supplies)
Email completed reports to the safety officer and their backup via
For matters requiring urgent attention, please telephone the Commodore, Vice-Commodore, Past-Commodore, Safety Officer, or any member of the board. Their numbers are posted on the Emergency Action Information document posted beside the telephone inside the clubhouse.
Incident Reporting Procedure
Please see the LDSC Incident Reporting Procedure.
Incident Report Forms
Use the Incident Report Form for all kinds of incidents or safety concerns.
For more information about reporting incidents, please contact the club safety officer and their backup by sending an email to
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Incident Reporting Forms
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Racing Basics
Racing is a great way to improve your sailing skills as well as being an excellent way to get to know other members of the LDSC. Our racing program is geared to people of all levels, not just for experts. Here’s what you need to get started:
- a sailboat, either your own or one of our Club Boats if you are a Club Boat Member;
- a waterproof watch with a count-down timer; and
- a sense of humour!
Our races take place on most Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings. The Race Committee will generally try to run three races on Sundays and two on Wednesday evenings.
Check the sailing calendar (not yet available) for start times.
Upon arrival on race day, pertinent information regarding the race (wind speed, weather forecast, description of racecourse) available on the deck in front of the clubhouse.
The course used for races at LDSC is referred to as the "Olympic Triangle". It is a right-angle triangle, its orientation based on the direction the wind is coming from.
The windward mark is the mark closest to the wind, the leeward mark is the one furthest from the wind (to the lee of), and is directly downwind from the windward mark. The other mark is known as the "gybe" mark, because you must gybe to round it.
The start/finish line is perpendicular to the line between the windward and leeward marks and is located about 1/3 of the way up from the leeward mark.
LDSC’s race committee boat marks one end of the start line, and a smaller buoy or flag (which is sometimes referred to as the "pin" ) marks the other end.
When describing the race course you will hear phrases like "a triangle and a sausage" (sounds bizarre, doesn't it?). What this means is that racers go around the triangle once, and then back up to the windward mark, and then instead of heading for the gybe mark again, beetle right back down to the leeward mark, go around it, and then back up and across the finish line. Or you might hear "two triangles" which would mean that racers go around the full triangle twice. The details of the course will be noted on the blackboard (look for triangle shapes and ovals), but generally we default to a "triangle, and a sausage".
The start sequence for races follows a "Get ready", "Get set", "Go" format, at five minute intervals. (This is why you need a countdown timer on your watch.) The start sequence is Yellow flag , Blue flag, and Red Flag.
The race course for Catamarans is generally just the windward mark and the gybe mark, and they will have their own windward mark placed further away. The Catamarans will sail “two sausages”, instead of the "triangle, and a sausage". As well, catamarans start separately from the monohulls. The catamarans start is typically done first, followed by the monohulls five minutes later. The Hobie Waves start with the other Catamarans but tend to race the same course as the monohulls
Race Sequence (what the flags mean)
Yellow Flag Up (0 minutes, 00 seconds)
Warning Signal – yellow shape raised, marks the start of the sequence. There will be one toot on the horn.
Blue Flag Up (1 minute, 00 seconds) (Get Ready)
Preparatory Signal – blue shape raised. There will be one toot on the horn.
Blue Flag Down (4 minutes, 00 seconds) (Get Set)
Warning Signal – blue shape lowered. There will one toot on the horn.
Yellow Flag Down & Red Flag Up (5 minutes, 00 seconds) (Go!)
Start Signal - The yellow shape is lowered, and the red shape is raised. There will be one toot on the horn. The raising of the red shape signals the start of the race for the catamarans and a warning for the monohulls.
Blue Flag Up (6 minutes, 00 seconds) (Get Ready)
Preparatory Signal – blue shape raised. There will be one toot on the horn
Blue Flag Down (9 minutes, 00 seconds) (Get Set)
Warning Signal – blue shape lowered. There will one toot on the horn
Red Flag Down (10 minutes, 00 seconds) (Go!)
Start Signal - The blue shape is lowered, and the red shape is raised. There will be one toot on the horn. The raising of the red shape signals the start of the race for the monohulls.
Tip: Keep your watch set on a five-minute countdown reset cycle, so if you miss starting it when they raise the yellow flag, you will still have a chance to start it when the blue flag is raised. The idea is to be as close to the start line as possible when they raise the red flag, but you don't want to be over it.
The sail numbers of anyone over the line early will be called and they will have to come back and start the race again after everybody else has started. If there are a bunch of boats over the line early, the committee will signal a "general recall" and the race sequence will start again for all boats.
General racing rules
The Racing Rules are quite complex and updated every four years. Visit Sail Canada for the most up-to-date rules. Here’s three quick rules that never change to get you started:
- A boat on starboard tack (wind blowing over the right hand side of the boat first) has right of way over a boat on port tack.
- A windward boat must get out of the way of a boat to leeward.
- Within two boat lengths of a mark, the boat on the outside of the turn has to give the inside boat room to get around the mark.
Beginner Tips
These hints are intended for beginning racers but are just as valid for Olympic level yachtsmen. Sailboat racing is a complex and varied game that many people have studied for a lifetime and have not mastered. The joy is in the journey.
Practice your starts by trying to sail past a mooring or buoy exactly at five minute intervals. On race day, get on the course area half an hour before the scheduled start time to get comfortable with the conditions. Invite another boat to sail upwind with you and have the slower boat copy the settings of the faster boat. Ideally you want to “brush” against a faster boat to copy their jib lead position, cunningham tension, and traveler position.
Check if one end of the start line is further upwind than the other. If so many boats will try and start there. As a new racer, avoid this jam up by starting on a starboard tack and sailing upwind to cross the start line. Starboard tack has right of way and windward boats must keep clear.
Time how long it takes you to sail the length of the start line, and then set yourself up with about a minute of sailing distance to your planned start position on the start line with two minutes to go. This gives you the opportunity to speed up or slow down and make a good start. Sail close to other boats like yours and copy their boat trim (position in the boat), and their sail trim (lead settings and tension). Position yourself more forward in the boat and ease the sails slightly to gain speed. Try it!
Look behind you when you tack from starboard to port tack. Keep a good lookout when you are on port tack (The other boats have right of way, so you have to keep clear!)
When it’s all over, don’t forget to thank the race committee and ask for feedback from other sailors. Then it’s time to check the race results and compare your corrected time (after the handicaps are assigned) against the winner's corrected time. Use your results to measure your progress over the season!
Finally, don't blame your sails, rudder, centreboard, crew, compass, etc… The race leaders of today started at the back of the pack too.