KSC open house makes waves with prize

DUNROBIN SHORES – While the Ottawa River is still a little too cold to sail on, the weather on the dry land was beautiful and perfect for hosting the Kanata Sailing Club’s (KSC) annual open house Saturday, May 10.

And for those who attended, there was an opportunity to win your way on to the water all sailing season long.

It’s a big year for KSC, as it celebrates its 50th year at its quaint location on the Ottawa River in the Dunrobin Shores area of the West Carleton community. The KSC clubhouse and docks can be found at 1610 Sixth Line Rd. just through Sheila McKee Memorial Park in South March.

Since 1975, this club has focused on sailing in small sailboats and catamarans, and casual socializing. The KSC enjoys a peaceful cottage-like atmosphere with glorious views of the river and the Gatineau Hills in the distance.

You don’t even have to own a boat to be part of the KSC as all members have access to the large and varied fleet of sailboats the club owns.

To kick off the season-long celebration of turning Nifty Fifty, the club kicked off the year giving away a Learn to Sail course and one family membership – a value of approximately $1,106.

West Carleton Online dropped by the KSC open house just in time for the draw and KSC Commodore Deb McPhedran said the open house and the prize were a hit.

“It went wonderfully,” McPhedran told West Carleton Online shortly after drawing the winning entry, on the club’s deck facing the Ottawa River. “I still haven’t counted up all the numbers, but it seems to me we had double the number of open house visitors that we had last year. And we had great weather.”

The draw was something brand new for the club, and it created a lot of interest in the community and those who were on hand to see the lucky winner get picked.

“That was very exciting,” McPhedran said. “Jean Harvey was the winner. I don’t know her, so we’ll contact her in the next day or two.”

And McPhedran did.

“She told us she never wins anything,” McPhedran told West Carleton Online the following day (May 11) after contacting the winner.

“Thank you for this exciting opportunity to try something new,” Harvey said. “The club members were all friendly and informative and we look forward to getting to know you. This was my first visit to the club, and I was very impressed with your community.”

“We can’t wait to see her, and possibly also her partner, at the club,” McPhedran said. “The fact this was the Open House for our 50th anniversary year brought original members to the club. You got a photo of Doug Milne, Gerry Holt, and me at the deck railing.  Doug ran all around Kanata back in 1974/1975 knocking on doors to drum up interest in a community sailing club. The KSC website history page reads like the adventurous saga of Doug Milne! Gerry, an engineer, was well-placed to manage the building of the clubhouse once the club had secured a Wintario grant to fund the project. Beaver Lumber provided materials and expertise.”

McPhedran says the draw was very popular with those who came out.

“That just shows the interest and enthusiasm in sailing and the club,” she said. “It got them down here and got them down to see the sights and the boats and meet the people. People have been saying positive things about the place and the deck. We were speaking to someone just over there who said it was her first time here, and she said it was sort of a bit of a secret, this club. We don’t mean to keep it a secret. We’re trying to make it less of a secret, but I guess we’re just off the major bus routes. It would be nice if we had public transportation so we could cover that gap between the junior sailors. Warm weather, nice wind, good people, some food on the barbie, can’t be beat. We’ve had a great time.”