A Little Bit About Us

Our Mission: To increase awareness and knowledge of safe boating by educating and training members and the general public, by fostering fellowship among boaters, and by establishing partnerships and alliances with organizations and agencies interested in boating.

What is CPS?: Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS), founded in 1938, is Canada's largest association of boating enthusiasts, with over 30,000 members nationally. CPS is a federally registered charitable organization.

CPS is recognized, and often consulted by, various national, federal, and local government agencies. It also works closely with the Canadian Safe Boating Council and other boating and industry associations. Some 10,000 boaters, each year, take safe-boating courses from CPS' more than 3,000 experienced, volunteer training personnel across Canada.

While dedicated to training and promoting safety in all aspects of recreational boating, CPS has a strong social side that develops lifelong friendships and fun.

Volunteers

Norvan Squadron, like all the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting safe enjoyable boating through boater education. This means that without the active participation of it's members, Norvan would be unable to provide this valuable service to the community.

Our volunteers take the time out of their busy schedules to teach & tutor students taking the various courses we offer. They organize events of social, educational, and administrative natures. They write, edit, publish, and distribute materials in the forms of educational, entertainment, informational, and public relational values. They cook at our BBQ's, man the bar at our wine and cheese event, and cook & plan the meal for our annual crab feed. They plan our squadron social cruises and share their boats for our twice yearly student cruises. They man the telephones, maintain our records, and keep our financials in order.

As you can see, there is a lot to keeping Norvan running and it all rests on the capable shoulders of the members willing to make that effort. If you're not already volunteering with Norvan, consider joining in.

Proctors

If the Instructors are the brains of our educational programs, the proctors make up the heart. Week after week throughout the term these individuals give up their free time to come out and help students in the boating class learn the material. They go over the homework, help demystify the plotting equipment & decipher the chartwork, and make themselves available for students whenever they might need a helping hand. A huge thanx to all of you who help us out.

Instructors

Our instructors make up quite possibly the most important component of our squadron. Without them, there would be no classes, and without classes, we wouldn't be able to attract or involve new members. These individuals freely give of themselves to share their extensive knowledge of their subject material.

Skippers for the Student Cruises

Twice a year we take our students out on the water to put a practical spin on the course materials. It wouldn't take place without the generous donation of their time and boats.

The Bridge

As with any organization, each squadron has a executive board whose function is to direct the interests of the squadron. Members of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons executive boards are given nautical titles in recognition of our boating origins. Thus, the executive board, known as the bridge, has a Commander instead of a President and Lt. Treasurer instead of simply a Treasurer. Other positions are also appropriately named.

The History of Norvan Squadron

By Arnold Ede - Norvan Squadron Historian(Arnold took the Boating Course and joined Norvan in 1960. In 1964, he became our 5th Commander. In 1985 and 1992, Arnold won the Squadron‘s award for extraordinary service, and in 1991 he was the first recipient of the award for outstanding service in Squadron training, an award named after him. By the date of his death on December 2, 1999, he had earned 38 merit marks for squadron service.) 

Norvan Squadron came into being on May 27, 1958 with the granting of our charter to fifteen graduates of a boating course given by Capilano Squadron, our neighbours to the west. The course was held at North Vancouver High School. It was instructed by Wilf Bailey who encouraged the North Vancouver residents in the course to organize into a new squadron. Wilf then saw to the paperwork that was required and managed to steer us successfully through our initial teething problems. 

The first three or four years were ones of struggle with problems of finance, lack of confidence in our instructional abilities, slow membership growth, and general disorganization. The solution to all of these came with the enrollment, in our second year, of Gavin Thompson. Gay was a banker and an organizational genius who recognized our weaknesses and dragooned us into dealing with them. From that point on we have enjoyed steady growth, sound financing, and a confidence to improve and enlarge our educational activities.  

Norvan through the years has taken a strong interest in district and national affairs in addition to our own activities. We have been strongly represented in the District councils with seven of the District Commanders (as of 1999) being Norvan members. Many of our members have served as District and National officers. We now have a large numerically stable membership and we think a professional quality education program. We do take pride most of all however in our nickname “the friendly squadron” and look forward to many of our new members taking an active role in our affairs.

A letter from Chief Commander Tony Gardiner to Norvan, December 2003

The year is about to end and as I read the December issue of Anchor Watch I am saddened that I have not been able to keep up friendships with my old Norvan friends as well as the many new Norvaners whom I've not had the pleasure of meeting.

Being a Chief Commander takes it toll - especially when one has to make a living at the same time! It is not for a lack of interest or desire that May and I have had to miss student cruises, Commanders' cruises and, shortly, the Carol Ship party on December 20. The reality is that I've boarded an aeroplane, either for CPS or for my business, an average of four times per month during the past year and a half! In fact I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't have time to spend more than a few minutes with Cdr John Atkinson and First Mate Sally in Saint John, though I was pleased that I was able to pledge more of our US friends into Norvan along with the Chief's aids, Ralph & Carol Murray.

So what am I trying to say? I guess what I want to tell you is that wherever I go I am always proud to tell people that I am a member of Norvan - one of the finest Squadrons in the country, and one to which I'll return as soon as I can shed some of my time-consuming national duties. In the words of Arnie, I'll be back. In the meantime keep up all the great work, and most importantly, the wonderful comradery of Norvan!

Tony Gardiner
Chief Commander, SN

 

Last growth spurt on February 12, 2008