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Lakeshore Advance, 2013-04-24, Page 44 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesda , ' ril 24, 2013 opinion www.Iakeshoreadvance.com fileshare Alsace PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: Iakeshore.advance@sunmedia.ca SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager nell.cllftord©sunmedia.ca LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor lakoshore.advanceesunmedta.ca MARK STEPHEN Advertising Sales mark.stephenesunmedia ca KATHY YOUNG Typesetting/Classifieds lakeshore.adsCDsunmedla.ca www.Iakeshoreadvance.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular $12.00 (40.00+200 GST) Online subscriptions available—same rates Publications Mall Agreement No 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.0.ttox 1195 58 Ontario SI. North Grand Bend ON NOM 1 TO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns. phone: 519-238-5383 (•mall: Iakoshore advanceesunmedlcl ca Changes of address, orders for subscriptions, and undeliverable copies (retum postage guaranteed) we to be sent to Lakeshore Advance at the address indicated hero. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertise- ment will be paid at the applicable rates, We acknowledge the financial support of the (overnnuvrt of (:anode through the Canadian I'erludlcal Fund (CPU) fur our publishing activities. Canada Aocn � NewsMembera the Canadian Coand the nlry 11L l �+� �ocutbn end rhe Marto Comrsurfly Newspspers /modems On guard Lynda HIIIman-Rapley Lakeshore Advance The Boston bombing stripped away another layer of innocence. Life as we know it will never be the same- -again. 1 leightened security for open events will be the new norm. 'Terror can strike any place at any time- we are certainly finding that out by experience. Last week's senseless, cowardly bombing at the Boston marathon has again touched the world- bringing hack memories of 9-11 and Oklahoma bombing, a terrorist act April 19, 1995 -and people are quick to speculate about the holiday's possible significance. Undoubtedly because they were inspired by the fact that this week does contain a number of unhappy anniversaries: the Oklahoma City Bombing (April 19, 1995), the Waco assault (April 19, 1993), the Columbine School Shooting (April 20, 1999), and the Virginia Tech massacre (April i6, 2007), for start- ers. Patriot's I)ay in Massachusetts used to be commemorated only o11 April 19, which is indeed the anniversary of the Oklahoma bombing and the Waco trag- edy. But switched its tinting from the 19th to the third Monday in April hack in 19 69 way before either tragedy occurred. Social media has come to the forefront- another new normal some dubbing last week's help 'Boston bombing sleuthing: 111 this Case it was sincere' help, officials sayhig it was better receiving too much than too little. They say this is how people stay empowered- refusing to give into the fear and anxiety. People want to stay informed and help. "Ihe new adage "1 share so therefore 1 ass" could ('atlse collateral damage and officials warn to look carefully with discretion. Last week will prove to be a case study. One thing is for certain- no study needed- the nation united and strength became the weapon of choice. letters to the editor Boater responds to media stor Regarding the news report in the Lakeshore Advance, April 17, 2013 "Boaters take a how from (rand Bend harbour': !ant one of the boaters quoted in the article, and also one of the Grand Bend Yacht Club members who are departing the harbour this year, in our case for Kincardine. 1 have crewed and sailed my own boats out of (rand Bend harbour since about 1980. I have enjoyed cruising our current sailboat, "Respite" across much of Lake Huron and northern Lake Mich- igan, putting several thousand nautical miles under her bow over the past ten years. And I have enjoyed having Grand Bend as our home port immensely. 1 have known and respected Mayor Bill Weber for all of that time as a friend and capable politician. When I started crewing with i)r. Russ Liti- gant on his 35 ft. sailboat, "Nautilus" in 1980, 1 soon became aware of the rich history of (rand Bend Yacht Club, dating hack to the 1960s.'Ihe club has a proud heritage as one of the strong- est sail racing clubs on Lake Huron, as evi- denced by the fact that we were selected to manage the sailing events of the 2001 Canada Summer Games, in fact, (BY(: was chosen as the top venue for sail racing that year by both the Ontario Sailing Association and the Cana- dian Yachting Association. Top competitive sailors and their coaches arnlss Canada picked Grand Rend as the hest sailing venue in Can- ada that year, and our community could he justifiably proud. 'those trophies reside in our yacht club today, a facility that has been the emblem of the village Of (rand Bend since the 1990's. When 1 acquired "Respite" with the inten- tion of long range cruising in 2003, I was already aware that lake levels were on the decline, and chose a boat with it centerboard. Our draft with the board up is just 4'2'; much shallower than some other boats at (11Y(:,'Illis shoal draft has served us very well, but it is no longer shallow enough to ensure safe sailing out of Grand Bend harbour. There are boats in our club that draw nearly 2' more than we do, and they are among the approximately 16 who will be departing for deeper harbours this year. 1 and many of my fellow club numbers were frustrated with the dredging situation in (rand Bend harbour in 2012. We were always aware that Mitoi could only operate in calm waters. Unfortunately, dredging did not often take place through the week when the lake was calm, and if the weather picked up for the weekend, ve could not get out of the harbour and racing or pleasure sailing had to he can- celled. I'he situation does 1101 look even as promising for 2013, with water levels being much lower and no concrete plans for dredg- ing coming from La►tlbt01) Shores. The only reports we have seen in till' media indicate that the municipality plans to try to keep the launch ramp and fuel clocks open at reasonable depths. Our Commodore, Bill Ive, wrote to the Municipality in November 2012 expressing concern about the dredging situation in our harbour. I believe the (rand Bend Cruising Club also wrote to them. To date, our club has had no response from the municipality. It is LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lakeshore Advance welcomes letters to the editor. letters must include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verification. Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. letters must be signed and he in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander. not surprising then, to have these issues surfac- ing in the local media. "the same is true of our River Road overnight parking issues, which have not been adequately addressed by the municipality. In fact, the municipality's toler- ance for illegal daytime parking that blocks River Road, as well as their comments in the media that they want the Federal Government to fund better maintenance of the harbour (but only mentioning the launch ramp and munici- pal gas clock) clearly show they are only inter- ested in maintaining revenue from daytime boat launchers. 'there is no question that lake water levels pose challenges to our harbours that we have not seen before. For long-term boaters in (;rand Bend harbour, it is frustrating that our munici- pality is only willing to keep the shallow water open for visitors at the launch ramp, (Os" ignoring the needs of our long-term boa connunity.'1he inevitable result is that large', sleeper draft boats must leave for harbours that have undertaken timely dredging, as most have. 'Their local economies will be the beneficiaries. I truly regret having to leave Grand Bend har- bour, and am concerned for the future of G13YC, but Anne and I are really looking forward to set- tling in a harbour with municipal support and for now, a promising future. David Bannister MAk..(A)WISH in(1(I(1 '(.111( 11'1'/11'% ( (1,1/ 11' Ulf' /4,1 %((IH( (l(1\. 111.11('71N ,'I1.1 .1 1 MSS 52:' 917 1