RVCC - Courtesy Checks
The Canadian Power & Sail Squadron (CPS) is working in partnership with Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety to raise awareness of boating safety issues and encourage all pleasure craft operators to follow safe boating practices.
Squadrons in the greater Victoria area are working together to provide free courtesy checks. CPS National have provided the funds to acquire Sandwich Board Displays, t-shirts with the RVCC logo for the volunteers and posters announcing a forthcoming visit. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the Coordinator of the area program and is the custodian of the display materials and supplies (which are available for use by all squadrons in the area).
During the past season we checked 153 boats on 15 visits to various boat launching ramps. Of the boats checked, 54% were found to be non-compliant!
We urge you to be vigilant and examine the safety equipment on your vessel and ensure that it meets the requirements as set out in the Safe Boating Guide issued by Transport Canada. If you would like to have a free Courtesy Check of the safety equipment on your vessel, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
To find out what it takes to be a volunteer, click here and watch the training video.
We have found deficiencies in virtually all the requirements but the most frequent areas of non-compliance are:
- Flares-past their expiry date
- Fire Extinguishers not bearing a current maintenance card
- Boat license or registration or PCOC not on board
- Lacking various items of safety equipment, such as a boarding ladder and heaving lines
We currently have a small number of volunteers who have committed to this courtesy check program - more volunteers are needed! The routine for visiting a marina and/or boat ramp is variable due to the circumstances and weather, but typically entails a 3 to 4 hour visit on a Saturday or Sunday, usually from 10:00am to 1:00pm, or 11:00am to 2:00pm.
The courtesy check involves examining the various pieces of safety equipment on board and determining that the requirements of the regulations for the size of vessel have been met and that the required documentation, such as boat license or registration, and operator’s card (PCOC) are on board.
If the vessel is in compliance, we issue a decal that signifies compliance and can be attached to the vessel. If the vessel is not in compliance we note the deficiencies on the operator’s copy of the Transport Canada form we complete. Depending on the size of the vessel the check takes from 20 to 30 minutes.
Volunteers are required to attend a training session which lasts 2-3 hours. No test is involved. Once training is complete, a new volunteer would be accompanied on his/her first courtesy check event by an experienced person, to assist where necessary.
To become a RVCC volunteer, please contact:
Janet Fraser via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone: 250.216.3871
