Blue Book of Boats

Stealing some quiet time on their official visit to Canada, Prince William and his new wife, Kate Middleton went on a canoe paddle on Blachford Lake to Honeymoon Island, a remote island in the Northwest territories to enjoy the sunset and a picnic. Feasting on a traditional aboriginal menu of Caribou steaks, and bannock bread cooked on an open campfire, the Royal couple is clearly enjoying themselves.

Will and Kate are known to love the outdoor and watersports. They’ve been photographed frolicking on a powerboat, competing in a dragon boat race at Dalvay Lake……

While visiting the Northwest Territories, Will and Kate were presented the traditional Canadian Red Hoodie.

Once again, this is great advertisement for Blachford Lake, Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories, and the red Canadian Hoodie. If it is good enough for the prince and princess, then it must be great for all Canadians.

Wearing the royal sapphire Princess Diana engagement ring, Kate Middleton, duchess of Cambridge wore sensible shoes in preparation for the Dragon Boat Race at Dalvay Lake. With her hair tied at the back, tight slim fit denim pants and a life jacket on top of her hoodie rain gear, she looks fashionably athletic, happy and youthfully energetic. On the above photo, Kate Middleton could be seen wearing her Sebago Bala boat dock shoes.

The royal couple, who arrived in Canada on June 30 for their nine-day tour, along with 1,300 accredited local and international journalists, puts Canada on the world’s front headline news and is expected to boost Canadian tourism.

Kate Middleton set her own dragon boating fashion during the recent Canadian visit to Prince Edward Island. Wearing a life jacket on to of a waterproof dark colored rain gear and a pair of slim fit denims, the Duchess with her hair tied, simple earrings and her royal sapphire engagement ring, competed valiantly against Prince William in a friendly dragon boat race Monday July 4 on Prince Edward Island.

Weather cooperated despite a downpour of soaking rain at Dalvay-by-the-Sea, the royal couple was able to fit in the afternoon race across Dalvay Lake.

For the practical non-royal dragon boaters, here is the recommended dragon boating attire.

1. Loose fitting clothing for ease of movement.
2. Clothing that dries quickly.
3. Do not wear denim or blue jeans.
4. No jewellry, especially rings or earrings as they could cause injuries or you could lose them.
5. Capris or shorts work well. Some paddlers prefer cycling shorts. Long pants may be preferred early in the season or for cooler weather conditions.
6. Supporitive footwear with good treads that will grip when you on the wet docks and get in and out of the boat are essential. These can be old running shoes or water shoes. Remember they will get wet. No flip flops..
7. Hat – Baseball caps will either blow off or impede your paddling.
8. Sunglasses – the kind you don’t mind losing in the water.
9. Paddling gloves if you use them but they are not essential or needed by everyone.
10. If it is raining, wear rain gear but remember it must fit under the lifejacket.
11. If it is cold, be sure to bring a change of clothes. Layering clothes is better.

Building on the success of previous SailBot Regattas, SailBot 2011, the North American competition for robotic sailboats was held at the United States Naval Academy from June 13-16, 2011 in Annapolis, MD.

The winning entry goes to the US Naval Academy, with second place to UBC’s Thunderbird, and third place to RMC. See a youtube video of the UBC’s entry boat below:

SailBot is an international competition for autonomously controlled sailboats. Aimed primarily at undergraduate student teams, the goal is to give engineering students a practical application of the topics they have learned, while also providing a fun way to learn project management in a multidisciplinary environment. A successful SailBot balances the needs of naval architecture, mechanical engineering, systems and electrical engineering, as well as project management.

The competition was open to the 2 meter SailBot Class and an Open Class (boats up to 4 meters in length). It consisted of five events to test various aspects of the design, construction and control logic. There is no entry fee to participate.

The 2011 participants included student teams from the United States Naval Academy (host school), Memorial University of Newfoundland, Queen’s University, and the University of British Columbia.