Over the past several years the TSPS Bridge, especially our Senior Education Officer Jeff Canaday, has received numerous requests for an on-the-water (OTW) component in our boating education courses;  participants want to get their hands wet, so to speak. We’ve also heard from our members about their desire for more opportunities to go sailing for a day with family and friends. Well, we are pleased to announce that starting April 28, 2017, we will be providing boating opportunities that meet these needs.

The Tokyo Sail and Power Squadron has taken a group membership in the Velasis Marina Marine Club. Velasis Marina is located at the mouth of Tokyo Bay and provides a sailing gateway to clear blue waters and lovely coastlines near the bottom of Miura peninsula and across the bay in southern Chiba. The Velasis Marine Club offers us a guaranteed twelve weekend days per year, as well as many other sailing dates during the weekdays and available weekend days. The TSPS Bridge feels this gives us ample opportunity to get our members out on the water. A photo of the type of boat we will use is above

We will be running two types of sailing event for our members; namely, Sail Training and A Day On The Water. Sail Training involves one two-hour session in a classroom with a TSPS instructor followed by one OTW session where participants will learn and practice the basics of sailing. Our Day On The Water is just that, a day for members to board the boat for four to five hours of leisurely sailing wherever the wind and the provided skipper takes them. In both cases, a skipper/instructor trained in the operation of the vessel will be aboard to ensure safety and proper vessel operation.

Pricing for the two ongoing events is as follows:

SAIL TRAINING: ¥15,000 for members, ¥20,000 for non-members

DAY ON THE WATER: ¥10,000 for members, ¥20,000 for non-members

Non-members can attend as guests of TSPS members, unless of course, they sign up to become a TSPS member either beforehand or at the dock.

As the cost of membership in the Marine Club is quite high, we are hoping to sail with at least five people aboard, including the skipper, to cover the costs. However, if you would like to use the vessel and skipper for a private sail, be it with family or friends, we would be happy to discuss this with you. Also, if you would like to sail on a Friday, we can accommodate you as one of the skippers is available then, too.

We will go sailing rain or shine (we are sailors, after all) and be stopped only by a decision from Velasis Marina to close the Marine Club due to dangerous conditions.

Due to the nature of the boat reservation system at Velasis, we will be announcing some of the events on short notice.

Prepayment will required via bank transfer within 24 hours of registering.

If you have any questions regarding either the Sail Training or A Day On The Water programs, feel free to contact Warren Fraser.

This is our first attempt at something like this and we are still in the process of working out the details, but we hope we have your support by helping make this an ongoing offering of TSPS to its members.

So sign up and get out on the water to show your support.

Fair winds,

TSPS held its first-ever open seminar at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan on February 16. The theme was Boating in Japan, and featured eleven different speakers talking on ten topics related to getting out on the water in Japan. Topics ranged from government regulations and licensing to dinghy sailing to how to acquire a vessel and where to dock it. The slides from the presentation can be found here.

After Commander Sutton-Kirkby kicked of the evening with a warm welcome to the 34 people in attendance, Jeff Canaday gave an informative presentation on regulatory requirements and the pros and cons of both power boats and sailboats. This was followed by Chris Pitts talking about group ownership, perhaps the most affordable (and popular) way of having a stake in a boat. Per Knudsen looked briefly at buying a boat in Japan before Mike Snyder took the mic and addressed the methods and what turned out to be considerable costs involved in importing a boat into Japan. Later, when Mike asked the participants whether anyone was planning to import a boat into Japan, one quick reply was, “Not anymore.”

Mike then passed the mic to the team of Hiina Goi and Yukina Ota from Yamaha Marina Club Sea-Style. Together, they provided information about their company’s offerings, including boat rentals, nation-wide services, and costs of membership and rental fees. TSPS Bridge member Bill Van Alstine then talked about his experiences using Sea-Style services. On the whole, he said their services are reasonably priced and that one great benefit of renting is being able to walk away from the dock free of the many concerns of boat ownership.

Jeff Canaday retook the mic and talked about boating education and that while getting a Japanese license is step one, the key to safe boating is in knowing how to deal with challenges of being on the water outside the marina seawall. He spoke about the USPS being at its core a boating education organization and then reiterated that the TSPS mission is to provide courses that educate people on safely navigating the waters in and around Tokyo. Jeff then passed the mic to Mark Smith, an RYA-certified instructor and dinghy sailing advocate. Mark provided information on how people in the Tokyo area can get involved in dinghy sailing. Commander Sutton-Kirkby, after thanking the speakers, then announced it was time for refreshments and that the buffet was open.

After the buffet platters were emptied and thirsts quenched, the commander reconvened for a Q and A session with a panel of presenters taking questions from the participants.

On the whole, it was a good first effort at an open seminar and TSPS thanks everyone that attended and those who presented. There will in all likelihood be more of these seminars planned over the next few years. Try to attend.

… Slides from the seminar.

TSPS Boating In Japan Seminar

Getting out on the water in Japan can be an ominous task given stringent government regulations, licensing requirements, and the cost of ownership, among other discouraging factors.

TSPS is holding an open seminar which seeks to cut through these difficulties and inform participants of the breadth of options available for perspective boaters.

Seminar Topics:

1. Regulatory requirements

Skipper licensing, offshore/nearshore certification, boat maintenance, outboard engines

2.  Power or sailboat?

What are the benefits and issues of each in Japan

3. Buying a vessel in Japan

4. Importing a vessel into Japan

5. Consortium ownership.

Banding together with others to share vessel costs and maintenance

6. Choosing a marina

7. Vessel rentals

Available rental services, and rental requirements. A representative from Yamaha will also present their rental offerings

8. Boating Education Opportunities

Seminar Details:

Date: February 16, 2017

Time: 6:30 – 9:00PM

Place: Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan (FCCJ)

Fee: ¥3500 per person. Includes buffet dinner and drinks

The seminar is open to anyone with an interest in getting out on the water.

To register, go to TSPSJapan.org/events/seminar or email bvatokyo@icloud.com

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