CFSA bids farewell to Monroe Head location

Volunteers use Canadian Forces Sailing Association boats to tow and position docks into place at their new home in Lang Cove. The club provides recreational sailing opportunities to the Defence Community and their families and is in the process of moving its headquarters from their former home at Munroe Head. Photo credit: CFSA

Peter Mallett 
Staff Writer

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Lang Cove is the new site of the Canadian Forces Sailing Association (CFSA).

The protected inlet, visible from the entrance to Naden, will be the home for the recreational boats of club members.

“We really like our new home because it brings CFSA into the heart of the CFB Esquimalt community,” says LCdr Chris Maier, Club Commodore. “Instead of being in an out-of-site location, everyone at the base will see our boats in the harbour as they drive into work each day and this offers a much larger presence for our club.”

The club’s original location since 1954 was off Maple Bank Road with the clubhouse on Monroe Head, but that land has been transferred to Public Service and Procurement Canada for development.

“There is a lot of history at our Maple Bank location and it is very sad to say goodbye because we even have some [current] members who joined the club when it was first established,” he explains.

Since the end of March, LCdr Maier, the club’s network of volunteers, members, and community supporters have been slowly moving the docks and 95 boats to the new location. It’s about a one-kilometre journey.

The move will also see CFSA’s youth sailing programs and sailing camps suspended for the summer months as safety and operational procedures are established.

During the move, CFSA has been working closely with Formation Safety and Environment (FSE) to ensure the relocation of docks and boats causes
minimal disruption to the ecosystem. Chief among the concerns is the placement of concrete blocks to anchor the marina. The process also involves the monitoring of  water turbidity and quality.

For the short term, club members can gain access to the new location via small boats docked at the Seamanship Training Centre boat shed in Naden.

In the months ahead, a plan for walk-up access to the site will be developed, along with electricity and fresh water for club members.

For more information about the CFSA visit www.cfsaesq.ca