It’s 2019. That means our club is celebrating it’s 40th year in existence! Today, we enjoy top notch facilities, an enthusiastic membership, and hundreds of boats – but it took a lot of work to get to where we are today.
Scroll through some highlights of our history:
Our Docks Get A Facelift
March 16, 2018
After years of use, our docks needed the wood to be replaced. The underlying frame was still as strong as ever, but the wood on top was showing its age. The Harbourmaster at the time announced and explained this projects as follows: “We have officially started one of NSC’s biggest…
Read moreOur Building Changes Shape
November 6, 2013
Due to their tendency to leak – with mentions of the leaks dating back to 1993 issues of the Telltale – , our towers were replaced with the beautiful bubbled skylights you see today.
Read moreOur Sailing School Is Built
May 18, 2000
Operating since 1978 (yes – pre-dating the club itself), the Sailing School was originally operated by the Ontario Sailing Association until 1993 when NSC fully took over the operations. Originally operating out of an Ontario Sailing trailer on the site, the sailing school eventually took occupancy of what was our…
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Grand Opening of Our Clubhouse
June 1, 1990
Design Was a joint project between the City of Nepean and the Nepean Sailing Club We each provided a portion of the funds to build it. NSC paid for the architects’ drawings and was therefore fully involved in the design. Designed by the same architecture firm (Griffiths Rankin Cook) which…
Read moreOur Harbour is Dredged
May 18, 1989
The harbour dredge was completed in mid-February 1984, and gave us not only the harbour, but also what we know today as the dry-sail area. As mentioned in the April 1984 edition of the Telltale, “The dredge also left behind a solid east arm, created by the dredged material, a…
Read moreWe Hire Our First Staff Members
June 1, 1984
In 1984, we hired some of our first staff members (notably our future Commodore, Scott Hayley) to assist with all the work around the club. As noted in the April 1985 edition of the Telltale, their help was a huge success, and they were dubbed “Boatswains” – giving their jobs…
Read moreOur Harbour Gets Our Docks
March 26, 1984
Our club didn’t always have docks… As quoted in the 15 year anniversary article by Michael McGoldrick, Roberta Hayley recalls “the fact that members on swing moorings had to have someone ferry them between their boat and the dock. When no one was available, these people had no choice but…
Read moreOur breakwater was completed
May 18, 1983
As described in Michael McGoldrick’s 1994 article in the Telltale, “Building up the membership and developing a club identity is only half the story of how NSC got its start. The other half of the story has to do with the construction of the facilities we see today. This was no…
Read moreNSC Get’s It’s First Telephone
April 1, 1980
In the April 1980 edition of the Telltale, it is announced that we have “convinced Bell” to install a pay telephone on site. In 1991, we installed a TV and music system in the clubhouse. Read the excerpt on page 4.
Read moreNSC gains non-profit status
April 1, 1980
Excerpt from the April 1980 edition of the Telltale (on page 4): “The Nepean Sailing Club is now properly incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Ontario. Your executive signed all of the paperwork early in April.”
Read moreThe Telltale Makes Its Debut
April 1, 1980
The Telltale has been in production since 1980 back when it was simply called “Newsletter”. In 1982 the publication was renamed to “Tell-Tale” before being simplified to “Telltale” as we know it today. Over the years the Telltale has taken a few different shapes and forms. From what started off…
Read moreWe Reach Out To The Community
January 1, 1980
One of their first priorities was to build up the club through a membership drive. Bill Mantle said they soon put out the message “Calling all Sailors” and went about organizing a sailing night at the Nepean Sportsplex with “films, food, and that sort of thing to generate interest in…
Read moreOfficial Opening
July 29, 1979
Photo: Mayor Ben Franklin and Past Commodore Bill Mantle with the new club burgee By the time the club officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 29, 1979, NSC had a membership of 120 families, for a total of 350 individuals. The first real Board of Directors had also…
Read moreOur Founding
December 1, 1978
NSC’s story begins in December of 1978. At that time the Nepean City Council had just rejected a proposal to establish a “marina” on Graham Bay. Proponents of the project, including Brian Conway, did not give up. With the support of Andy Haydon, they managed to obtain the concession that…
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