To read an article written by Bonnie Kogos and published in the Sudbury Star....click on the link.

"The joy of fresh water sailing around Manitoulin"

Last summer, the canal boat Dragonfly arrived in Little Current with Cynthia Berger and Bill Carlsen aboard. Bill is a professor of Environmental Education at Penn State University Park.  The voyage to complete the Great Loop is his sabbatical.

Cynthia is a public radio reporter and the news director for

WPSU-FM in State College, Pennsylvania. Cynthia is also an environmental journalist with a number of books to her credit.

To listen to WPSU’s Cynthia Berger Report on Roy's Cruisers Net Program Click Here

"Cruising World", "Sail", "Great Lakes      Scuttlebut", "Sudbury Star", "Manitoulin Expositor", and the list goes on. How does past Commodore Roy Eaton garner such prestigious accolades?

By rising at 5:30 a.m. every morning in July and August to prepare for his daily VHF 71 broadcast to those boaters encompassing a 50-mile North Channel radius from Little Current, that's how. North Channel weather and Georgian Bay weather reports; international,  national and local news; the most recent sporting events; Manitoulin Island happenings. It all takes place at "The Anchor Inn Bar and Grill" where local entrepreneur and owner Bruce O'Hare has generously provided a VHF unit and allowed the mounting of a tower and antenna on the hotel roof. A new antenna purchased with donations from the Anchor Inn, the Little Current Yacht Club, and many of the boaters who listen in each morning now has a height of 110 feet above the waters below. No wonder the broadcast can be heard over such a large area!

                      You can find us on  

          If you find yourself anywhere in the North Channel during July and August, turn to Channel 71 on your VHF and wait

          for that professionally-delivered announcement, "It's 9 a.m. Welcome boaters, to the Little Current Yacht Club's

          Cruisers' Net."

          Roy starts off each broadcast by asking if there are any emergencies. There have been a few and Roy has

          successfully supplied those in need with the necessary information and support systems. The Thunder Bay Coast

          Guard and the Trenton Air, Search and Rescue Team have Roy's name on their files in case they need that

          VHF 71 assistance. After the 20 minute broadcast, Roy invites all the yachters to call in and give their boat's name

          and current location. It's also a time to get questions answered and inform other boaters of special news and events.

          This has helped to create a real sense of fellowship as boaters get to know their fellow companions on the North

          Channel and the names of each other's boats. So much so, that many of these boaters, when docked in Little

          Current, came to offer their assistance during Roy's broadcast and then stayed to mix and mingle.

          Roy can't be present every day and he thanks those volunteers who so kindly replace him during an absence.

          With everyone pitching in, in seven seasons only two days have been missed and both of these days were missed

          due to technical problems.

          Each year The Cruisers' Net has seen an increase in the number of call-ins. In 2010, a new season record was

          set as a total of 6,284 calls were received. Also, a one day record was set on July 27th when 164 boaters called

          in that morning.

         To read, in futher detail, the history of the Cruisers' Net click here.

         You may contact Roy via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  .     

Click to read Fred Bagley's article about the LCYC's Cruiser's Net from the May 2006 issue of Cruising World.