COSA Home Page

The Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) awarded the 2011 Volunteer of the Year to the Central Okanagan Sailing Association’s (COSA’s) Ron Rubadeau at their annual awards ceremonies in Toronto this weekend. Ron has been an instrumental part of the race committee at five world championships, more than 30 national championships, and countless regional regattas. He has taught sailing and race management courses to kids and adults, and has lent his handyman and policy development skills to his local club to ensure that they remain one of the best sailing facilities in Canada.

Ron has also been a volunteer at the annual Canadian Olympic Regatta at Kingston (CORK) for more than 20 years. According to Tim Irwin, Regatta Chair, “Ron is one of our very best Senior National Race Officers and as a result is assigned to govern the courses for Olympic qualifiers. He’s got a great personality for dealing with anxious competitors and has a reputation for running fair, safe, and fun races. He’s one of the reasons that CORK hosts sailors from all over the world at our internationally acclaimed regattas.”

This is not the first time that CYA has acknowledged Ron. In 1998 he won the Ted Chisholm trophy for being the best race officer in Canada, while COSA, his local sailing club was awarded CYA’s most outstanding sailing school in 1991 and in 2000. Ron was also awarded B.C. Sailing’s Volunteer of the Year in 2005, the City of Kelowna’s Fred Macklin (Man of the Year) award in 2008, and the B.C. School Superintendent Association’s Superintendent of the Year in 2005. Ironically, Ron did little volunteering this last year as he has been battling cancer. Ron says that, “my health is improving and I hope to be back on the water this spring.”

Here is a link to the nomination letter 2011 CYA Nomination Form

COSA was established on March 21, 1979. However, COSA did not appear at its Hobson Road home until much later. The first several years of COSA's existence was based out of the old sea plane base, on land that is now the Grand Resort. In April of 1984, COSA and the Kelowna Rowing Club joined forces to create the Central Okanagan Small Boat Association. A year later, COSA purchased eight flying juniors from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. The same year, COSA played host to the Canadian Hobie National Championships. Since being built, COSBA has changed radically. A blue paint job, thousands of bricks, a much larger dock, motorboat lifts, dozens more LTS boats, new motor boats, an elevator lift, a giant flag pole, and hundreds of other changes that insured that our sailing club will remain one of the best dinghy clubs in North America.

COSA is a member of the following organizations

bcsailing.bc.ca: BCSA - our provincial sport authority for sailing. BC Sailing is a member of Sport BC