Rocky Point Sailing Association
The Rocky Point Sailing Association was started in 1995 as an 'offshoot' from the Centennial Sailing Club
By 1980 the dinghy fleet of Centennial Sailing Club had almost disappeared as the members moved on to larger, cruising size boats, so a new 'dinghy club' was started sailing out of what is now Barnet Marine Park.
Unfortunately Barnet Marine Park is not a great venue for young sailors, so the club looked to the more protected waters at the head of the inlet, at Rocky Point Park, instead.
The young sailors started sailing in sabots, which were brought to the park on trailer every Monday.. but as the club grew it became very time consuming to bring the boats in and out, and permission was given by the city to store the sabots in a small shed in the park. Following that, Port Moody gave the use of another unused shed closer to the launching ramp and Dave Harris of Reed Point Marina donated a large (50’ X 15’) float on which to store the boats and equipment. The float was separated from the Port Moody docks by about 20’ to prevent the vandalism that occurred in the early days.
Coincidently at this time, the Como Lake Sailing Club, which had grown in the 1970s, was forced to cease their programs on Como Lake so the 'Rocky Point Sailing' group received the boats from Como Lake. This allowed the Rocky Point Programs to host the School District 43 programs for sailing and canoeing. Mayor Dave Driscoll was very supportive of the activities centered around kids and outdoor activities, and assisted the sailors in finding donations and funding to expand their offerings
With the growth, a new organization – ROCKY POINT SAILING ASSOCIATION - was formed.
The new Mayor of Port Moody, John Northey, was also very supportive of the initiatives and worked with the sailors planning a new building. (Mayor Northey arranged the acquisition of the huge frames of the saw sharpening building of Flavelle Cedar which became the shape of our new home). The Old Mill Boathouse was so named and born !
A home for all small non-powered boats in the area.
Now former Mayor Dave Driscoll worked with the association and subsequently the Old Mill Boathouse Society to complete the design and financing plans for the new facility.
The Rocky Point Sailing Association now had a home and the programs continued to grow, with the summer camps filling to capacity each summer with kids in sailing and canoeing programs.