Aloha festival STOCK ER V O Y R O T INVEN
PAY NO TAX rchase
e furniture pu On your entir
Manitoba Hal brings his ukelele to the Harbour City.
PAGE 11
C&S TRANSMISSION
over $999*
SPECIALTIES LTD.
-27/14 only. valid July 24er. cluded. Offer an ex ys off Bu er t oth Ho y ls. tai d with coupon or *See Store fornnDe Ca ot be combine
“EXPERT SERVICE SERVED RIGHT”
871-6074 Kilpatrick Ave 250Courtenay 2937 382-5269 025 ad Ro Saanich Victoria 3501 0-756-4114 25 rth Island Hwy Nanaimo 3200 No
6852 Mart Rd. LANTZVILLE
www.nanaimobulletin.com
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014
250.390.1871
VOL. 26, NO. 22
Brandon Leigh, defending Great International World Championship Bathtub Race winner in the super-modified class, is prepping for Sunday’s (July 27) race. KARL YU/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Sport tourism targeted for action plan
I
B.C. SUMMER GAMES estimated to pump more than $2.6 million in economic benefits. BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
Tubber set to defend title in annual Bathtub race BY KARL YU
THE NEWS BULLETIN
B
randon Leigh is bracing to defend his title at the Great International World Championship Bathtub Race on Sunday (July 27). Leigh won last year’s race in both the super-modified class and overall with a time of 1:30:42 and it wasn’t an easy ride. “Basically, it’s an endurance race, it’s trying to keep the tub up, out of the water and that’s all it was the whole way, was pin the throttle and try and not get sucked under,” Leigh said. Fatigue is a factor and Leigh said amongst sore body parts sustained during the race were his back, hip
and knees. “It’s a huge mental race. You get an hour and 45 minutes in, you’re kind of, ‘Why am I out here?’ and you have to remind yourself, because it’s fun,” said Leigh. “It’s a fun race and there are times when you feel a little lonely out there, you’re in a [2.7-metre] boat in the middle of the strait.” The annual Bathtub race is part of Nanaimo Marine Festival, which runs today through Sunday (July 24-27) and features entertainment and activities in addition to the Great Race. Bill McGuire, Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society commodore, said the organization is hoping for 35-40 tubs. Registration occurs between Thursday and Saturday, with a man-
Quality & Service at Budget Prices Wisecrack Of The Week
Never Play Leapfrog with a Unicorn
datory safety meeting for tubbers and escort boat drivers at the Coast Bastion Hotel Sunday at 8:30 a.m. McGuire said the race starts at 11 a.m. at Nanaimo’s harbour and will follow a route around Entrance Island (off Gabriola Island) and north and around the Winchelsea Islands. Participants then head back toward Nanaimo, coming into Departure Bay Beach. The tubber must come ashore, run up to the finish line at Kin Park and ring a bell. “Every so often, this happens to be one of those years, the tide is way out, so all of a sudden, if there are two tubs close together, it becomes not only a tub race but also a foot race,” McGuire said.
See ‘TUBBER’S’ /10
Nanaimo is looking for more opportunities to get in on sport tourism action. Tourism Nanaimo has taken over sport tourism from the City of Nanaimo, with the goal to present a new policy for event hosting, develop a steering group and plan for the sector. The idea is for the organization to boost major tournaments hosted in the Harbour City, as well as the economic benefits and destination awareness that go with it, according to Lesley Anderson, Tourism Nanaimo’s executive director of destination management. Sport tourism has become a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada and one of the fastestgrowing segments in the tourism industry, according to the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. Statistics from 2010 show domestic sport tourism spending alone reached $2.6 billion, up 16 per cent from 2008. Nanaimo is no stranger to the sector’s spinoffs, generating approximately $10 million in economic benefits from sporting events between 2009 and 2012, according to the city, which tracks tournaments and festivals that receive sport tourism grants. Last year, 17 events generated $2.3 million and last week, the city hosted the B.C. Games, estimated to have led to $2.6 million in economic benefits. “It’s a very large sector of the tourism economy and it’s been growing quite significantly,” Anderson said, adding communities are also recognizing the sector as a way to attract potential future tourists. See ‘INFRASTRUCTURE’ /10
S WE DO FRAMELES THICK GLASS SHOWER DOORS 3900 ISLAND HWY. N.
| 250.758.3374
No need to go to ICBC, come directly to us!
| www.budgetglass.com