A True Marine Professional Both On and Off the Water!

Lori Mason receiving her CASBA award from Ted Rankine, CSBCIt looks like Lori Mason is going to need another bookcase. Owner and proprietor of Mason’s Chandlery in Port Credit, Lori Mason is no stranger to recognition. In the last decade alone, she has received the Canadian Safe Boating Council’s own Top Individual Dedicated to Safe Boating Award, the Gordon Blake Visionary Award of the Ontario Marina Operators Association (OMOA), Yachtsman of the Year’s Environmental Award, OMOA’s Gold Rating Green Leaf Eco-Rating twice, a Chief Commander’s Letter of Appreciation from the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons and Yachtsman of the Year’s Sail Award.

And now Lori, who has just recently retired, takes home the CSBC’s Marine Professional of the Year Award for 2012 for career-long contributions to boating safety.

Lori may be more comfortable on the water than on land; after all, she has been boating since the age of four and over the years has been active in both power boating and sailing. She has long believed that being comfortable on your boat requires that you be safe on it too; she learned this enduring lesson in the early years. While delivering a yacht to a client, she found herself in a May Day scenario in the Caribbean Sea, all because of her lack of boating safety equipment. Lori’s mantra became: boat safely and responsibly.

Over her 35-year career, Lori’s contributions to boating safety include:

• Boating Safety Seminars: For 20 years, she has led boating safety seminars in yacht clubs and boating organizations across the Lake Ontario boating corridor. Most recently she held seminars at the Toronto and Hamilton boat shows.
  
  
• Flare Demonstrations: Not only did she discuss the different flares and safety requirements, but she also set them off and encouraged attendees to set off their own flares under her supervision so they knew what to expect.
  
  
• Mason’s Chandlery: Through her retail operation, Lori participated in the Canadian Safe Boating Ready Set Inflate! initiative two consecutive years, and spent that weekend encouraging boaters to bring in their flare kits for updating.
  
  
• WOW (Women on the Water): Lori started WOW in 2008 when a group of women boaters from Mimico Cruising Club asked her to lead a safety seminar exclusively for women. The first WOW seminar hosted 115 women. In the past three years, over 500 women power and sail boaters have been touched by WOW.

WOW, indeed! Congratulations, Lori.