If not available through your ISP, maybe try "Google", then click on
"Groups" and then type in "rec.can.boating"

Also I have identified a newsgroup called can.rec.boating which may be
helpful to me but this is the first time I have ever tried to work with
newsgroups and my news server does not find this. Any ideas (in layman's
terms) how I might be able to connect to this group?