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Bay Beaver Bugle
http://www.peyc.reach.net
APRIL 2008 |
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HERE WE ARE AGAIN!
WELCOME ABOARD!
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
FOR 2008
Dave Dodd – Commodore
Henry Pasila – Past Commodore
Rob Giberson – Membership – Vice Commodore
Larry Tilling – Sailing School – Rear Commodore
Barrie Atkinson– House
Brian Skuffham – Treasurer
Gerry den Hartog – Moorings
Tonny den Boer – Docks
Gary Eames – Property
Manager – Dennis Payne
Doug Trumble - Secretary
Bay Beaver Bugle Editor – Ross Trant
Safety Officer – Jack Strachan
Volunteer Coordinator – Cathie Coultis
Contact the Bugle at:
613-399-2476, or by email at
kilahara@gmail.com or
rtrant@sympatico.ca
Deadline for submissions: The 28th
of each month except February, when it is the 26th
Coming
Events!
April 5 – Euchre -7:00 PM
April 12 – Riverboat Fantasy
Sept 9 - RCMP Musical Ride
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FROM
THE DOCKS:
I
had a look down at the docks and ice conditions this morning, and
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We are scheduled with the
crane for dock launch on April 19th, with dock
assembly on the 26th. Ideally, we need to commence work on dock
cleaning, scraping and minor repairs on April 12th and 13th. I will
be down at the docks as soon as the snow goes and we can get at the
docks for this work. Any help at any time would be greatly
appreciated. The schedule will be tight and the more help the
merrier. Don't forget your volunteer hour requirements. This would
be a good time to bank some hours.
We also need to do some minor repair work to a
couple of the docks, but nothing that cannot be handled ourselves.
The Sailing School docks are another matter
entirely. These mostly lost their flotation and some steel
structure as we lifted them out last fall. I have spoken to Russ
Cole about repairs on these 3 dock units. There is not as much rush
on these as we can launch the three units at the same time as we
launch boats on May 3rd.
We still have about 25% of the 2008 dock renewal
applications outstanding. Please get these back as soon as
possible. We have a wait list for dock space and we again need to
do some shuffling around, but we need the renewals in.
I hope everyone has come through the winter in
fine condition
Tonny den Boer
Dockmaster
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COMMODORE’S CORNER
Commodore Dave is still
enjoying Portugal and informed us that there will not be a report
from him this month.
From The House!
Considering the short notice and the fact that it was Good Friday
there was a good turn-out (29) for the Friday night dinner March
21st. We were pleased to welcome back our Friday Night caterer,
Sheila Brushey, fully recovered to good health. Great to have you
back Sheila.
The scheduling of these dinners has been discussed and tentative
dates for the balance of the year have been agreed. They are:
April 18, May 23, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17. the
months missing are months in which other club dinners are scheduled.
At least one of our Friday Dinners will be a "special" or "feature"
night, for example a Past Commodore's Dinner is envisioned. Ideas
for others are forthcoming. So please stay tuned to our favourite
newsletter and check the postings at the club for updates.
And don't forget the darts night; an easy-going, fun night of "arrers"
for ladies and gents; 7.30PM Thursdays.
See you at the club.
Barrie
Sailing School
The annual Riverboat Fantasy
is a major fund raiser for the Sailing School, and in most years it
is, without question at the top of the list, by far. Don’t miss it
on the 12th!
This year, however, under
the leadership of Larry Tilling, there may be even more successful
achievement toward financial goals with the RCMP Musical Ride in
September. This proceeds will go to the Sailing School and to the
new Picton (County) Skate Board Park, being located near the site of
the Ride itself.
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Please contact Larry if
you’d like to help out. The Sailing School is in need of new
training boats as well as regular maintenance, so this event will be
an enormous aid to a vital part of the Club, involving young people
in sailing
Moorings
The mooring tires are slowly
reappearing in the harbour as the ice begins to melt and the club
eagerly awaits the Beaver's annual plunge. Over the past few years
this has been near the end of March but this year the plunge will
probably not happen until well into April, hopefully before the 19th
- dock launch day. Some pessimist has actually bet on the 18th!
You still have time to get your bet in.
This is also test time for
the moorings. If a mooring gets moved by the ice it probably does
not have enough weight, and if it breaks free the anchor chain was
probably rusted. An annual visual check of the mooring and chain is
also necessary if you are going to hang your pride and joy on the
end of it. Mooring owners are liable for any ensuing damage that a
free floating boat may cause.
Applications for the
moorings are in the mail and payment is due the middle of the month.
If you are interested in renting a mooring let me know and I will
put you in touch with an owner who is willing to rent.
Gerry den Hartog
Mooring Director
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Volunteer Corner
To repeat a portion from a
previous “Volunteer Corner”…Volunteering to be part of a Spring
work party or other activity in and around the club is a great
way for members to meet, get to know other members and see how the
club operates. For those of you who have been members of the club
for some time, volunteering also provides an opportunity to share a
bit of your expertise and pride with other members.
Our
Board Members have been hard at work organizing the necessary
activities to be done in and around the club over the coming
weeks
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leading up to launch
(as well as for the year). When you’re at the club,
please
check the Notice Board in the next week or so
for a list of upcoming work parties and activities for which you
can volunteer. There will also be the
usual heads-up via email.
Volunteer Sign-Up sheets
for work parties and other activities
in and around the club will be posted (hopefully, with ample
notice) on the Notice Board on an “as needed basis”
throughout the year. No matter what level of mobility you have or
whether you have just a little bit or a lot of time to
volunteer…there’s something for everyone this year and any offer
to volunteer is greatly appreciated!!
A reminder to full
members working on club activities ~ please remember to
record your hours on the Volunteer Log Sheets so that I can
ensure your hours are properly credited. The log sheets
are attached to a clipboard and kept at the Bar. As full members,
you are required to give a minimum 8 hours per year.
I would again, like to
thank those members who have contacted me requesting their names
be added to the Volunteer Program…Thank You!
The Prince Edward Yacht
Club Cook Book project is still in the works. The
deadline for submitting recipes, helpful hints, anecdotes and/or
photos is August 31st, 2008. You are welcome to
send in as many recipes, etc. as you’d like throughout the spring
and summer. There is a green folder to put recipes in at the bar or
they can be emailed to me.
As always, please contact me
if you would like to be provided with additional information about
volunteering for a work party or activity, as well as general
information about the club’s Volunteer Program.
P.E.Y.C. will be hosting
some great events again this year so please, stay tuned…
Remember…Volunteering is
good!!
By Cathie Coultis
zoocrew@persona.ca
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Odds and Ends
A new book has been released to critical acclaim
featuring a family with whom Club members will be
familiar – the Den Hartogs. The authors are Gerry’s nieces, and
together they tell of the family’s life in Holland, especially
during the horrors of World War II. The book, well reviewed in the
Globe and Mail and other major newspapers, has been printed in
English and Dutch. The title is ‘The Occupied Garden’ and it will be
available from Books and Company on Picton’s Main Street. (Formerly
Books on the Bay.) The website,
www.theoccupiedgarden.com is fascinating.
Hedonists’ Corner
Hedonism
The doctrine of
certain Greek Philosophers (Aristippus and the Cyrenaics) that
pleasure, of whatever kind, is good.
Ah!!! Quinte Point at the
east end of Big Island; not where we were supposed to get to but!!
At last the cruise began.
Too many days at the shop, too many days rebuilding the boat, a
fortune in cruising miles behind us and the anticipation of calm
quite water and calmer days ahead.
The new rebuilt engine
chugged away. It was perhaps, louder than we thought it would be but
given its’ 50th birthday not bad. Out towards the channel
from our relaunch at Baycrest Marina and back on our own again. I
had not rebuilt a diesel before and I was feeling proud as the wake
appeared strong behind the boat. The water spat out the exhaust and
the boat did not vibrate badly. All was well. I set the wheel and
went forward to raise the sail. Oh boy; we had worked long and hard
for this.
Scream!!! Bang… Uh Oh… All
Engines Stop! What the #@*# was that. Back to the cockpit and down
below, down the companionway and up with the engine cover. Oops the
flywheel was gone.
Now
our flywheel is no small thing. Typical with many engines of its
vintage it was a 100 pound wheel of cast iron attached to the
forward end of the crankshaft with a 3 inch nut on a tapered shaft
and it was gone. It was in the bilge.
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The good thing was
that it was not outside the hull and at least we had the sails up!
Not wanting to look like a complete idiot I smiled, waved ashore to
give them the impression that this was supposed to happen and kept
going. Looking at the charts the nearest anchorage was… Quinte
Point.
They must have thought we
really knew what we were doing when we anchored under sail just out
of the wind in enough grass to build the “Kon Tiki”. At least it
would hold as I repaired the engine. Hedonism at this point becomes
more of a “Glass half full” philosophy. The vintage manual was
hauled out as were the tools, which in my wisdom, considering it
were a shakedown cruise, I had brought along. Two minutes later I
came to the realization that I could not torque the flywheel on and
we would remain a sailboat for the remainder of the trip.
Quinte Point was wonderful!
It is four or five hours from the club. A bird watchers delight. As
long as the wind prevailed from the south east it was calm and
comfortable. Our old Northill held well in the mud and grass. We
found that we had loads of room to swing and the anchorage was very
private. You could not venture to close to shore as the depth
rapidly decreased. I doubt if it would be too good to swim in as it
held a lot of vegetation. Judging by the number of little fishing
boats around me I would think the catch was fairly good however, I
had enough on my mind and we settled down in an attempt to enjoy the
evening.
In the end we did enjoy the
night. On an evening with light to moderate winds it was a delight.
It brought back hundreds of nights before at peaceful coves and
inlets. It kind of rekindled our love of isolation and commenced our
hedonistic pursuit once again.
Gord Timperon
To Be Experienced with
Awe
Always having a vivid imagination, there were moments from childhood
on when the isolation and rugged forces of nature that give them
magic, lighthouses have appealed to me. There was a black and white
movie from the past that told of a shipwreck on Lake Superior that
probably began it all, at a very impressionable age. Since then
there have
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been visits to lonely
structures on the East Coast, such as the famous one at Peggy’s
Cove, some incredible ones on the coast of England and the many,
sadly abandoned now, on the Great Lakes. The haunted lighthouse at
Toronto’s Hanlan’s Point and the now-forlorn structure on Main Duck
Island are among the legion. In any event, they all seemed to foster
a vague desire, at least while both legs functioned properly, to
experience life as a lighthouse keeper. The video about to be
shared with you here, however, changed my mind!
It was through John and
Cathie Coultis that this link of lighthouse scenes off the coast of
France during ‘The Storm of the Century’ has been made available to
us. Thank you to John and Cathie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2LeNBY_5gk
The accompanying music is well chosen, so be sure that your sound
is on and speakers turned up.
Coming Addition
to the Library – Titanic, the ship that never sank?
Recently we acquired a copy of a fascinating book from England that
propounds, with some scholarship and clear facts, the theory that
that RMS Titanic, of British registry but, in fact,
American ownership, did not sink after collision with an iceberg,
east of Newfoundland.
The author suggests that it was, in fact, her sister ship launched
the year before, which was sunk in the hope of an insurance claim
that might solve a corporate financial disaster for the White Star
Line. There is much evidence in the book, including photographs,
suggesting that the liner that sank with horrendous loss of life,
was in fact, Olympic, built also by Harland and Wolfe of Belfast,
Ireland. Draw your own conclusions!
The book will be added to the PEYC library before long.
See
You Soon
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PRINCE EDWARD YACHT CLUB