|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
March 20 - Meeting Night - Angus Straight, a fisheries observer contracted to the DFO, will share his experiences with the fishing fleet along our west coast. He's worked as an at-sea monitor for the herring, salmon and prawn fisheries, and has spent over 120 days a year on the water. It's a colourful industry, and he's sure to have some colourful stories!
April 8 - Bilgewater Bash! - Mark your calendar for The Commander's 2017 Bilgewater Bash to be held at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 3811 Point Grey Road, Vancouver, BC.
Additional details and ticket information is below. See you there!
April 17 - Meeting Night - Marginal Gales! Remain under Lee or Set Sail? Interpreting the Weather Forecast. Matt MacDonald, an Environment Canada Meteorologist, will tell us all we need to know about wind! Get some tips and gain confidence to set sail in any wind forecast.
Past, current and incoming Power Squadron members are all welcome at Squadron Nights, held on the third Monday of each month. We meet at the False Creek Yacht Club on the north shore of False Creek under the Granville Street Bridge. The doors open at 7:00 pm, the event begins at 7:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!
|
|
|
 From the Commander's Log....
Well, it seems the snow has finally subsided (fingers crossed), and more of us are starting to head down to our boats to clean off the winter green, and turn our respective "seafood cafes" back into ship-shape vessels.
As we normally do, we check on our friends’ boats while we’re down on the dock, especially if we know they are away or not down as often as we are. Usually, there’s nothing out of the ordinary observed, but not this time. Something looked out of place. Upon closer inspection, the otters who annually gain access to a neighboring power boat decided to try their paws at sailing this time... and partied like rock stars! They left one heck of a mess, fortunately restricted to the cockpit. I called the owner and gave him the bad news, but mostly for permission to board and clean it up. It’s sparkling clean and smells a bit like a pet store now instead of… well, I’m sure you can imagine.
 Speaking of bad news that I hope improves soon, White Rock Squadron has broadcast a PAN PAN. After consolidating with SurDel not too long ago, they became one of the largest squadrons in Canada, and are definitely one of the most active on the water. Even with such an active membership base, they are having extreme difficulty in getting members to volunteer for positions on the bridge. They publicly announced last month that they may be surrendering their squadron warrant if the empty positions on the bridge are not filled by March 15.
Recently, NorVan, Capilano, and Seymour squadrons were having similar issues and decided to each surrender their individual warrants and consolidate to become North Shore Squadron. This means that Vancouver no longer holds the title of the largest squadron, but more importantly, this is what I expect to be the start of a trend of consolidation across Pacific Mainland District and across the country. Burnaby and Alouette are facing similar issues with volunteers and attendance and have requested assistance. Vancouver is not immune. Don’t be surprised if consolidation with Richmond and Burnaby becomes a topic of discussion in the near future.
Although Vancouver Squadron is not desperate for volunteers – yet – we are definitely looking for a few. There are several positions on the bridge which will be opening up this coming May. Executive Officer Morgan Beall and Secretary Daniel Blackman who have both done a great job in keeping things on track during their term, and our Treasurer Les Hausch, who has served on the Vancouver Bridge for many years, have all decided to step down at the upcoming Vancouver AGM in May. Nadia Mudge, our editor, is also stepping aside after 5 years, so we have an opening for Masthead editor. Please join me in thanking them for jobs well done.
Vancouver Squadron has a long and proud history. Although membership has waxed and waned over the years, we’ve always managed to hold on and pull through. I would like to say that this is no different, but it seems that times are changing; people are getting busier and busier trying to make their own ends meet. What little free time they have seems to be taken up by… life. I am no exception. With that, I would like to apologize for the second late issue in a row. I urge you all to pause for a moment and think back to when things weren’t so busy and hectic. When was the last time you had some fun? Please take some time out for yourselves, you need it. You deserve it. Rediscover the joy of boating. Rediscover the reason why you joined the squadron in the first place. If you don’t have a boat any more or just want to meet some new people, please send anyone on the bridge a note. We would be happy to help!
Once again, the annual Men’s Cruise will be held on the weekend of June 10. We will be doing things a little differently this year and trying to get more engagement from the members. One of those different things is that on the same weekend as the Men's Cruise, Amanda will be hosting a Ladies Wine, Cheese and Chocolate at our place in Vancouver. Stay tuned for details. Our vision of a District Family Cruise last year didn’t quite materialize. Undeterred, we will try again this year. We would love to hear from you as to your preferences for cruising and events. Please reach out and come join us at the events, even if you don’t have a boat. If organized cruises don’t work for you, please feel free to drop us a line and let us know what works better.
I’m excited to officially start my commercial training for a new career on the water tomorrow. I decided to listen to the little voice inside me and take a break from sitting behind a desk for the summer. I am set to start with a local whale watch company in May and will be working towards a Transport Canada 60-Ton Limited ticket. There will be lots of new adventures and stories from this experience to be sure! Stay tuned!
Lastly, I would like to direct your attention to our upcoming events calendar, but particularly the 45th Annual Commander’s Bilgewater Bash on April 8th at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. This is always a seriously fun event, where we eat, drink and have a blast with our fellow boaters. Please  note that there is an early-bird deadline coming up, so if you’re planning to go, please do us, and yourself, a favour and get your tickets soon. We need to give the Club rough numbers in a couple of weeks, and early registration definitely helps to see how things are shaping up. That said, we are well on our way to having one of the best parties yet. Special thanks go to Dave Atchison for taking the lead on organizing this one more time for us. This event is open to everyone, especially non-members. The more the merrier!
Looking forward to seeing you at upcoming events and on the water!
Cheers,
Rog
|
|
|
|
Join Us for Squadron Nights!
Our next meeting will be Monday, March 20.
From a young age, Angus has been obsessed with boating...
Growing up between Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast, Angus's life has revolved around motor boats, sail racing, cruising, kayaking, and sport fishing. After finishing his degree in Environmental Studies, Angus combined his passions for boating and conservation into a career as a fisheries field tech. For the last two years, Angus has worked on over 50 commercial salmon, prawn and herring vessels from Victoria to Klemtu. In his presentation, Angus will talk about fisheries management, monitoring methods, his adventures on commercial vessels and share some tips for catching prawns.
On his travels, he's also captured some pretty amazing shots. He's entered several photos into the Fishing The West Coast Photography Contest, hosted by Gulf of Georgia Cannery. Click on the following link to see some of his photos, and feel free to vote by March 19, before the contest closes.
www.photocontest.gulfofgeorgiacannery.org/contest-gallery/
Squadron Nights provide a great opportunity to socialize with fellow boaters, find out what’s happening in the squadron, and experience fun and fascinating guest speakers. If you haven’t attended before, we meet in the FalseCreek Yacht Club pub. Guests are welcome! Be sure to mark your calendar for the third Monday evening of each month. We look forward to seeing you!
|
|
Education News
Spring:
- Boating 1 (PCOC): 4 week Course at Prince of Wales School
- April 6 to April 27
- $95 (non-member) / $95 (member)
|
|
|
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Tickets include a buffet dinner and our infamous Bilgewater Punch!
Early Bird Special
$85/person if you buy BEFORE March 20
$100/person if you buy AFTER March 20
Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
Main Dining Room - 3811 Point Grey Road
Vancouver, BC V6R 1B3
Vancouver Power and Sail Squadron’s 45th Annual Commander’s Bilgewater Bash Dinner Dance is a fun and formal gala event where we celebrate the past year of teaching safe boating. Join us and be prepared for a delicious RVYC buffet dinner, door prize draws and dancing!
You have three ways to get your tickets
We accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express
Call Twyla
604-738-8563
Email Cara
pro@vpsboat.org
Or Online:
See you there!
|
|
|
|
Click on the form above for a printable version
|
|
|
|
February Meeting Night
& Student Graduation
|
|
|
Photos courtesy of Dennis Steeves
|
|
|
Do you have any stories...
...That you'd like to share?
 If you feel the urge to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be), and have a story you'd like to share with fellow members, we'd like to read it!
Funny stories, lesson-learned stories, great cruising stories, you-won't-believe-what-happened stories...
Please send any short masterpieces to editor@vpsboat.org and we'll try to include them in the Masthead when we have space.
Happy writing... and boating!  |
|
|
|
RVCC SAFETY CHECKS
If you'd like to have a safety check done, please contact Jerry Powers at
604-921-8896, or jwpowers@shaw.ca
|
|
|
For Sale
2009 Aluminum Boathouse 52 X 26 Currently at Mosquito Creek.
Boat entrance: door height is at least 22’ 8”; automated roll up door with remotes, UHMW sliders on side of doors
Floor: 3/4 inch plywood with non slip paint
Electrical: 100 amp/24 circuit 110 volt panel. Multiple outlets, fluorescent lights, shore power is 120/50 amp marine twist lock.
Has a mezzanine with staircase and railing.
Multiple 8 ft translucent skylights. Currently houses a 36 Grand Banks with mast up.
$90,000
Phone 604-943-4602
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
