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Upcoming Events
June 20 - Meeting Night - Award winner Helmut Lanzinier is a pioneer of electronic charting and will share with us his experiences from the Canadian Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico.
June 30 to July 2 - Saturna Cruise - Canada Day Lamb BBQ! See details further in this issue.
August 5 to August 7 - Gibsons Cruise - Boating and an outdoor play: What a great combination! See below for more details.
September 10 to 11 - PMD Predicted Log Race - Details coming soon!
September 19 - Meeting Night - Neil McClelland will tell us about taking a 70 foot yacht from Halifax to Vancouver via the Panama Canal.
September 30 to October 2 - Keats Island Cruise - Hot toddies and good company... what more could you want?
October 17 - Meeting Night - The Canadian Coast Guard will tell us all about finding Erebus, Franklin's lost ship. Ryan Harris, our presenter, is one of the Parks Canada divers on the Coast Guard ship that found the Erebus.
November 21 - Steveston Marine Night - More details coming soon.
December 12 - Meeting Night - Bill Kelly and Anne Vipond, well known local authors of many cruising guides, will talk about "The Fast Passes Of BC", including highlights of the characteristics of each pass with aerial and water view photography and maps.
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!
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 From the Commander's Log....
When I first looked at the Commander’s Bell, I marveled at the long list of names engraved and pondered the rich history of this organization and the contributions of all those who’ve come before me. It is clear that I have some very big shoes to fill. Seeing my own name on it, and my reflection in its polished surface, makes me realize two things: first, that you have enough confidence in me to guide us through the next two important years; and second, that I am up to the task. I am very honoured to have been elected to this position, and will do my very best to fulfil its duties. I didn’t get a chance to say this at the CoW, but it was very meaningful for me to see so many of my instructors and proctors there from over the years. I also remembered Dave Dorman who is no longer with us. Thank you all, you have helped shape who I am today.
Job well done, Past Commander Booth. Enjoy your well-deserved rest, sir. I have the conn.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Roger Middleton, I’ve just turned 41, and I’ve always had a passion for the sea and sailing. My first books out of the library at 4 years old were on ships and the ocean. Growing up on the prairies, we had a little aluminum boat which we used frequently, but I’d always dreamed of the peace of sailing in salt water. In 2002, I moved to Vancouver and finally picked it up (don’t worry, I love power too). I’ve never looked back. Today, I proudly own a Canadian-built Bayfield 32 sailboat which I’ve spent much of the past few years restoring.
Today, I wanted to talk to you about three things: Participation, relationships and change. The winds have definitely shifted since this great organization began many decades ago. However, the reason we’re all here – fun boating adventures and the ability to return safely – remains the focus. A good trimmer’s job is never done, and so it goes.
I understand that we are all busier than ever these days, but I invite you all to remember a time when you weren’t so booked solid. A time you once shared with friends on the water, perhaps a treasured memory that has been tarnished by time. Our Squadron is what we make it. Participation is at an all-time low across the country. Let’s change that together. I remember a little plaque we had on the wall at our house growing up. It was of a little sailboat on a very calm sea at sunset, and the caption read simply, “Take Time.” We all need to. Please come join us at social nights at FCYC, come out on a cruise, take a course, even just come hang out on the dock or on someone else’s boat. Come rediscover what CPS-ECP has to offer and the benefits of being a member. This leads nicely into my next topic, relationships.
We all came to be associated with the Squadron one way or another. We’ve all made friends (hopefully) along the way, be they classmates, instructors, fellow boaters with similar interests, or even just subscribing to our newsletter. Maybe it was a guest speaker on one of our social nights. My point is, let’s all remember that there is a whole generation of new boaters who would love to get to know you and learn from your many experiences and stories. In an ever-increasing online world, we’ve all become more isolated. Let’s change that together too. Be brave!
Speaking of more online and more isolated, a need has arisen for practical on-the-water knowledge transfer. This is new territory for CPS-ECP, but I believe it is what the public wants and needs. As such, Vancouver plans to pilot the first official CPS-ECP on-the-water seminar this summer. I believe that this could become as popular as the radio course, but in a different way. It will give us an opportunity to truly SHOW new boaters how we do things, and SHOW them some reasons why they may wish to learn more. This will also give new boaters some much needed hand-holding after doing a big chunk of their learning online. As my uncle, a doctor, once said to me, “The more I learn, the more I find out I don’t know.” There is more and more evidence of new boaters finding out the hard way that they don't in fact know everything from watching YouTube videos, and that boating involves many practical skills that require not just knowledge, but courage, confidence, and practice; boating is definitely the application of a combination of both science AND art amidst ever changing conditions.
 I aim to begin a “buddy system” to pair new students with more experienced members and those who share similar interests, both within the boating realm and beyond. If you’re going out on your boat for the day, please consider taking someone new with you. Remember, you were once in their shoes; new and eager to learn, but shy. You may be very pleasantly surprised and rediscover why you joined the Squadron in the first place.
With that, I look forward to talking with each of you personally over the coming months.
Fair winds and following seas to all,
Rog
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Join Us for Squadron Nights!
Our next meeting will be Monday, June 20.
Helmut Lanzinier will be presenting on his extensive experience with electronic charting.
Helmut is the founder of Offshore Systems Ltd. (OSL), the company that developed and installed the very first electronic charting systems in the Canadian Arctic in 1979. 
In the 1980s he introduced OSL’s Precise Integrated Navigation System (PINS) to CCG, as well as ferry operations and tanker shuttle services in the Gulf of Mexico. This was followed by the launch of ECPINS (Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System) in the 1990s to the marine industry in the St. Lawrence / Great Lakes community.
Most of his work in recent years is related to the use of marine radar as an automated backup tool for GPS / GNSS.
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!
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 Cruise Coordinator's Corner
by Cruise Coordinator Ingrid McLaine,
cruisecoordinator@vpsboat.org
We had a great first cruise to Bowen Island and we have a few more to come, including one to Saturna Island, another to Gibsons, and finally a cruise to Keats.
- Thursday, June 30 to Saturday, July 2 - Saturna Island Cruise (Canada Day Lamb BBQ)
 Saturna Island is 39 nautical miles from Vancouver.
Saturna is accessible by ferry (Vancouver to Victoria, then to Saturna). If you are coming by foot, there will be a shuttle available to transport you to the site of the BBQ. Saturna is also accessible by sea plane (www.seair.com). Please see the Saturna link below for information about booking accommodation.
If you’re coming by boat, there is anchorage available at Winter Cove on a ‘first come first served’ basis. You will need to go by dinghy to the dock which has limited space, but we can ‘dinghy pool’!. There is also a dinghy service available.
  
Entrance to the site is free, but you’ll need to buy a ticket if you want the lamb barbeque meal. Meal ticket sales begins at 9am (adults $23/kids $12). The meal is between 2 and 3pm. You can also buy veggie burgers, hamburgers, hotdogs and the like. There will also be a beer/wine garden, entertainment, dunk tank, golf driving range, bingo, games, as well as booths selling all kinds of things.
For more information please go the official site for the event: www.saturnalambbarbeque.com
Itinerary (optional)
Thursday:
7 pm -- Meet up for a potluck and drinks.
Friday:
10 am -- Grounds open for event.
2 to 3 pm -- Lamb roast.
Sunday:
Meet up for breakfast/brunch.
- Friday, August 5 to August 7 - Gibsons
Gibsons is 18 nautical miles from Vancouver. 
If you’re coming by ferry, you can take the Langdale ferry from Horseshoe Bay (40 minutes). When in Lansdale, you can take a 10-minute bus or taxi ride to Gibsons. There is accommodation available for booking.
If you are coming by boat, slips at the Gibsons Harbour Authority are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is also anchorage in the bay.
For something different, we arranged the cruise around a unique play that will be performed outside Roberts Creek (at Crystal Creek). The play is based on Pulitzer Prize winning novel Tinkers by Paul Harding. It’s an outdoor show that takes the audience on a journey through the forest and through the lives of a family with music, puppetry, and a great story. It includes performers from the community and a professional cast. Tickets will be in the $20 range. Of course it’s totally optional to attend the play.
  
Cornelia konrad’s installation “Passage” (2007)
 For more information about the show please go to www.theonlyanimal.com/show/tinkers
Itinerary (optional)
Friday:
6pm -- Meet up for dinner at Molly’s Reach.
Saturday:
Morning -- Visit shops in town and explore the area.
6 pm -- Meet up to tax taxi or shuttle bus to Robert’s Creek for play.
7 pm -- Enjoy the play Tinkers.
Sunday:
Meet up for breakfast (place/time tbd).
- Friday, September 30 to October 2 - Keats Island
Keats is about 17 nautical miles from Vancouver. 
If you’re coming by ferry, take the Langdale ferry from Horseshoe Bay (about 40 minutes). Then you can take a 10-minute water taxi from Langdale or Gibsons. (However, if you let me know in advance I might be able to arrange a ride on one of the boats attending the cruise). There aren’t any stores or regular rental accommodation on Keats but I’m sure you can find something through airbnb.ca. You can also book a campsite at www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/plumper.
If you’re coming by boat, there is limited dock space at Plumper Cove for a small charge. There is also anchorage available.
Itinerary (optional)
Friday:
 7pm -- Appies & hot toddies on the dock.
Saturday:
11am -- Hike (tbd).
Sunday:
Breakfast/brunch.
We hope to see you there!
If you have any suggestions for cruises that you would like to attend---let us know! (cruisecoordinator@vpsboat.org).
If you're interested in attending any the cruises listed above, or if you have any questions, please call or text Ingrid Mclaine at 778-879-9024 or email me (cruisecoordinator@vpsboat.org).
If you have any ideas for future cruises, please let me know!
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Education News
Boating Essentials is being broken into two courses for 2016/2017. For simplicity sake, they will be called Boating 2 and Boating 3 with a duration of approximately 6 weeks each.
The thought process behind this is that individuals these days do not have the time for longer courses.
Following conversations with five other Squadron Education Officers and others, it is felt that, even though it flies in the face of what National is telling us, we should do them together as one course.
The thinking is this:
- Our main goal to remain a healthy Squadron requires us to attract new members. We have been told by other Squadrons who have already switched to this format that 6 weeks does not give enough time to build any kind of a relationship with the proctors or anyone else.
- If we were to run them separately and students signed up for the Navigation portion only, they would be at a decided disadvantage without the magnetic compass, light characteristics, day beacons, piloting, conning, collision regulations,and tides and currents that are only in Boating 2.
- If someone really wanted to take Boating 3 before 2, we would have to charge them separately for an extra chart of the area which is not included in Boating 3, as well as chart #1. I think that this would paint a poor picture of our Squadron for anyone signing up for a Boating 3 course. We could raise the price and include it in our fee structure, but then we would appear to be charging much more than other Squadrons.
- If we were to do the courses separately and were to continue with our highly regarded student cruise, it would mean that it would not be possible to have the student cruise before very late in November. Who knows what issues this might cause; we may not get enough boats, and the weather conditions are not as favourable and less reliable.
We had a very good training year in 2015/2016, with 276 students enrolled, versus 158 last year.
The bulk of the numbers is attributed to our very successful one-day Marine Operators Course. Past Commander Jeff Booth, Commander Roger Middleton, Peter Bennett, Peter Girling and other Industry Canada approved examiners put on courses almost once per month through the Fall and Spring.
Congratulations on a great year!
John Steede
Education Officer
Upcoming Fall Courses
- Maritime Radio: 1 day course at Jericho Sailing Centre
- October 1
- November 5
- December 3
- $125 (non-member) / $105 (member)
- Seamanship: 13 week course at Prince of Wales School
- September 20 to December 13
- $195 (non-member) / $175 (member)
- Boating 1 (PCOC): 4 week Course at Prince of Wales School
- November 17 to December 8
- $95 (non-member) / $95 (member)
- Boating 2 & 3 (Combined): 12 week course at Prince of Wales School
- January 20 to December 6
- $330 (single person) / $330 + $250 (for two people)
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We had a great time on the Bowen Cruise in May. Friday afternoon was super hot but it made for great cruising weather.
Several of the usual suspects turned up: Eardley & Ethlene (Waterfront Condo), Dennis & Shelia (Wanderer), Teddy & Betty (Pubseeker) and Deano & I (Lexi). It was very nice to be joined by Bruce & Toni Burns (Gisselle II) and their two very cute dogs (Lulu & Soda). It was their first cruise with VPSS and they brought along a couple of friends, Greg and Michelle, who were fun to have there.
Moreover, we were pleased to see Pierre and Elizabeth turn up on Saturday for happy hour and the BBQ that followed. They came by ferry because their boat wasn’t quite ready for the season. For dinner on Friday evening, most of us headed up to Tuscany’s Pizza. We were thankful to sit outside where it was cool. Everyone agreed that the food at Tuscany’s was absolutely delicious!
Later in the evening, Ethlene and I took a stroll around the neighbourhood (not far from the marina) and checked out the local wildlife...
and admired the scenery...
 Ethlene pointed out a White Handkerchief Tree which I had never seen before. It looked like the tree was covered in toilet paper.
The next morning Dennis and Shelia brought out their new inflatable kayak to play with, which attracted quite a lot of attention.
Some got in to help out and others just stood around looking pretty!
While that was going on a few of us decided to take a walk/hike up to Dorman Point. It was a little steep but it in was invigorating and the view was worth it! The little dogs had no trouble at all.
When Pierre and Elizabeth later turned up for snacks and drinks on the dock before dinner they brought everything required to make the best margaritas imaginable (including a blender!).
After a couple of margaritas the BBQ couldn’t help but be great, and Deano was a real professional with the burgers! The only trouble we ran into was Max, the marina dog, who put the pressure on to be paid in burgers.
We were very lucky to have a musician in the crowd and later that evening Teddy laid it down, which was the perfect ending to the night.
The following morning some of us had a nice breakfast at the Snug while some headed home and others left for Plumper Cove.
Overall a fabulous, relaxing weekend!
Ingrid McClaine
Cruise Coordinator
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Photos courtesy of Ingrid McLaine and Dennis Steeves
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Photos courtesy of Jerry Powers
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Photos courtesy of Dennis Steeves
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Volunteers Required!
I am looking for volunteers to participate in the 2016 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Did you know that a major milestone was hit in 2015? More than 50,000 volunteers at over 2,000+ cleanups across the country removed over 148,000kg of trash from nearly 3,000km of shoreline.
The top 3 most common litter items collected were:
- Cigarette butts: 409,124
- Food wrappers: 92,738
- Plastic bottle caps: 49,721
Some unusual items collected:
- Yoga pants
- Pirate coin
- Rubber ducky
Our squadron's efforts during the 2015 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup held at Spanish Banks East last September resulted in 3 garbage bags of trash, weighing 15kg or 34lbs.
Two items of local concern collected were 3 small propane tanks and a piece of dock.
The two most unusual items collected were a bicycle frame and a Scottie dog cookie cutter.
A good reason for our squadron to get involved again is that the goal of keeping shorelines in Canada litter-free can be achieved.
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Where: Locarno Beach West. Cleanup starts at Spanish Banks East Concession and goes to Locarno Beach Concession, which also includes the shoreline up to NW Marine Drive.
Time: 1000 - 1500hrs
 We'll meet at the Locarno Beach parking lot off Tolmie Street and NW Marine Drive at 0930hrs for registration, orientation, and the forming of cleanup teams.
Refreshments, cleaning supplies and materials will be provided. This location is transit accessible by taking either the C19 Alma or C19 UBC bus, weekends only. You get off at the Beach Cafe and walk east down to the Locarno Beach parking lot.
If arriving by vehicle, parking is available off NW Marine Drive or in a stall parking lot for Locarno Beach. Look for a table set up with signs that say "Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup".
Let's get a good turnout from squadron members, family, and friends. In case of bad weather, bring your rubber boots or rain gear, since we will be cleaning this beach rain or shine. Also bring a lunch if you wish to stay longer, since we are in a great location with views of the city and mountains.
Residents of the area and passers by appreciate and thank us for cleaning up their beach area. As we participate in more of these beach cleanups, we create more awareness of what VPSS and CPS is all about.
Our squadron's efforts have not gone unnoticed, and in the past two years we have received two certificates of appreciation from Keep Vancouver Spectacular, signed by the mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson. Let's continue this annual tradition and get out as many volunteers as we can, and see which team gets this year's bragging rights of the most trash bags, weight, or most unusual item collected.
For further information, contact Bill Blanchard, Environmental Officer, VPSS, at 604-931-5153
Thank you, and see you there!
Bill Blanchard
Environmental Officer
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Congratulations
to our Cruise Coordinator, Ingrid and her groom Deano, on tying the knot!
We wish you many happy years of marriage -- and boating -- together!
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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
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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
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The Shore Family is offering their vacation home near Lund, Desolation Sound, for a squadron discount of 10% during the summer, and 20% during any other season.
Just 2km across the water from Savary Island and 2km south of the Copeland Islands... Come Experience a piece of British Columbia coastal heaven!
For more information, visit shoresatlund.com
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