11  South Wall Cruise  

  25  ABYC REGATTA

  15  Cruise to Royal Canadian Yacht Club
  22  Cruise to Lakeshore Yacht Club 

 

- from Bob Hedley, VC Marine Services

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It takes Planning-Communication-Execution-Debriefing and plenty of it.  Once again you've done it.  A safe launch and Mast Up test. Talk about coordination and effort on the part of so many people.

   

Execution this smoothly never happens without dedicated leaders and teams who debrief, plan, prepare and communicate the launch.  I am very fortunate to have leaders like Anthony Mirvish (Crane) and Bruce Morrison (Railway) coordinators.  These people spend their time debriefing every launch/haulout for safety and efficiency.  Anthony also maintains the relationship with our suppliers reserving the cranes and trailers.  He also makes sure we get the best operators available.  

 

Allison Booze coordinates and publishes the detailed communications to our membership.  Please respect and follow the Mast Crane and area etiquette.  Allison also coordinates the dock, boat and railway tallow team.  Probably over 20 people in all helping members get their boat off the rails and into a slip safely.  Where would we be without the tow boats?

 

Siegy and Lynn Kaminsky have smoothly transitioned the people organizing effort to John Moody.  However, I did see Lynne assisting on Saturday morning.  John sends out emails to each one of us (the membership) informing us of the job/task, timing and other details.  He never stops checking even during the day to ensure that everyone shows up for their assignment and so we have people to back up key roles throughout the entire effort.

 

The standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the railway, crane and trailer operations have grown more complex over the years however Anthony and Bruce both chair committees who review these procedures and train the key team leaders (foreperson, signalperson, etc.).   However this doesn't work well unless you have someone like John Moody who knows each members capabilities and limits (usually physical) so, we get the most appropriate people assigned to each job.  I've been a signalperson for nearly 20 years and enjoy the team coordination between the dock foreperson, cradle foreperson and crane operator.  In my mind I need multiple sets of eyes, ears to help me signal the correct signal to the driver.  Safety is always top of mind.  This year the coordination, team work and overall effort in the Crane and Railway was exemplary.  You can always tell when the team has hit the sweet spot because there actually is very little talking, just people doing their jobs.

 

Then, there is the cradle packing and storing crew which must be one of the hardest jobs on a launch day.  Do you know they start work 2 weeks before launch and haulout just getting things ready.  We rent a forklift and use our own tractor to lift and store cradles.  These drivers are trained, no one is allowed to drive either vehicle who isn't qualified.  Well done Chris Deeley on the forklift who contributes his professional skills to this task.  I do believe that I saw our own SVRC Pat Flynn working on this crew too.  

 

A week before the launch ( I wish it was 2 weeks) our safety committee (Stand Gap reporting to SRVC Pat Flynn) checks the yards and harbour for readiness and raises safety concerns so, we minimize risk.  Last minute prep this year included a closer look at cradles and a number were identified as needing attention.  In future, a message or letter will be sent to each member who has a cradle identified.  It was critical to get this information out this spring before cradles were stored.  Sorry, for any unintended embarrassment.  They did their job well.  Keep every member safe and avoid damaging property by minimizing risk.

 

In the back round we have many members who contribute by operating and maintaining club equipment.  These people work with our Harbour Master, Paul Lefneski.  Again, I am very fortunate to have a strong leader who has many other capable team leaders doing their part to keep ABYC ship shape.  On launch day many other members contribute when they aren't getting their boat into their slip and making sure it's secure by working on gardening and house activities like regalia, coffee/doughnuts and the PA.  There is an opportunity for everyone to participate!

 

Last, now the cleanup.  The yard looked pretty messy when I left the club on Saturday.  Our yard bosuns will be starting to report for duty so, please do your part by cleaning up after yourself, taking as much garbage directly to the appropriate bins.  Most importantly, we want to maintain a "Green" environment and that means disposing of oils, chemicals and other toxic substances in the appropriate container near the exit.  We would appreciate it even more if you took these items directly to the Commissioner Street drop off which is less than 2 kms from the club gate.  Do you have a spill kit for your boat?  You should.  Check out the link on the Environment Committee's site on our club web site. 

 

 

 

The Mooring Tire Adjustment Forms are on a clipboard at the bottom of the stairs inside the clubhouse, notices have also been posted around the clubhouse.  Based on the number of requests we got from the dock, it will be a busy spring for Irish and we ask that you help us help you, by completing the form and following Rose's Rules:

 

1. Please provide both boat name & slip ( we don't know where every boat is)

 

2. Please indicate which tire you want moved with compass direction and distance (in feet, we are old school) i.e. Port Tire - North East - 4ft.

 

3. Please consider your neighbour's vessel when making your request, sometimes we will need to compromise between two boats if they are not close in size

 

4. Please understand that we plan work in sections to be as efficient as possible and do not take requests from the dock.

 

5. Please be patient, we will get to them as soon as possible and we work until we are done but in the meantime please make do as you can by tying to your winches, mid cleats or to your neighbour if appropriate.

 

We will start in the most critical areas and will have two volunteers who will help by boarding vessels to tie off stern lines, we recommend that owners come down and re check that their vessels are tied off to their liking.  Irish Rose is a great vessel for lifting tires chained to 800lb. concrete blocks but precision and accuracy was not part of the design criteria, so if we get close, we have succeeded.   

 

Now that the boating season is under way, we are trying to finish off the details for the upcoming cruising season.  To that end, we are putting out a call for volunteers to host a few cruises.  If you are interested, please let Debbie or I know.

Please note that the Canada Day weekend cruise to Port Credit Yacht Club is a big cruise and will require a pair of hosts or an extremely experienced single host.

Thank you

 

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I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this year's crane launch a success.  A total of 137 boats were launched, the mast-up lifting trial was done successfully, and the cradles were cleaned up, all in one day.  Well done!
 
The success of launch (and haulout) involve contributions from many people and without slighting anyone, I would like in particular to recognize the following people:  Roy Little and Paul MacDonald for executing the plan on the small and large cranes, respectively; John Moody for organizing all of the crews; Alison Booz and her dock ladies for their support on the radios; signalmen Steve Trevitt, Bob Hedley, Bob Wilson and Joe Simpson; cradle disassembly foreman Jeff Dejean; tractor drivers Bernie Caron and Chris Deeley; Emily Sawolak and the Boat Riders; equipment managers Claude Michaud and Robert St. Hilaire; harbourmaster Paul Lefenski; hydraulic trailer crew leader - and dock foreman - Paul Brennan; club manager Rennie and his team for feeding everyone smoothly and support on a large number of items in the run-up to launch; and all the other team leaders. 

 

Please share my big vote of thanks to the Ladies of the Docks who worked diligently for Launch on Saturday. April 27.

 

These people welcomed everyone to their dock and helped get the boats tied up safely:

 

Carolyn Weckesser, Elizabeth Qualben, Pat Hedley, Eileen Newman, Alison Liddell, Tina Heimann, Debbie Dockray, Cindy Sampson, Corrine Lusty, Cindy Boudah, Margot Mitchell, Linda DeRusha, Noreen Stumpf, Winnie Gainer, Arlene Taylor, Mary Lu Taylor, Kelly Ryan, Sue Street, Wendy Babcock, Joanne McBay, Anne Swanton.

 

Special thanks to Rob Gow and Mary Pappas on the Clubhouse PA and Barb Baniuk, Assistant Dock Ladies Coordinator.

 

Bravo everyone. Yea team!

 

 

What a perfect Launch.  The railway yard couldn't ask for better weather (I understand the Crane side froze to death).  Another year without a hitch, so please join me in thanking our tireless "Ladies-in-White" of the Tallow Crew, who once again did such a marvellous job of keeping things sliding smoothly on Saturday.  Kudos to Susan Hogan, Trixie Hoyer and Jean Gap. 

Great work ladies!

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They came, they challenged, they left, seeking solace in the mistaken belief there is honour in entering one's name onto the competitive gaming field and not achieving victory.  Finding none, they placed their tails betwixt their legs and exited stage north not waiting until the final scores were tallied.

 

To the victors go, well, the putting away of the boards, cards and cues, wrapped in pleasant memories to be culled over again, and again, until next spring, only interrupted by a good summer's sail.  These skilled few are:

 

CHESS:   He challenged all and, as none were forthcoming, or third or second coming, Terry Fagan swept a non-existent field, adding his name to the trophy for a second time.

 

BRIDGE:  The solid coupling of Brian Hollingshead and Jim Allan bested an avid field.

 

BACKGAMMON:  Instructing as much as playing, Gentleman Don Jackson had the dice behaving as if they were strings being played on his violin.

 

POOL:  Seven members took a cue and chalked up for a double knockout round about, with the final TKO being delivered by Terry Fagan in a thrilling finish that was anyone's game until the sound of the 8 ball softly hitting a leather pocket allowed Terry to exhale for the first time all evening. This is Terry's third "Golden Cue" in a dozen years, proving that showing up is 90% of the game.

Until the games are played again next year, have a good summer.

Thanks
 

Crewbank

Rules Evening