There will be no access to the yard on

Cradles are being brought out of storage and placed in their winter positions.

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Well, it's already been 2 weeks at the helm.  I certainly got my feet wet chairing our first board meeting on Monday evening.  Thanks too, to Donna Miller our club photographer for taking the new Board members photos before the meeting.  

 

Before I provide a short update message I want to acknowledge the support and encouragement that I've received from many members since the results of the election were announced.  I am excited about the opportunity to work with my fellow board members, our club manager Rennie Stobbs, our staff and you (members of ABYC).  Our club is at its best when members help each other (e.g. stepping masts, sharing tips on fixing their boat, etc.) step up to be part of the organizers of our sailing and social events/programs creating fun for everyone and by introducing other friends and family to the club to enjoy boating too.

 

I began the transition to my position by sitting down with our Past Commodore Rick Humphrey to be briefed on all the business that the club and board has on the agenda.  I left that meeting even more impressed about the leadership and contribution given by Rick and other past Commodores of ABYC.  Other new board members have done the same with their counterpart.  We dove into the issues at hand during Monday's meeting.  I want to bring your attention to two capital projects that were approved last January.  The Sea Wall repairs/rebuild work and the Club Entrance.

 

Stephen Trevitt has lead Sea Wall repairs for the club for some time now and he has submitted a plan to do the North wall of the dry sail area on the Coatsworth Cut.  It's well thought out and ambitious in terms of member participation.  Bruce Morrison, VC Marine and Bob Brew, VC Planning will be meeting with Stephen to consider the plan and all options.  We'll keep you informed as decisions are made.

 

The club entrance urgently needs to be repaired.  The money required to complete the repair and finish the club entrance was deemed too much for 2013 work so, the project has been divided into 2 phases.  Mike McDonald will be meeting with Mike Robertson our house chair to fully understand the phased in approach and the contracting required.  This is definitely work that exceeds our capacity (skills and people resources in the club) so, a quotation process was undertaken and work should begin later this fall.  Again, there will be an updated posted in S2S before any work begins. 

 

Unfortunately, before I had been nominated and elected to the board Pat and I had agreed to do some volunteer work for Free the Children overseas from October 12-31.  Consequently, I'll miss haulout for the first time.  I am confident in Bruce's teams and members who participate in haulout.  Have a safe smooth haulout!

 

Yours,

Bob

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Well it's been an interesting few first weeks in the new position, getting settled in and meeting with staff and committee chairs to get a feel for what is going on and what we need to get done.

 

Some things I would like to bring to your attention.  Shortly after haulout construction will begin on our new front entrance.  This will be phase one.  It will involve removing the first set of doors, digging up the area in front of the wooden doors, pouring a new foundation and constructing a new entrance which from what I have been told will be similar to what we now have.  The drawing that was presented at the September meeting will be the second phase.  While under construction we will have to use different entrances to the club and we will keep you posted.

 

After many years, Liz Heron has stepped down as head of the Regalia committee.  Thank you Liz for all of your hard work bringing us a great selection of Regalia over the past few years.  Linda DeRusha has taken over this committee.  Stop by the Regalia table at haul out to check out the new designs and styles that Linda and her committee have chosen to go into the New Year.  To make way for the new styles we will be discounting the majority of our old stock.  As well, after haulout, regalia will be on display in Duffy's Lounge and you will be able to purchase it at the bar.

 

With Linda taking over the Regalia committee, she has stepped down as head of the website committee. We are looking for someone to take over this position.  The job entails regular maintenance of the site, adding content and working with committee heads to communicate relevant information to members via the website.  Please contact Geoff Huck (geohuc@rogers.com) or myself (vcmember@abyc.on.ca) if you have any interest in this position.

 

In the normal cycle of usage of the dining room, we will start to get busier on Friday evenings.  If you are planning on dining on Friday evening, please call ahead to make a reservation, it really helps Paul and Albert prepare for the evening.

 

Have a safe haul-out!

   

Safety for Everybody!

- Stan Gap, Safety Committee

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The Safety Committee would like to remind every one to be safe.  To that end we are making a few suggestions.

 

Please remember to clear your side decks and cockpit and also remove any bimini and dodgers.  The sling crew needs to be able to move easily and safely around your deck.  If you need to leave your boom out please secure it, preferably on the cabin top.  I will be checking just before haulout and sending reminders.

Also make sure that the boat has bow and stern lines for the crews.  They should be 50 feet long, one piece and of suitable diameter.

Regarding attire during haulout; in the rail-yard please wear closed shoes and work gloves.  If you are on the crane crew wear a safety helmet and work gloves.  Anyone moving cradles in the crane area should be wearing safety shoes.  If you are on the water (boat riders, towboat crew, sling crew) wear a PFD, bringing your own is the best and most comfortable solution.  When you enter the crane area, even just to supervise the placement of your boat on the cradle, please put on a safety helmet - the safety officer will have a spare.

Please insure that you understand what your job is, its responsibilities and what safety precautions are involved.  If you have any concerns please talk to your crew chief, they are more then willing to explain to you.  You can also talk to the Safety Officer present, they will be wearing orange safety vest and blue safety helmets.

Also, lets look out for each other, if you notice a hazard, warn others and inform the Safety Officer. 

Be cautious when you move around the yard.  There will be forklifts, trailers and tractors moving around.  They have reduced visibility and restricted mobility so we need to watch out for them and not be in their way. 

Please leave young children and pets at home.  Haul-out is not a safe environment for them.

Let's have a safe Haul-out.

 

-  Joanne Wright

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Reminder to last year's Racing and Contribution Trophy winners:

 

If you received a trophy last year, would you please return it to the club by haulout weekend  

(October 18-20^th) as we will be doing an inventory of all trophies the following week.

 

If your trophy is in need of repair or you have any questions, please contact Joanne Wright at joannemwright@hotmail.com.   

 

Many thanks   

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The 2013 Racing Season is officially over here at ABYC.  RCYC hosted the final race of the season on Sunday, the Boswell.

Congratulations to the ABYC participants, which included an invasion of ABYC people aboard Five Fifteen, including Stephen Trevitt and some of his Crime Scene crew, who finished first overall in IRC. Larry Harrison and the gang aboard Merlin M2 were second in division and fourth in IRC overall while Lively, with Murray Gainer and company were third in division and fifth overall.

And Finally, I missed reporting that ABYC's Matt Sherar placed FIRST in the Laser Youth Nationals in Vancouver last month.  Congratulations Matt.

That's it for this year.  Be sure to get your tickets for Racing Awards Night to be held November 23rd.  Also, please note that the LORC Awards for the 2013 will be handed out at a party at National Yacht Club on Friday, November 8.  Appetizers and a beverage will be provided.  The LORC Participants' Meeting will take place at NYC on Thursday, November 21.

Wendy Loat


Editors' Note:  Once again we want to thank Wendy for all the great race reports she provided for Ship2Shore each week.  Although we try to document racing as much as we can, we could never provide the insight and details that Wendy does.  Thanks for 2013!

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All photos by Jonathan Wigley.  For more photos, click on the link:   Marks removed

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As we started October, the first weekend of the month brought some cooler temperatures and a lot of wind. That didn't stop the ABYC Opti Race Team from continuing its regular Sunday Fall Training.  Despite the dreary morning, ten Opti Sailors showed up at ABYC last Sunday, and headed out on the water with Coaches Connor Bott, Sara Baum and Mike Goldfarb.  Some of these young racers were in their first season of sailing.  Regardless of their fears, they still went to face the strong winds and big waves.

 

The weather was such that our marks wouldn't hold on the bottom (the waves kept moving them), and we couldn't raft as both Opti and Coach Boat kept getting flooded with water.  However, over half of the fleet stayed on the water for approximately two hours, practicing high wind sailing, surfing and most importantly bailing.  Some of the swells were so large I couldn't see the Optis on the other side.

 

Special mention goes to Annabel Gravely, Paul Wortmann and Hunter Dejean, who chose to stay out for an extra hour, when their team mates went in, to continue practicing and improving despite the weather.  The conditions were hard for all members of the Opti Team, who haven't had much practice sailing in large swells.  Annabel in particular, just joined the race team this fall.  It was her fourth Opti Training session, yet she stayed out the entire session.

 

In the end the cold, wet Opti sailors came back in for some hot chocolate and cupcakes (for team member Danny's birthday!).  Every member of the ABYC Junior Race Team should be proud of what they accomplished last Sunday; awesome determination and commitment!

 

The Opti Race Team will continue to train at ABYC on Sundays for the rest of October.  If you are by the club on a Sunday afternoon be sure to say hi.

 

To see some photos from last weekend and our entire summer please like us on Facebook! 

    

                                                                                                                                                     Photos - Mike Goldfarb 

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This winter our plan is to repair the harbour wall adjacent to the large dry sail crane.  On Saturday, November 2nd. we will start removing fender boards and the concrete cap.  This means that BOTH cranes will be out of operation from that day on.  We also need all Dry SaiI boats removed from the area to give access to the demolition crew that will be sawing the cap off - dump trucks and excavators need a lot of room to work!

This section of wall is 72' long, twice the length we've done in one winter to date.  I realize closing the crane is an inconvenience but we need to start right after haulout so we can be done in time for launch.  And of course if you feel like helping out, that's always appreciated.  We need help before haulout getting the pile driver ready (welder, steel cutting), as well as help after haulout doing the repairs to the wall (Saturdays).

If you have any concerns about our plan for the dry sail area, please contact me.

 

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Friends & fans of ABYC's Diane Reid are reminded that the
Mini Transat Race is scheduled to start at 1:00pm on
Sunday, October 13. 

You can catch up to Diane's latest news by reading her blog - Diane's Blog

- Bruce Morrison, VC-Marine

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First I'd like to say that the rail yard is an important feature of ABYC.  One reason is the cost per boat for a boat that is stored in the rail yard is significantly less than the cost per boat for a boat that is stored in the crane yard.  Because about a third of the club fleet is stored in the rail yard, it provides a cost avoidance to the overall club expenses.  Secondly those members that participate in pulling the ropes have an opportunity to meet other members that they otherwise may not have met throughout the past season, and can share stories and experiences and make new friends.

 

Now on to the tasks at hand:  The weekend of Oct 12, I need a team of 4 people to setup ways 2, 4, 12 and 14 in the west yard. Please bring your own hammer and cordless drill.

 

Finally, I have completed the inspections of the wooden cradles.  A number need repairs before they are fit for use.  In general everyone should inspect their own cradle to ensure the bolts are tight and it is in top condition for the coming storage season.  Also, please look at your cradle and make sure it is properly marked with your member number and boat name.  If there are inaccurate markings on the cradle please paint over them.

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Moving masts to one of the sheds or racks can be done safely by using the mast lifting cart.  However, care must be taken to ensure that this equipment is used properly and safely.

Please take a few minutes and view a video that demostrates how to properly use the cart:

 - Rebecca Crumlish, Coordinator 

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18TH STARTING AT 9:00 AM FOR BOTH LARGE AND SMALL CRANES

- NOTE:  FRIDAY MORNING shift time 9:00 am until 1:00 pm (arrive 8:30 am)

- NOTE:  FRIDAY AFTERNOON shift time 12:30 pm until the end of day

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH STARTING AT 8:00 AM ON BOTH CRANES

-  NOTE:  SATURDAY MORNING shift time 8:00 am until 12:30 pm (arrive 7:30 am)

-  NOTE:  SATURDAY AFTERNOON shift time 12:00 pm until the end of day

 

Coordinator - Rebecca Crumlish rcassociates@sympatico.ca

 

Please sign up - remember your life jacket, safe shoes for getting  on and off the boats, warm clothes and have fun.  The boat riders provide assistance to the owner and their boat from their dock to the assigned crane area.  Thank you.

  

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Mast-Up Storage

 

amirvish@hotmail.com

 

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For several years the Entertainment Committee has run a lecture series from January through April.  This year we have joined with the Sailing Committee to run a lecture series from November through May.  The new expanded committee is Co-Chaired by Jim Allen and Petra Fischer.

 

The lectures will be held on the 2nd Thursday of each month and we are calling them "Toonie Thursdays".  At each lecture we will be passing the hat and asking people if they liked the lecture to donate a Toonie.  The money collected will go to either the Corinthian Fund or the Junior Racing Program.

 

Our 1st lecture will be on Thursday, November 14th and will be a rescheduling of the 3 hour Weather Seminar that was cancelled in February due to bad weather.  Morton Biback and Craig Stewart of the Power Squadron will be presenting this somewhat in-depth lecture.  This lecture will begin at 7:00 due to its length. Most other lectures will begin at 7:30.

 

Two other lectures are already booked.  On March 13th, Butch Ulmer of UK Sailmakers will be presenting on Race Rules.  Butch came to ABYC a couple of years ago and his presentation was highly praised, so we agreed that it was time to bring Butch back.

 

On May 8th our last lecture will be on Rig Tuning and will be presented by Tristan of UK Sailmakers.  This lecture will be outdoors with hands on application and will begin at 7:00 to maximize daylight.  Petra and I along with Brian Chapman, Chair of ABYC Sailing Committee are talking with several other possible presenters.  It is our aim to provide a well rounded lecture series that has something in it for all ABYC members.

 

We will keep you updated with announcements as lectures come up.

 

We look forward to seeing many members and guests out for these exciting fall/ winter/ spring evenings.

 

Jim Allen and Petra Fischer

Co-Chairs

ABYC 2013/2014 Lecture Series.