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New Members' Night - Saturday March 28

 

Be sure to mark Saturday, March 28 on your calendars to attend ABYC's New Members' Night.  The Membership Committee invites all to attend this important event to welcome new members to the Club.  

It is an opportunity for members who have joined over the past year to meet more established members of the Club, in a fun and relaxed manner.

 

Come on down to the Club and meet our new members.

 

The Membership Committee 

 

 

 

Lock your ladders  

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Spring!  -10C Monday morning; what's wrong with this picture?  I swear I will not complain about any heat waves this summer!  Ah well as we read this week's edition of S2S, launch is only a month away!

Following all the comments on how good the women's washroom looks, we decided that we should carry on with painting.  Coming through the main entrance this week you will notice a fresher look to the lobby and down the hallway.  Over the past week we have had it painted and cleaned.  As well, the Communications room has been done and Lidia and Roxanne have warned me they may do some decorating.  This was long overdue and I hope you like the finished product.  Don't worry guys; the men's is being done as well.

 

Starting this weekend we will see a lot more member functions.  This Saturday March 28 is New Members' Night.  All members (regardless of membership category) who have joined since last year's New Members will be welcomed officially to the ABYC family.  It's a great kick off to the sailing season and I look forward to seeing all our new members.  Just a hint to new members, if you see a Board Member approaching you with a big smile, be careful, they are all looking for committee members and people for work parties!  During the month of April we will also have our annual Spring Fling Party.  The date is April 18.  The theme is Mardi Gras and will feature a Mardi Gras band and a DJ.  This is always a great kick off to the season and I look forward to seeing a great turn out.

 

New this year, for the month of April we will be open seven days a week starting the first weekend of April.  On Monday and Tuesdays we will be open from 4 - 9pm.  On these days the bar will be open during the mentioned times with a beverage and sandwich service.  We have a short time to get our boats ready for launch, we thought it a great service to the members to have the clubhouse open for your enjoyment after working on your boat.

 

That's all I have for this week, see ya at the club!

 

Mike Macdonald  

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ABYC Member Diane Reid is moving up from a 21' Mini to a Clipper 70 and she is doing it as the Skipper!  After spending many months working to qualify, it was announced last week that Diane has been selected as the skipper of one of the 12 boats that will compete in the 2015-16 Clipper Round The World Race starting in August.  Diane has very little time to bask in the glory of having accomplished what no other Canadian woman has done.  This week she begins training on the boat as Skipper and soon after will take on the task of training her crew for the 40,000 nautical mile challenge that begins in August 2015.

When contacted by Ship2Shore, Diane said "I am incredibly proud to be chosen as a skipper for the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race!  It's been the longest job interview of my life over the past twelve months, but worth every step.  I am also very much looking forward to "digging in" to my role as both a training skipper and after April 25th as skipper of my crew and getting to know them and starting to really grow them as a team".

If you haven't already done so, you can see a video interview of the skippers including Diane by clicking on the following link:

Clipper 2015-16 Race Skippers Revealed

Additional information is also available at the Clipper Round The World Race website:

 

  

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Brava! to Kathy Deemar and Barb Baniuk for organizing and running the Clothing Swap this year.

 

The dining room was filled with all kinds of pants, tops, dresses, boots, shoes, and accessories.  Items were sorted by type and laid out on the tables so we could see what was available.  All the clothing was in good condition, with all the buttons, working zippers and so on, so we could be assured of having good quality, wearable clothing from the start.

 

Everyone had great fun trying on the clothing and modelling it for honest opinions from the others.  We found that if something didn't fit one person, it would fit someone else.  Everyone went home with at least something (and some people took home lots of treasures).

 

Despite everyone filling their bags with clothing "new to them", there were still plenty of items leftover to be donated to charity.  In particular, we were able to set aside a lot of business attire that will be donated to "Dress For Success", an organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire to help their clients look and feel their best for job interviews and work.

 

We all agreed it was a great afternoon.  We hope more people will join us next year. So, as you are going through your wardrobe over the next year, keep things aside for next year's Swap!

 

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This powerboat appears to have been abandoned last fall, tied up to the public wall at the Launch Ramp outside our gate. 

It managed to survive throughout the winter, surrounded by ice but finally sank on March 23. 
 

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LAUNCH 2015 - CRANE YARD 
 
Launch this year will be on Saturday April 25th, starting at 8 AM for both the large and small cranes.  The early start is necessary in order to complete the launch in one day.  Sunday April 26th will be the back-up day in the event that weather or other circumstances pushes us beyond a one day launch.   No boats will be launched on Friday.   As was the case last fall, the hydraulic trailer boats will be brought to the cranes at intervals and staged in areas around the cranes until they are launched.
 
Prior to launch, boat centrelines will be marked on cradles that lack them (these consist of a yellow CL symbol with a vertical yellow line next to them), most likely on Wednesday April 22 or Thursday April 23rd.  Do not paint over the centreline marks because they are used when we lay out the cradles in the fall.  Keels will  be marked at the same time as cradles.   These are typically a small vertical yellow line or mark towards the aft end of the keel.  Unlike the centreline marks on the cradles, owners should feel free to paint out keel marks they think are incorrect, if more than one mark appears, or to paint their own mark based on where they think the boat should be sitting in the cradle.
 
It is also a very good idea to take advantage of your boat being out of the water to identify sling lifting locations by marking them on your deck, toe rails or just beneath the toe rails on the sides of the boat with stickers.  This saves much trouble and reduces the risk of accidental damage to the boat during haulout in the fall.
 
Additional notices about launch will appear in S2S as we get closer to launch. Members will be contacted about crane crew assignments in the next few weeks.
 
Anyone with questions about launch should direct them to me.