Ole! Come one and all to St. James Town's Fiesta Blanco (also known
as the White Sail Party). This year's festivities will take place
on ..
July
26th (6:00 PM)
...
and include Dinner, Dancing, DJ, Blended Drinks, contests and much,
much more ...
Salsa
the night away under the stars and celebrate the successful completion
of all White Sail classes. Guests welcome. The price of admission:
a mere $15.00. Tickets are available from Mary Neuman, Winston Lau,
Tannis Baker, Julie Butson, and Sean Forrest. Feel free to change
the text in any way you see fit. If you have any questions, don't
hesitate to get in touch.
Sam
Bamford
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PCOC
Course Review and Exam
There
are two power boat licenses; the Federal Pleasure Craft Operators
Card and the Toronto Port Authority License.
To legally drive power boats in Toronto harbour requires a Toronto
Port Authority License. The Toronto Port Authority License course
is offered every Thursday at the Toronto Harbour Marina. To register
to take the course call 416-462-3151.
The Federal Government is phasing in a power boat license requirement
called a Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC). The PCOC is now
required to drive boats under 4 metres. It will be necessary for
all types of power boats by 2009.
J-town is offering the Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) course
review and exam on ..
Sunday, July 27, 2:00 pm
At the clubhouse
$30/registrant
The club requires a minimum registration of 15 people to offer
the PCOC. Please register by emailing
awhite@squall.com.
Prior to taking the course you are advised to study the Canadian
Government Safe Power Boating Guide found through links on our
website under 'Resources'.
The PCOC is also available on-line at http://www.boatexam.com
($40). The class room setting is recommended as it is more informative,
provides more opportunity to ask questions and is more fun.
White
Sail - Extra Training and Evaluation
Jtown
members who have not completed the White Sail 3 course invited to
take two additional White Sail classes on
Tuesday, July 22, 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 24, 6 p.m.
If you were in the May or June White Sail class or the Spring Tune-up
and would like additional training or to complete the evaluation for
White Sail 3, this course is for you. Email
awhite@squall.com to register.
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Mid
Summer Skills Builder
J-town is offering an intensive, one day, skills building course
on Sunday August 3rd. This course has changed from a two day to a
one day course since it was first announced.
The course is intended for 2003 White Sailors (whether you have passed
or not), sailors preparing to take their Bronze in August and any
other club members who want to improve their sailing.
The course will be taught by a CYA instructor and costs $20.00/member.
We require a minimum of 12 people registered to run the course. Email
awhite@squall.com to
register.
Albacore
Internationals - Good Luck to Jtown Sailors
The
Albacore International Championships are held every second year, alternating
between a sailing venue in the UK and one in North America. In 2003
it is Canada's turn to host the regatta.
The International Regatta is going to be sailed from the Olympic harbour
in Kingston, Ontario from July 19-26. The regatta will attract competitors
from the U.S., U.K., Scottland and Canada. Several Jtown boats will
be participating in the event.
Jtown
is offering the Bronze 4 - $90.00 - sailing program in August. Bronze
4 is an intermediate level program that requires advance White Sail
3 skills to participate effectively. Members often take it in their
second year of sailing.
The club usually runs the Bronze 4 course with 12 students and one
instructor. With a minimum of 20 students we could add a second instructor
and have a larger class.
There are currently 16 members who are interested in taking Bronze
4. If you would like to take the course and have not already signed-up
please send an email to Ed Young - edyoung@sympatico.ca
- to have your name added to the waiting list.
Open
House Thank You From Winston Lau
A
big thank you to all the volunteers who helped out with the open houses
we held every Saturday and Sunday in April and May from noon 'till
4:00PM. The open houses were set up to ensure that someone was available
during these times to answer all the questions that visitors had and
were an important member recruiting activity.
Thanks
go out to: Robert Bamford, Chris Bennett*, Rich Casey, Julie Charles*,
Zuzana Fabian*, Mike Flower, Jackie Grummitt, Robert MacDonald, Alexis
Mantell, Nigel Rigby, Richard Seow, Judith Stamp*, Suzanne Young,
Greg Welstead*, Diana Wetmore*, Jovette Cloutier. (* means they volunteered
more than once!) The open houses were organized by Mark Pomerantz.
This
is a public thank you to all the old salts that have assisted a group
of landlubbers become basic sailors, to various degrees. Although
we had great theoretical instruction in class (thank you Lorraine
and Georgia), these people gave up their personal time to patiently
explain - again and again - and show us how, yet once more, how the
boats were correctly rigged, and how things were really done in actual
wind and lake conditions, both during our class time and at other
times when a student and old salt were available at the same time.
Their love and enjoyment of sailing is definitely infectious and
contagious - which does tend to encourage everyone.
It seems as if most everyone at St. Jamestown helps out in some way
or other - keeping a club like this running efficiently, repairing
sails and boats, keeping everything clean and organized, paying bills,
keeping the drink fridge stocked, the list is endless. All these
people assist us newcomers in their own way to provide the opportunity
to learn to sail, at a reasonable cost. The social aspect is also
very pleasurable, and the fact that lifts to and from the class could
be arranged. as necessary was wonderful. This - old salts and students
alike - is a great group of individuals!
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Thank
You From The Commodore For Lobsterfest
Just
a thank you to everyone who worked on Lobsterfest. This includes:
Jean-Philippe Pignol for getting everything going, Sarah Banks for
all round organizing and help, Jean-Paul Bureaud for tallying up
tickets, Don Ackerman and Odette for bringing down the wine and
bartending along with Sandie Orlando, Dan Hutchinson, Collin Sawatzky
and unnamed others, Ann White for washing-up, David Wong for endlessly
cutting up bread and dessert, Greg Aspin for barbequing the chicken
at the last minute, Nigel Rigby and Suzanne Young for decorating,
Martin Hill for bringing the bread and with Leila serving chicken
souvlaki, Jovette Cloutier for supplying the salads and dessert,
Adrian Hill (it was his 18th year doing it) and family with Robert
Macdonald for cooking the lobster, Robert Macdonald, Richard Seow,
David Matthews and Mike Morrison for getting the grounds and fire
pit ready, Michael Flower for bringing the beer, Rob Bamford and
Margaret de Niverville for cutting up veggies, Melody Byblow for
getting the mosquito coils, Diana Wetmore for bringing ice and everyone
else who helped in big and little ways but I didn’t see or
I can’t remember now a day and many drinks later. It was a
great party and the weather cooperated in a major way –it really
was the first day of summer.
A
Word From The Commodore - Mary Neumann
Cabbagetown Youth Centre Sailing Camp
Cabbagetown
Youth Centre Sailing camp will be starting again in July. This will
be the fourth summer that we will lend our club and boats (together
with Westwood next door) for this summer camp for youth from the high-rise
complex at St Jamestown. The camp will operate on alternate weeks
at Westwood and St Jamestown from about 9:30 to 3 pm, Monday to Friday.
If you want to come down and sail, use our boats just as you usually
would- there are always several left over. If you want peace and quiet
and the camp is operating at St James Town you are welcome to go over
to Westwood and use their clubhouse and patio as they are to come
over to our club on the alternate weeks.
The sailing camp is not only a wonderful experience for these kids
who otherwise would not get to go sailing, but our participation has
made it easier to get our Trillium grant for the motor boats. It also
helps when we argue that we serve the whole community and should be
allowed to stay in the Outer Harbour as the waterfront gets developed.
Early
in the year, dragon boats were coming right in front of the club docks
just as White Sail classes were leaving or returning. This led to
some very scary moments. I strolled down with people from the other
community sailing clubs to talk to those in charge. I have now had
two meetings with Great White North, who own and operate the boats.
They have happily changed their route to prevent collisions and are
open to further discussions as needed.
Booklet On How The OHSF Clubs Use the Outer Harbour
I
have been working with the Outer Harbour Sailing Federation (OHSF)
on a booklet that explains how we use the water area of the Outer
Harbour. The purpose is to educate city planners and politicians,
the Toronto Port Authority and the Waterfront Revitalization Corporation.
During the last year there have been several plans proposed—
from storing the pipes for the deep water cooling plant in the middle
on the surface, to building a rowing course, to expanding the number
of dragon boats —that would have adversely affected out ability
to use the Outer Harbour. Although these issues have been successfully
resolved for this year, the ideas are given some credence because
those in charge of water use do not understand how we currently use
the water.
The booklet will be a follow-up to our brochure explaining who we
are and why we need a land base on the waters edge in the Outer Harbour.
This was very successful in garnering notice and references to our
need for a home into the various planning documents for the Waterfront.
Now we have to explain how we use the water.
A
Word From The Vice Commodore - Ann White
For
the first time in Jtown history the Canadian Yachting Association
Bronze Sail 5 is being offered to club members.
Bronze Sail 5 introduces spinnaker use, trapezing, advanced boat handling
skills as well as more advanced sail theory. It was offered to all
members who sail at the Bronze Sail 4 level.
The course is taught in the 505s, the only club boats rigged with
spinnaker and trapeze. As there are only two 505s the class size is
limited to 6 people; four who sail and two who travel with the instructor.
There is a July and August class allowing for 12 members to take the
course and both classes are full and over-subscribed.
Many in the club have argued that the 505s should be sold because
they have only been sailed by a few people. The enthusiastic response
to Bronze 5 suggests that interest is there but members have lacked
the skills and knowledge to confidently take out the boats.
There are compelling reasons to sell the 505s because they are worn
out and expensive to maintain. When the club sells the 505s, should
they be replaced with another spinnaker and trapeze boat so Jtown
can continue to offer Bronze 5 and the sailing experience these boats
provide?
From
the June White Sail Class
For
me, personally, I greatly appreciated that I was encouraged to do
as well as I could without being criticized for being overly cautious
- even when I wondered what I was trying to prove to myself, as I
am not the least bit athletic. I do love the water and sailing and
have done so on a keelboat (which does not capsize - hopefully), I
just do not like being cold and wet, which is pretty well unavoidable
this season. That people could accept that I was trying (to me I was
going way outside of my personal ‘‘comfort zone’’)
and not be negative about this was an incredibly freeing experience.
Eventually I hope to obtain a certificate, and until then, will enjoy
whatever I do learn - and a lot of it has already applied on the keelboat,
too. Miracles do happen! Nothing much can beat the silence, freshness
and peace on a sailboat as compared to a motorboat, and I would just
like to thank one and all for an incredible experience. "
I
was completely blown away by the unending generosity of club members
who night after night and day after day, gave of their time, knowledge
and skills to help a group of newcomers come to love the sport of
sailing. The patience and kindness of all the 'old salts' has helped
to turn learning from being a task to a joyful experience. This really
is an amazing club.
Unfortunately,
for various complicated reasons (personal, professional plus panic
and fear), I had to back out of the June course but am picking up
where I left off in July. I genuinely want to know how a boat works
and how to work a boat but wind, water and my own incompetence posed
psychological and physical hurdles that old salts Ed, Diana, Ian,
Richard and Robert tried valiantly to help me overcome. There will
be that moment of epiphany some time in July when it all comes together.
Won't there?
P.S. to Francesca. Don't keelboats have a nasty habit of sinking if
they tip? (haha)
Many thanks also to all the classmates for being such a pleasure to
be with and not minding having a terror like me on their boats.
Lobsterfest
2003 - A View from the Lobster Pit
By Robert MacDonald
I
got ready for Lobster Feast this year by doing my usual bit, scrounging
around for firewood.
With the long cold spring our supply has gone into the wood stove.
So I dragged the odd log in from along the shore—a lot of driftwood
is surprisingly dry once out of the water. David Matthews and Nigel
kindly sawed up what I brought. I also brought down bricks for a fire
pit, and David Matthews built it.
On Saturday morning, Richard Seow and I started dragging over picnic
tables from the other clubs, labeling them to make it easy for the
other clubs to drag them back again. Around 11 the lobsters arrived
in six boxes and we put a tarp over them to keep the sun off. One
day you're swimming in the Atlantic without a care in the world, and
the next you're in Toronto.
Jean-Paul, Rob Bamford and Morgan set out to dive for JP's lost rudder,
and I watched sulkily as the J-Town dive unit motored away from the
dock. Then Adrian Hill arrived to run the Laser clinic and asked me
to help him with cooking the lobsters—usually it's a Hill family
team.
The reservation numbers came in at 170, with 180 lobsters on the lawn.
It was going to be close. Around six, Adrian and I started shucking
the elastic bands off the lobster claws. Then with the crowd streaming
in and the boiling pots on the go, we started cooking the lobsters,
about a dozen in each pot.
The shucking and pot stocking are tricky as the lobsters are alive
and ready to close an unyielding claw on your finger. One lobster
often has a friend by the tail when you pick it up—into the pot
they go as a combative duo. Adrian kept the fire stoked up just so
and adjusted the pot lids when the pots would start to boil over,
and when the time came we lifted the lobsters out in a lovely cloud
of steam and dumped them back in their boxes to stay warm.
It was fun work. In a little over an hour all the lobsters, about
173 of them after culling, were done, and the lawn was full of dinner
guests, familiar faces and new, waiting to queue up. It was a perfect
sunny afternoon, and Adrian had been lucky to get any work from me,
as I had wanted to split off and take pictures of everything, including
the lobster cooking. I did manage to get some good pictures. It was
a great dinner and party with a lot of volunteers. But that was the
view from the lobster pit!
Congratulations
to Rob and Tamara! Their new son, Tyler, was born on May 11th, weighing
in at 7 lbs 2 oz, and measuring 21 1/2 inches long. That’s
huge! Mother Tamara and baby doing great. He has a cute sailor's
outfit he'll hopefully fit into soon.
Thomas
Randall Wnek born to Randy Wnek and Pia Karkas, May 25, 2003 at
Credit Valley Hospital, 8 lb 1 oz, 22" long
