Prince George Power & Sail Squadron Icebreaker

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1 December 2017 Prince George Power & Sail Squadron Icebreaker Website: Our burgee Schedule of Events: January 8 to March 12, 2018 (Monday evenings) - Boating 2 (Beyond the PCOC) and Boating 3 (Introduction to Navigation), combined into one course. March 17 (Saturday) - Maritime Radio Course Registration for all courses available at our website: Go to Courses. If you require further information regarding the above courses, contact Barry Smith at or him at bjsmith5601@telus.net Marine Electrical Systems This CPS course was held on Saturday, October 21. Congratulations to the following members who successfully completed this course: John Hebb, Robert Kroeker, Barry Whitfield, Chuck Fromherz, George Butterworth & Bill McFarlin. This was the first time that this course was offered to our members. Thanks to Bill McFarlin who taught the course. Two members have yet to write the exam. NOTE: At a recent Squadron Bridge meeting, there was a motion made, and passed, that we offer our members a CPS course discount of $25 per each course. Course cost to non-members will remain at the original price. We encourage our members to take advantage of this new procedure. The next few months are a good time to enhance your boating knowledge and skills while your boat is tucked away for the winter! Registration for our many courses is available on our website and or at boatingcourses.ca.

2 Page 2 Bridge Members 2017/2018 Commander - Lori Bernhardt Executive Officer - To be determined Training Officer - Barry Whitfield Ass t Training - Barry Smith Training - Electives - George Brookes Secretary - Judy Smith Treasurer - Paulette Valois Public Relations - Bill McFarlin Membership - John Hebb Supplies - Paulette Valois Publications - Judy Smith Administration - Bill McFarlin Event Notifications - Bill McFarlin Socials-Dinners & Spring Gala - Barry & Judy Smith Socials-Fishing Derby - George Brookes Proctors - Gayle Hebb Historian - Dave Crampton Webmaster - Barry Smith Port Captain - Pr Geo - Bruce Porteous Port Captain - Yukon - Peter Bagan Past Commander - Roy Bernhardt PAST COMMANDERS Gordon Springate John Turner Doug Mears 1987 Bob McChesney John Sahlstrand Bob Clayton George Brookes Grant Olsen Gary Shannon Neil Symons Jim McNeal Lou Jewitt Barry Smith Willi Wagner Jim Dorval Trudy Langthorne Doug Cherry Bill McFarlin Bruce Porteous Roy Bernhardt LIFE MEMBERS George Brookes Gary & Judi Shannon Bill McFarlin Barry Smith

3 Page 3 FLASHBACK SQUADRON ALASKA CRUISE JULY 1997 The following story is about several members of the Prince George Power & Sail Squadron who in 1997 organized a cruise to Alaska in our own boats. It was a wonderful trip hard to believe it was 20 years ago!! Enjoy the read. Put together 34 happy people, 9 great boats, the beautiful coastline of Northern B.C. and Southeast Alaska and you have all the ingredients for an exciting and adventurous cruise! With our CPS boating knowledge and skills, we followed our quest to cruise to Alaska this summer with our own boats. We anchored at the north end of Dundas Island on the first night and enjoyed the excitement of the initial gathering. Some members were even lucky to catch crab and prawns there. The flotilla crossed the Canada/US border the next day and spent two days exploring historical sites under the sunny skies of Ketchikan. Onward we cruised to Wrangell, stopping along the way to anchor at a sheltered bay where the fishing was great and shore exploring was eventful. After visiting Wrangell, we spent a night at another beautiful anchorage at Zarembo Island with more exploring available. Then we cruised up the most interesting Wrangell Narrows. It has 64 buoys within 24 miles! At the end of Wrangell Narrows, we arrived at Petersburg which is a very fascinating port of Norwegian heritage. The Squadron joined the townspeople in their 4 th of July festivities a big celebration with a parade, games, delicious Norwegian food, log rolling events for men and women, fireworks, etc. Everyone had a great time and the people there were so very friendly. After spending a couple of hot sunny days in Petersburg, the group cruised to Tracy Arm where we encountered numerous icebergs, fjords, and Sawyer Glacier. The glacier was spectacular, always rumbling and calving off icebergs. There were several hundred seals and their young offspring in the area too. They were quite unconcerned about us and the glacier movement. Of course, the group had to test out the theory that glacier ice will long outlast the drinks! The next day we were off to Juneau, the state capital. Many snow-capped mountains were in view along the way and the ocean water was very calm. During our two day visit in Juneau, some of the group viewed the Mendenhall Glacier and others went up the tram for a spectacular view of Gastineau Channel. The highlight was the gathering of our whole gang for dinner at an excellent restaurant. Leaving Juneau, we encountered very dense fog for several miles; it was great to have boats travelling together and equipped with radar! As we approached Chatham Strait, a large open channel, the sun was shining brightly, the water was calm, and many spouts from humpback whales could be seen. Some boats stopped to fish for a while, bringing in halibut and salmon. We then anchored at Tenakee Springs, an interesting little community. The next day, the boaters encountered ten foot waves in Chatham Strait which was ever so calm the day before. It was definitely a reminder of how ferocious the ocean water can be and the great respect that all waters must be given at all times. We battled the high waves, strong current and beating rain and continued our trek to Sitka, our most westerly port. (continued on next page)

4 Page 4 (continued from Page 4) Sitka was certainly worth the effort to get there! It is of Russian and Tlingit Native Indian heritage, with settlements established long before Southeast Alaska was purchased by United States in Sitka is a beautiful port surrounded by many islands and mountains. Here again, the townspeople were most friendly and helpful and our group went sightseeing, exploring and shopping. The return trip saw smaller groups travelling together to meet varied personal holiday schedules. Some travelled different routes on the way back and saw a variety of other waters and scenery; the seascape continued to be captivating. During the entire trip, we saw humpback whales, killer whales, seals, sea otters, jellyfish, man-of-war, starfish, huge salmon and many porpoises. We also fished along the way catching halibut, salmon, crab, prawns, shrimp, red snapper, ling cod and sole. All Alaskans we met were extremely friendly. The harbour facilities along the way were excellent, as it was always only a walking distance to laundromats, showers and grocery stores. Despite one night of vicious blackflies, one afternoon of horseflies and a few mechanical problems along the way, everyone arrived back home safe and sound after the three week cruise. It was a wonderful trip for a great group of friends! Barry & Judy Smith Prince George Power & Sail Squadron Cruising on our boat Temptation The Prince George Power & Sail Squadron presently has 249 members. Please support our Squadron to keep it successful. If you wish to advertise your boat or any used marine equipment in our Icebreaker and/or on our website, send an to bjsmith@telus.net along with a digital photo and a description. This is available free to all our Squadron members. REMINDER FOR OUR SQUADRON MEMBERS If you change your address, telephone number, address, and/or boat name, please make these changes in your Member Profile in the CPS website. These changes are reflected in the annual Roster and also keeps your information current for membership renewal, newsletters, invitations to Squadron activities, etc. If you require help, contact our Membership Officer, John Hebb, at johnhebb@telus.net, or he can do this for you at your request.

5 Page 5 SQUADRON MONTHLY COFFEE Our Squadron members are invited to join our coffee get-together on the last Saturday of each month at the Food Court in Pine Centre Mall. If you would like a reminder via , please let Bill McFarlin know so he can include you on his reminder distribution list. His is mcfarlin@telus.net The following are a couple of pictures taken at the November coffee: Since this is the last edition of the Icebreaker for 2017, the Bridge would like to wish all our Squadron members a very Merry Christmas and all the best to everyone in 2018.

6 Page 6 N O T I C E to all members: Our Squadron invites all members to our Monthly Meetings so everyone has the opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas for our events and training in the future. The more members who attend, the more ideas will be created in keeping our Squadron successful. We need your help!! If you could assist on the Bridge, it would be most appreciated. This is your chance to give back to the Squadron who volunteered to teach you your boating skills. Contact Lori Bernhardt at or her at lifesavers@hotmail.ca. The Squadron Monthly Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at Lifesavers First Aid Training Centre, 439 Cassiar Street, starting at 7 p.m. The next meeting is January 17, Hope to see you there! Notice to Members: If you own a business and would like to advertise it in our Icebreaker, please send a copy of your business card (in a.jpg format) to Judy Smith at bjsmith@telus.net. This offer is free of charge to our members. The Icebreaker newsletter is produced and distributed by Judy Smith, Publications Officer. If you have any questions or would like to see specific items of interest in the Icebreaker, please contact Judy at or her at bjsmith@telus.net. Your boating stories are also appreciated - share your experiences!