EAGLE HARBOUR YACHT CLUB. Soundings

Transcription

1 EAGLE HARBOUR YACHT CLUB Soundings JANUARY

2 EAGLE HARBOUR YACHT CLUB 5750 Eagle Harbour Road, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7W 1P5 Telephone: (604) Fax: office this SOUNDINGS is created by volunteers Contributing articles are welcomed on topics of general interest to members Derwyn Lea Executive responsible for Soundings Margaret Campbell editor Diane Roberts design and layout EXECUTIVE CONTACT INFORMATION ROB McFARLANE Commodore (home) (work) (cell) RMcFarlane@cmwinsurance.com GEOFF VICKERY Membership Secretary (home) (cell) geoff.vickery@snclavalin.com MARG LATHAM Vice Commodore (home) (cell) marglatham@shaw.ca CALLUM BEVERIDGE Junior Programs Coordinator (cell) (home) (work) callum.beveridge@shaw.ca GLEN BLAKE Rear Commodore (home) balaena@telus.net KENT BROWNLOW Fleet Captain kentbrownlow@gmail.com BRIAN ELLIOTT Staff Captain (home) (cell) bajaelliott@shaw.ca TIM LEPARD Social Director ANDREW CRANE Past Commodore (home) (cell) lepard@me.com (home) (cell) (work) acrane@telus.net MARK POWELL Treasurer (home) (cel) powell1413@shaw.ca CHRIS PAGE Director (home) cpage@srk.com INGO KLOSE Hydrographer (home) (cell) klose845@gmail.com EHYC OFFICE (office) (fax) (Collen cell) ehyc@ehyc.org DERWYN LEA Executive Secretary (home) (cell) arpeggio.lea@gmail.com Collen s usual days off: Tues. & Wed. Nancy s usual days in: Mon. Thur. 9:30 2:30 2

3 Commodore s Message The year started with a tug-of-war win over WVYC on the beach followed by Collen s famous clam chowder, pigs-inblankets, and a hot rum concoction in the Clubhouse. The weather was sunny and mild, adding to the great start to the New Year. The Executive for 2015 has some new faces. Welcome to Jonn Braman, our new Membership Director, Vickie Hottes, our new Social Director, and Will Goldsmith-Jones, our new Hydrographer. Also welcome back to those returning to the Executive for another year. I am looking forward to working with the new Executive and serving our members in A number of the Executive members stepped down at the end of Many thanks to Geoff Vickery, Membership Director; Ingo Klose, Hydrographer; Chris Page, Director at Large; and Andrew Crane, Past Commodore for their years of service on the Executive and contribution to EHYC. At the AGM in December, a member made a suggestion that we move to issuing invoices for membership, moorage, and other charges to members using . More and more organizations are moving this way. Why can t EHYC? It would save the Club significant money, which will benefit all members going forward. So why not make the move? Unfortunately, the statistics we now receive for outgoing show that 50% or more of members do not open EHYC ! We don t want to move to ing invoices to save money and cause a worse financial problem by having a large proportion of invoices go unread and thus unpaid. How can we change member attitudes about for the benefit of all? Here is what we are proposing: in the next Club mailing you receive by Canada Post mail, you will be asked your willingness to receive invoices for the remainder of this year by and to confirm your address. We will send invoices by to those who agree for the remainder of 2015 and assess how the system is working. In 2016, much like the banks and other service providers are now doing, we will try to encourage more members to receive invoices by using some form of incentive. Another change that you will notice as of this issue of Soundings is that Soundings is no longer housed in the Members-only section of the website. This will make it easier for members to access Club news and for wouldbe members to learn more about the Club. We will be reviewing other ways to improve the website so that it better serves members and we welcome your ideas and input. Thank you for electing me to be your Commodore in I look forward to seeing you on the docks and at Club events. I also look forward to any input you have about improving EHYC, the friendliest yacht club on the coast. Marg Latham Aqua Libra 3

4 VICE COMMODORE S REPORT A number of maintenance projects are being evaluated for Previously the front wall of the parking lot was treated with rebar and cement for strengthening. The sidewall adjacent to the beach is now showing signs of cracking. At this point we are evaluating the issue and possible solutions. The proximity to the beach and the potential lack of a solid base will lead to this being a little more complex and hence the requirement for a thorough assessment. The exterior of the Clubhouse requires some painting and staining. While much of this can be done by work parties, some areas cannot be reached without the use of scaffolding or similar structures. For this reason, we will have to hire professionals to avoid any potential safety issues. Similarly the outside windows that face the marina require cleaning. This is definitely a project for a professional with specialized equipment. The barbecue will be refurbished before the start of barbecue season. Collen has done a great job with the floor of the Clubhouse, which is subjected to significant wear and tear. I would like to ask that members please try to leave the stiletto heels at home! We are now close to receiving a Primary Club Liquor License. This will enable members to enjoy a glass of beer or wine after sailing or when performing the never-ending maintenance jobs. Once we have the license in place, we will explore other ways of benefiting the members. The Club will be charged for the disposal of all recyclable material. Members are used to recycling at home and I m sure we would all appreciate the opportunity to be able to recycle at the Club. We are exploring ways of setting up a recycling program with Club volunteers. Tim Lepard Pegasus VI FLEET CAPTAIN S REPORT This is a relatively quiet time of year for fleet activities. A few hardcore teams brave the elements every second Sunday in the WVYC Snowflake series. This season there are nine yachts registered in Division 1; eight in Division 2; and nine in Division 3. EHYC is represented by Dave Wilson s Merlin (Div 2), Bruce Winfield s Nunnehi and my Grey Erik (Div 3). For the Fall segment, Merlin finished 2nd in her division, while Grey Erik and Nunnehi scored 7th and 9th respectively. Aeolus has not let us down this Fall, offering a strong SE blow to start the series with a run in to the Kitsilano Barge Buoy and back, with the following weeks providing a series of very strong outflows from Squamish. The third race lived up to its Snowflake billing with only part of the fleet able to get their crews to the docks during our only weekend so far that brought us ice and snow. The last race before Christmas was particularly exciting. Pam Rocks recorded winds consistently over 35 knots with gusts to almost 50. Our race course took us from Passage Island to Cates Bay at the north end of Bowen Island. Grey Erik managed to put the starboard winches in the water during one particularly shifty gust near the Bowen shore, but thankfully everyone stayed onboard and we were able to continue on. Not quite so on Dolce, a Beneteau First 40.7 from RVYC. One of their crew ended up on the lee side and went overboard into the 8 degree stormy waters. The Man Overboard! was communicated quickly on the race VHF channel. WVYC Chris Ladd s Fortissimo turned to assist right away with a Race Committee chase boat also on the way. Again, very thankfully, the racer was retrieved quickly without serious injury. Of note, however: we learned afterwards that his hydrostatic life vest did not deploy. This is a reminder to all of us to check these type of vests carefully and frequently, and also be very familiar with the manual inflation method in the event of cartridge failure. The excitement continued on the way back with Dave Wilson s Merlin under spinnaker, and Grey Erik under main and jib clocking over 10 knots on our knotmeters downwind to the finish line! I didn t speak with Bruce Winfield on Nunnehi after the race, however I m sure he clocked similar speeds he finished well ahead of us!! The VARC and local clubs are busy preparing their 2015 race schedules at time of writing, so I can t provide the full calendar 4

5 at this point. I can confirm that our EHYC Invitational is April 26th. For those of us who like starting a race on the world s longest start line with well over 100 others, the 2015 Round Bowen Race is Saturday, June 13th this year. Register on the BIYC website before June 1st for the discounted entry fee rate. Our EHYC Single-Handed and Double-Handed Race dates are still TBD at this point. Watch our EHYC website calendar of events for the other races this season - I ll post them there as soon as more dates are firmed up. I am contemplating scheduling an EHYC Saturday Pursuit Race from Grebe Islets past Bird Rock to Snug Cove at some point this summer. We would have to coordinate a time where the Bowen docks could accommodate a bunch of us for a couple of hours for a burger and beverage before we return to the Club (or maybe some of us might stay overnight!) What is a pursuit race? Each participant would be given a specific time of day to cross the start line based on their yacht s PHRF rating. The highest-rated yacht starts first, followed in succession by lower-rated yachts until the final lowest-rated yacht has crossed the line, with the theory being everyone would arrive at the finish line at the entrance to Snug Cove at roughly the same time! Might be fun with family and friends who do not normally race! To conclude, this is the part where I make the plea for volunteers for the race committee duties! I am thinking of having an evening at the Club one night in April to have a Fireside Chat about how to be part of a race committee, and the basics of a typical race course in our area. Perhaps by then I may be able to announce some sort of compensation opportunity for those that are willing to step up! Look for the date in the calendar over the next couple of weeks! Stay safe! Kent Brownlow Grey Erik SAILING IN THE SNOWFLAKE SERIES Doesn t the sun always shine on the Snowflake series? Well, maybe not always. But Grey Erik loves it anyway. Mind you, the start line can be a little hectic. But once you re off and racing, it is just a little bit of heaven! 5

6 SOCIAL DIRECTOR S REPORT New Year s Eve Thirty-three people (including nine guests) attended our informal New Year s Eve celebration and everyone appeared to have a good time. Volunteers helped decorate with balloons and streamers and the place looked great. Keith Coules did an excellent job as bar tender. Everyone brought fantastic appetizers which complemented the roast pork sandwiches and cole slaw. A special thanks to Ann and Danny Keeble, Lynn Coules, and Brian and Jenny Elliott for their help in decorating. New Year s Day Tug-of-War New Year s Day was a brilliantly sunny day. Some brave members of West Van Yacht Club started things off with the Polar Bear Plunge, and then kitted up for the tug-of-war. After a long, hard battle Eagle Harbour was declared the winner. Collen s clam chowder was superb, as always, and thoroughly enjoyed by the people who attended. A great time was had by all. Many thanks to West Van Yacht Club for coming out and making this a special event. Vickie Hottes Majic Falcon HOW TO SPEND A GREAT NEW YEAR S DAY Some people just have to be out on the water watching the Coast Guard hovercraft roar past the Tiddley Cove Yacht Club race. 6

7 Others take their Tug-Of War responsibilities so seriously that they get down to the beach good and early. Our team assembles. And then the battle begins. West Van put up a terrific fight but EHYC fought back and won the day. Once it is all over, clam chowder beckons. 7

8 REPORTS TO THE 2014 AGM Commodore s Report to the AGM I am very pleased with how the Club has progressed this year, thanks to a dedicated team of officers and staff. The role of Commodore is, in many regards, the face of the Club - it is our volunteer board members and staff that really get things done. As we have heard during tonight s AGM, accomplishments have included: a. several successful & enjoyable cruises; b. numerous successful social events, with Tim s unique stamp ; c. accumulated funds for dock replacement; d. member concerns over temporary moorage allocation to non-members was amicably resolved; e. significant dock repairs. While they were not anticipated to be as extensive (read expensive), they should push eventual replacement of the dock off a considerable number of years. We considered use of dock replacement funds, but decided that was too close to the line and could set a dangerous precedent in terms of use of that fund for maintenance; f. gate on walkway to discourage trespassers at night; g. in the works, a gate to secure outboard motors as four were recently stolen and new replacements would be even more tempting; h. new website; i. HR Committee expansion to now provide more continuity and experience from one year to the next; j. active membership increased to 109 from 106, with total members 192, up from 188. The legal matter reported last year, regarding a former member s injury claim, is in the hands of insurers and legal counsel. It has been a pleasure & honour to serve as Commodore this past year. The readiness of our members to volunteer, and the positive attitude they bring to every event, really does make this a very special club. Thank you. Rob McFarlane Vice Commodore s Report to the AGM My year as Vice Commodore is ending. I have enjoyed the role and working with the Executive and members to keep our Club sound and wellmaintained. I look forward to the coming year as Commodore and hope I can continue to contribute and add value to EHYC. Thanks to those members who volunteer for committees, work parties and other duties around the Club and to our staff, Nancy and Collen, this was a quiet year in the Vice Commodore s role with few issues and concerns. To recap some of the things that occurred in 2014: Our new website went live with some hitches here and there that Nancy quickly resolved. The site has room for improvement. However, it is a significant step ahead of our old site in its appearance, function and the technology on which it is based. Although not as well used as we would like to see, we installed a box outside the office to allow members to report maintenance issues when they see them. Safety continued to be a focus under the Safety Committee chaired by Derwyn Lea and as the first item on the agenda of every Executive meeting. 8

9 Our Clubhouse is being used by members and due to its relative newness is in good shape. We now have an annual maintenance program in place for the cracking on the suspended concrete decks. We had some intrusion issues that were addressed by a gate on the walkway that Collen can close as needed. It doesn t impede member access, but it does remind the public that this is a private club and our decks are not open to kids, skate boarders and dog walkers. We had a theft of some motors that were cabled and locked on the deck to the south of the Juniors room. We will investigate the option of a gate to mitigate the risk of this happening again. Marg Latham Rear Commodore s Report to the AGM Moorage Total billed Number of boats currently moored 89 Floats 2816 feet Docks number 3. 4 and 1A received major structural work and upgrading. Decking on all docks has been replaced as needed and this is ongoing as required. Dock 3 had additional chains installed to take the wow out of it. This will improve the fairways between docks 2 and 4 Additional foam billets were added to the floats as required. The bottom planks on the dingy ramp on the breakwater had rotted due to being submerged and were replaced. Additional foam billets were also added. Additional fire extinguishers were added to the floats and all were serviced. Breakwater The tanks were checked and sounded and found to be in good shape. There is one small crack on the breakwater deck that will be repaired when welding is available. The two manhole covers need to be serviced and made water tight to reduce the possibility of corrosion, and the hatches securely locked as the chambers are considered a confined space. They should not be entered without proper preparations in accordance with Worksafe BC regulations governing confined spaces. The three inside chains were replaced; these are the last of the original chains. The work was completed in one day with no major problems Rock Removal Pacific Blasting has removed the rock and ledge that hampered navigation in the fairway to the left of the ramp. Electrical Several boats have reported they are receiving Reverse Polarity readings. The outlets in question have been checked with a polarity meter along with the wiring and no faults have been found. There have been reports that the battery chargers installed on some of the newer boats may be giving false polarity readings. A couple of new electrical outlets were installed to provide power to areas of the float that were lacking coverage. Pest Control Several members have reported seeing mink or otters on the floats. Members should take precautions to ensure their vessels have been made vermin proof. Adding netting over the open transom will discourage otters from dining in your cockpit, and screening or closing ventilators will prevent mink from entering your vessel and becoming trapped inside. Thank you To all those who volunteered for the work parties and a very special thank you to Frank Astbury for all his assistance and advice. Respectfully submitted: Glen Blake 9

10 Fleet Captain s Report to the AGM When one thinks about a yacht club s Fleet Captain, it is usually in the context of sailboat racing and all of the associated activities that an active club undertakes to provide for a successful racing program. This would include sponsoring at least one Vancouver Area Racing Council event, managing crew pools, training and running race committees, debating ratings, and representing our Club at meetings of other fleet captains, etc., etc. At our Club, I have discovered that things are a little different. At one time we had a very active racing fleet, and I m sure the fleet captain was quite engaged in the race activity I just described. What I have found out in my first year as Fleet Captain is that we have very few active racers left. Only four yachts race regularly on a year round basis. Grey Erik was unable to race in any of the EHYC Club events this year because I had to run the race committee on each occasion. Hopefully more volunteers will respond to the call next year and share the load. There is an impressive group of non-regular racers that turn out for the RNSA single-handed race in June. Our group did really well this year, and hopefully even more will join in this very popular event next year! A few of these and other non-regulars joined in for our Club events the Spring Invitational, the Single-Handed race, and the Fall Club Championship. It was a little disappointing this year to host our Double-Handed event where the only two yachts competing were from the Bowen Island Yacht Club! Nevertheless, our racing group will be celebrated after the meeting tonight with the presentation of the various trophies that are the tradition of our Club. I would like to thank our Club Manager Collen Santer for always being available to organize the post-race BBQ on the deck after each Club event, and Nancy Mitchell for her valued organizational advice and very helpful distribution of the SIs and Registration s. Several BIYC members were heard to say they are hoping the last race of their Fall series (concurrently our Club Championship) could be held at our Club every year! The other thing I came to realize is that our fleet of yachts that don t race are actually quite active and sailed by some really experienced, knowledgeable and friendly folks that Lori and I have been getting to know better. These fleet owners seem much more comfortable sailing off to distant places such as Gibsons and Otter Bay, and sharing food, wine and stories at some of BC s beautiful destination gems. I would like to acknowledge and thank Jenny and Brian Elliott for doing so much of the organizing of these events. Maybe instead of a fleet-racing focus, we should organize a few more Fleet events to interesting destinations that are only a few hours away from the Club, and it doesn t really matter who gets there first or what their yacht rates under PHRF! I am looking forward to another year on the Executive as your Fleet Captain, and as always I would welcome your ideas, advice, and experience to make our Fleet even more active! Respectfully submitted, Kent Brownlow Treasurer s Report to the AGM Copies of the Club s financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2014, were sent out with notices of the AGM. In law, the Club is an entity distinct from its members, and that is why the Statement of Operations includes in Club revenues moorage fees and membership dues, along with sundry amounts from third parties. If the statement were presented from the members point of view, it would look more like this: we would start with the expenditures as presently included in the Statement of Operations, leading to a sub-total of gross expenditures. We would then deduct revenue items from third parties for a net expenditures sub-total. From this we would then deduct initiation fees from new members, and sundry gains and losses, for a total of net expenses to be shared by current members. This sharing is done through a combination of moorage fees and membership dues. This is another way of saying that your fees and dues are not set on a market basis, but are limited to what is necessary to operate a club like ours. On an income basis, we did not have a good year financially. Revenues were down and costs up. Some highlights are as follows: 10

11 There was no change in moorage rates from the previous year, but fees collected were down slightly, owing to an increase in moorage slip postings, which give rise to periods of empty dock space. Membership dues were up owing to all those new members who joined late in the previous season. Sailing School attendance was down, as we have heard, with revenues decreasing more than costs. Clubhouse rental income was down only because we included $13,000 of moorage revenue from O Canada in this caption last year. Amortization expense was down as some large assets were fully depreciated the previous year. Clubhouse expenses increased with more cleanup costs after rentals, in the amount of $2,000. Mortgage interest was down nearly $11,000 after a full year at the lower rate negotiated at last year s five-year mortgage renewal. Salaries and benefits increased by almost $19,000 (after a small decrease the previous year). This included $5,000 COLA, vacation payouts of $3,800, additional overtime paid by renters of $3,100, fill-in for Collen (two vacations in one fiscal year, none the previous one) of $2,600, extra overtime in the office of $2,200, and related statutory benefits on all of the above of $2,000. (Salary rates for the staff are set annually by a committee composed of the Commodore and Past Commodore, and hours worked are approved regularly by the Commodore or Vice.) The whole issue of compensation management is going to be a focus of the incoming Executive. Shore facility costs increased owing to the purchase of a defibrillator for $2,100. Social activities include the $2,200 paid for the liquor licence. Water facilities increased owing to major repairs and extra flotation to three docks, totaling $15,000. Insurance, property and water taxes, and water lot lease costs (up by $5,000) are all uncontrollable. Initiation fees were down after a flurry of new Active members the previous two years. Capital purchases of $35,000 included $24,000 for new dinghies ($14,000 of which was paid for by donations), and $8,000 for breakwater chains and installation. However, on a net cash basis we were still ahead of the game. Although Cash was down $39,000, Restricted Cash was up $26,000 and Mortgage Payable down $29,000, for a net cash improvement of $16,000. I would like to thank Callum Beveridge for serving on the Financial Statement Review Committee, and Nancy for her ongoing skill and dedication in performance of the Club s accounting and cash management functions. Mark Powell Social Director s Report to the AGM 2014 literally started with a bang at Eagle Harbour Yacht Club as a good number of members celebrated the New Year with a potluck meal and dancing. The following day the traditional tug-of-war was held against West Vancouver Yacht Club. Unusually, and with the help of several Eagle Harbour members, West Vancouver won the tug-of-war. Any hard feelings were soon put to one side with Collen s clam chowder and spiced rum. Despite losing, Eagle Harbour will be hosting the tug-of-war again next New Year s Day. A Fireside Evening was held in February when the Winter Olympics were taking place in Sochi. We had Alison Sydor, a past silver medallist for cycling, talk about what it is like to be an athlete living in the Olympic Village environment. We then had retired Deputy Chief Bob Rolls of Vancouver Police Department talk about security at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. In the spring, we had an interesting Fireside Evening when Bjorn Moller retired CEO of Teekay Shipping, enthralled us with the story of the founding and growth of that company. Bjorn was presented with an Eagle Harbour cap that he promised to wear aboard one of their massive ships. He duly sent us a picture of him wearing the cap over his helmet. In March, we were treated to a Slow Pulled Pork barbecue courtesy of Jonn and Jennie Braman who 11

12 spend most of the day preparing not only the pork but all the fixings. Not only did the members enjoy a delicious meal, but Jonn shared the recipe in the subsequent Soundings for future enjoyment. Several members got right into the spirit of the event with Western outfits. In April, it was the Anniversary Dinner, which was a special celebration this year as it is 10 years since completion of the new Clubhouse. Al Lill, Burke Corbet, and Morgan Gatto amongst others recalled the amazing feats undertaken by the membership to bring about the completion of this large undertaking. Sailpast was very well attended, with the rain holding off and light winds. Members gathered in the Clubhouse to be serenaded by Rob Weaver and his trio, and to eat a lunch prepared by Cindy Cutts. In the late spring we had two musical evenings arranged by Dana Vanier and Margaret Rudolph. The second event MusicFest was an open mic and attracted a number of amateur singers who I think would have sung through the night if we hadn t closed down at the appointed hour. Andrew and Bev Crane put on their annual lobster dinner with their usual expertise. This very popular and well-attended event is testament to the success of events put on by volunteers. Through the summer we had three barbecues. The first two were casual and required that you bring your own food and something to share. The Club was treated in September to a special salmon barbecue hosted by the Panz family. Not only did they cook the salmon, but they caught it, cleaned it, and marinated it. This event was attended by over 100 members! The Commodore s Dinner was held on October 25, 2014 on the theme of Oktoberfest. Slow-roasted pork, roast potatoes, Oktoberfest sausage with red cabbage, and sauerkraut was provided. Again this event was put on by volunteers ensuring that there was not a cost overrun despite having Rob Weaver and his band again. A few members dug their Tyrolean gear out of their bottom drawers. The photos are worth looking at. Throughout the year, our application for a Club liquor license has been progressing through the government bureaucracy and is now reaching its final stages. We understand that it went before the West Vancouver City Council in the first week of November without any objections. It is hoped that we will obtain this license within the next month or so. There will be more information regarding this once the process is complete. I am standing down as Social Director. It has been an exciting and enjoyable two years. I thank all of you who came to the events and made them successful, and in particular those members who are always there to lend a hand without whom these events could not have occurred. Vickie Hottes and Dave Conn are taking on this role. I wish them well and assure them that I will be around to help as much as they need. Tim Lepard Staff Captain s Report to the AGM Thermos Cruise. This first event took place on the February 8-9 weekend when a few hardy souls headed for Granville Island and found space on the False Creek Harbour Authority docks. Although we considered various other restaurants, we decided that Cat s Social House offered the most convenient and comfortable venue for a dinner where family and friends could drive over to join us. Sailpast. May 10th. This time we took our sailboat Bohemian and did our best to lead the power boats on a lengthy parade around the bay before saluting and dipping flags to honour our Commodore Rob McFarlane who, having just sold his Bayliner Wavehopper, was reviewing his troops from Collen s little vessel. As ever, there was generous provision of food and drinks in the Clubhouse and the party went on, for some folks, into the early evening. Victoria Day Supercruise. May The previous year s cruise had taken us to Otter Bay Marina and such was the members response to the excellent facilities and service provided there, we decided to use this same destination for the 2014 expedition. We had 17 boats and 38 people attend. We expected some rather poor weather, but though it rained on the mainland and on Vancouver Island, we seemed to have our own very pleasant microclimate - warm and sunny enough to swim in the marina s pools and gloat! Many of us enjoyed more or less lengthy walks to various bays, parks and lakes and had great fun playing bocce and some very silly but hilarious 12

13 games that we had planned, just in case the weather kept us indoors. As before, the dinner provided by the resort staff was excellent. Jenny and I plan to hold one more Supercruise at Otter Bay next year. Close-to-home Cruise. Partly in response to requests for group activities that involved some more readily accessible venues than those used for recent Supercruises, we held a mini-cruise on the weekend of August We had 9 boats and 20 people heading for Gibsons Marina on a lovely weekend. On a visit to Gibsons earlier in the summer, Jenny and I learned that the building just across the road from the Marina office and store was being refurbished. When it was first built (maybe 15 years ago) it housed the Gibsons Yacht Club and provided a nice venue for all who participated in the annual Gibsons Regatta. Sadly, that arrangement came to an end and for several years the upper floor, in particular, seemed to have little use. However, the municipality of Gibsons has recently brought together a number of local organizations to plan a comprehensive re-development of the waterfront area and as part of that, the building that once housed the yacht club is being converted and extended to create Gibsons Public Market. In the process, the upper floor and deck area now has two local companies that provide restaurant services. We sampled some of the food and decided that we would ask Carmen s Cuisine to provide a dinner and breakfast for our planned cruise. This worked well: a very varied and extensive tapas meal on the Saturday evening and breakfast on the deck on Sunday. We will build on this experiment and organize similar close-to-home events in Awards Presentations The Awards Night for 2014 was planned for November 22nd but sadly the number of members wishing to attend was so small that it was cancelled. The main problem is that we now have very few members who participate in Club or local racing. In lieu of the regular Awards Night, we decided to present prizes for sailboat racing and some other competitions immediately following the main business of the Annual General Meeting held on December 10. Since the AGM always concludes with the retiring Commodore presenting his/her award for outstanding contribution to life of the Club, and the new Commodore handing a gift to his/her predecessor it seemed quite appropriate to continue with the distribution of other awards. The bar was opened and some finger food was provided and the following prizes were presented: Commodore s Award: For the best individual contribution to the Club: Diane Roberts and Margaret Campbell, for their outstanding contributions to Club communications particularly their work in creating the Club Yearbook and Soundings. Sausage Roll Award: For the most valuable contribution to work parties throughout the year: Chris Poulter. Sailing Awards: EHYC Club Championship: Dave Wilson, Merlin. EHYC Single-Handed Race: Andre Wojcieszek, Reacher. Win Farnworth Trophy: For the best cumulative performance in the four EHYC events: Dave Wilson, Merlin. Bluenose Trophy: For the best-placed skipper overall in the VARC calendar year of races: Andre Wojcieszek, Reacher. Fisher Snowflake Trophy: For the best overall performance by a Club member in the winter Snowflake Series racing: Andre Wojcieszek, Radical Departure. RNSA Single-Handed Trophy: For the best singlehanded race performance during the year: Bruce Winfield, Nunnehi. Iolaire Trophy: For the first boat of 30 or less to finish in the annual Club Championship: Bruce Winfield, Nunnehi. Four EHYC prizes were won by members of other clubs: EHYC Invitational: Ty Abrams, Davo, West Vancouver Yacht Club. EHYC Double-Handed Challenge Award: Wayne Meager, Blackheart, Bowen Island Yacht Club. EHYC New Year s Day 2014 Tug-of-War: Won by West Vancouver Yacht Club. An unannounced contribution to the celebratory spirit of the evening was provided by a group of female Club members who formed themselves into a little choir and to the tune of In an English Country Garden serenaded Margaret Campbell with multiple verses of a soon-to-be-famous poem In our Yacht Club Seaside Garden. This to thank Margaret for all she and her Garden Committee have done to develop and care for the area around the Clubhouse. 13

14 Diane and Margaret receiving the Commodore s Award Chris Poulter, proud recipient of the Sausage Roll Award Dave Wilson, winner of the EHYC Club Championship Andre Wojcieszek, winner of the EHYC Single-Handed Race Stephanie La Porta, winner of the Murray Klassen Photography Award Rob McFarlane, retiring Commodore with his gift from the incoming Commodore 14

15 Photographic Competition This year Edgar Lockhart took on the challenge of re-activating the photographic competition for the Murray Klassen Trophy. He requested submittals from members for photos in three categories, Nautical People and Activity, Anchorages and Seascapes, and Marine Life. There was an excellent response, with over 160 photographs submitted. We were fortunate to be able to call on the services of Tim Grady to judge the competition. Tim races with Bruce Winfield on Nunnehi and is a professional with Kodak in Vancouver. Overall winner of the competition was Stephanie La Porta whose photos were judged first in both the Seascapes and Marine Life categories. Winner of the Nautical People category was Will Goldsmith-Jones. The winning photos are shown below with the judge s comments. Winner Seascapes Passage Island Sunset Tim s comments It seems over processed to those who have not been out there but I have seen those unreal colours. Winner Marine Life Otter Encounter Tim s comments Animal images require eyes and I loved that they are looking right at you. Winner Nautical People Friends, Guitars and Boat Tim s comments It shows young friends having good fun on a boat. it captures a moment in time with good composition and light. Honourable mention was given to the following photos: Race committee on the hard submitted by Jenny Elliott. Race Start Mayhem (with Dave Wilson s Merlin in the middle) submitted by Frank Astbury. 15

16 Brian Elliott Twin Ocean Sentinels submitted by Susan Larlee. RNSA Single-handed Race The RNSA Single-handed Race is a two-day race to Nanaimo and back, with an overnight stop at the Nanaimo Yacht Club. In addition to competing as individuals, competitors also enter as teams, and this year, one of the EHYC teams won! They attended the awards ceremony at False Creek Yacht Club on November 24. (left to right) Frank Astbury, Dave Horton and Bruce Winfield were happy recipients of the Team Award, presented by RNSA race committee member, Paul Wagner. RNSA Single-handed Race 16

17 When it rains at EHYC, it REALLY rains! AHOY EHYC MEMBERS! We are now accepting ads in Soundings great rates! CONTACT THE OFFICE FOR MORE DETAILS...