Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SCUTTLEBUTT May - June 2020
Gabriola Island Power and Sail SquadronGabriola Power Squadron
The Five Great Capes, accomplished
Follow Bert terHart’s voyage at:https://www.sailblogs.com/member/seaburban/
MEMBERSHIP REMINDER
Many of you have been notified by Headquarters regarding your membership renewals. It is easy to renew on-line. Just go to http://www.cps-ecp.ca and click on membership. On-line renewal and rejoin is a great way to go. It is so quick and easy. And have a look at https://www.cps-ecp.ca/membership-cps-ecp/member-benefits/ of being a member.
For more info call our Membership Officer, Elaine Pearce 247-7538
Your Squadron Bridge 2019 - 2020
We are a Squadron of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS-ECP) in Vancou-ver Island North Districthttp://www.cps-ecp.cahttp://www.vind.ca
Gabriola Power and Sail SquadronPO Box 71 Gabriola BC V0R 1X0http://powersquadron.gabriola.org/
POSITION NAME PHONECommander Jean-Pierre van Praet 250 325-3064Past Commander Mike Hoeinghaus, AP 250 247-8799Executive Officer Nigel Wells 250 325-0052Educational Officer Agathe Gaulin 250 247-9714Secretary Carole Lemieux 250 247-9889Financial Officer Jude Briscoe 250 247-8600Membership Officer Elaine Pearce 250 247-7538PRO/Marketing George Myette 250 247-7123Webmaster Bob Derksen 250 247-9792Communications Officer &Scuttlebutt Editor
Don Butt, AP 250 247-7804
Privacy Officer Don Butt, AP 250 247-7804Member at Large John Bullas 250 739-3295Member at Large Ivan Bulic 250 247-2032Member at Large Andy Hunter 250 325-0857Member at Large Bob Wood 250 247-7339
CoursesAlways check the website for details - “Courses and Upcoming Events”
The National website has undergone a major update and is ready to accept course registra-tions. One should go to the Squadron web site where there is information about the courses
and links on the Courses and Workshops page to the National registration pages.
Email or phone Squadron XO, Nigel Wells, [email protected] or 250 325-0052; or Squad-ron Educational Officer, Agathe Gaulin, [email protected] or 250 247-9714
*****************
EventsAnnual General Meeting
Due to COVID-19 restrictions this event is canceled and will be rescheduled to a future date. Notification and details will be circulated to the membership when and how the AGM will be
held, along with the Nominating Committee report.
COVID-19This has become a huge challenge globally, and with enormous impact on just about every-thing. We won’t know the extent of the impact for months and longer. Meanwhile hard as it is, we must listen to what Dr. Bonnie Henry and others who have evidence based facts are say-ing what we need to do to come through this crisis with health intact. The Squadron has can-celed all face to face events until on the advice of those with data, facts, and wisdom advise us when and what we can safely do again. Current mortality for Canada is 5.7% of known cases.
They’re available! The new Squadron pennants to adorn your boat! They do tend to fade like all flags so why not spruce up the appearance of your boat with a new pennant - they look good. Really good! Spruce up your boat for spring. Call Jude Briscoe, 250 247-8600. Reduced price!Call any one of the Bridge/Exec members: phone numbers listed on page 2, “Your Squadron Bridge”.
Only $15 each, we’ve kept the price as low as possible. Spruce up your boat for spring!
Update on The Voyage
Here’s what’s remaining in the journey home again from his current position. Time will vary of course.
Victoria, BCLatitude 48° 24’ 26.4’ N Longitude 123° 19’ 47.2’ W
Distance to Home @ 5 knotsMay 6, 2020 6172 M 51 days
Finally, after one gale after anoth-er, Bert’s course is in a northerly direction.Follow his course at The Squadron website,
http://powersquadron.gabriola.org/bert.html
Voyage to date, and rounding of #5, South Cape, NZ
Position, May 7, 2020 at noon PDT
Welcome company at times.
“Summer”, 45 South
The plot at South Cape (#5), NZ Bert took a photo of The Sounder at every cape crossing
Good Sailing Not so good sailing
The Second Cape Party, , 2020
The first Cape Party had 28 in Nani’s house to celebrate rounding of Cape Horn. The second rounding of a cape, Cape Agulhas, South Africa was celebrated by only a few but it was fun. Delicious South African food was on the menu, potluck. The pandemic has forced the cancel-lations of the remainder of cape rounding celebrations, but hold your hats - there’ll be a memo-rable one after Bert’s return some time in early July.
Thanks for hosting, Nani.
Radio Class
Another successful Marine Radio Class where everyone passed - Congratulations all!
And special thanks to Educational Officer, Agathe Gaulin for organizing and instructing the stu-dents. More classes will take place, however and whenever the pandemic restrictions permit. See Agathe’s comments in “From the Educational Department”.
Gales at Cape Horn, the “roaring 40’s” live up to their name. This is a screen shot of Bert as he approaches the Cape. Fortunately the wind is blowing from aft.
The Social
1. Can a captain perform marriages?2. Must a captain go down with his ship?3. Are you at fault if you run into an anchored or berthed vessel?4. If I come across a wrecked or derelict vessel, can I claim it as salvage?5. Is the Captain of a vessel obliged to go to the assistance of a vessel in distress?6. Is the Captain or owner of a vessel responsible if a guest or friend is injured on board?
Squadron Executive member, Ivan Bulic gave us an insightful glimpse into the legal side of boating. Ivan has a vast knowledge of many aspects of marine history and we’ve heard about lighthouses and flags before in his previous presentations. This time he cov-ered some of the disastrous historical events followed by a quiz. Here are some samples of the Q&A session.ANSWERS on third last page.
Spirit of Vancouver vs. Star Ruby, September 14, 2000
Remember the disastrous collision in Swartz Bay between the BC ferry and a power boat where there was serious injury and loss of life? An inquiry by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) followed and the results are available to read at: https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/ma-rine/2000/m00w0220/m00w0220.htmlSince the lessons apply very much to our area of boat-ing, this is worth reading.
The skipper of the smaller boat was below, not at the wheel, quite deaf and did not hear the five blasts from the ferry. The smaller boat turned to port into the ferry’s path.
Who was at fault? a) the Spirit of Vancouver Island as overtaking vessel was obliged to stay clear and was at fault; b) the Star Ruby failed to maintain a proper lookout and was at fault; c) both were at fault.
The Surface Circulation Tracker Buoys“Alards” as named by Bert
https://www.the5capes.com/alards-4-5-away/https://maps.findmespot.com/s/M2Y2https://www.waterproperties.ca/drifters/
Bert volunteered to take on scientific projects on his voyage, one of which was to launch a surface circulation tracker buoy (SCT buoy) at each of the five capes. Because of the way they behave in the water they are also dubbed “Sponge Bobber”. Bert renamed them “Allard” in honour of Dr. Al Ages, a well known, respected, and liked, oceanographer at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, and a family friend. Their purpose was to help prevent and mitigate oil spills, and marine emergencies.
Unlike the “message in the bottle “to provide random and limited information, these are GPS-en-abled and can be tracked regularly, as long as they remain afloat and the batteries last.
The Ocean Science Division, Science Branch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, located at the institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, BC has arranged for launching of more than 1000 of these buoys. They have been deployed world-wide.
Tom and Cindy Juhasz, of Burnaby, manufacture these SCT buoys and Tom says: “For example; off Agulhas, Alard 1 operated for 3.5 days near the end of February off Agulhas; off Leeuwin, Alard 2 operated for 25 days from Apr. 11 and Alard 3 is still going strong; and now Alards 4 and 5 are doing well off Chatham Islands. We were hoping for longer than usual tracks, the transmitters being set for 1 hour interval. However honestly, if you consign anything to the oceans, especially the Southern Ocean, you had better be a pie-eyed optimist. There are so many modes of failure on the high seas looking for a bit of mischief.”
Bert was unable to launch all the buoys in exactly the correct planned locations because they needed last minute tricky assembly, an impossible feat in 30 foot breaking seas and 40-knot gales.
The picture below shows the location of the buoys. The link is https://maps.findmespot.com/s/M2Y2 and if you click on one of the red spots at the website ,the track of the buoy will show.
From the Wheelhouse*John van Praet - Commander
From the Educational DepartmentAgathe Gaulin - Educational Officer
In these challenging times of physical distancing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Gabriola Squadron has suspended all courses and workshops until further notice. This is consistent with the position taken by our National organization, CPS-ECP. Online Boating classes are available to students who register using the national website, linked via the Squadron website, http://powersquadron.gabriola.org under Courses (http://www.powersquadron.gabriola.org/cpscourses.html), which has instructions for how to register for all online courses.
As a special service to Gabriola Islanders who want to take the Pleasure Craft Operator Cer-tificate (PCOC) and-or the Maritime (VHS) Radio certification (Roc-M) please contact Nigel Wells at 250-325-0052 or at [email protected]. We are willing to tutor (consistent with the epidemic guidelines) any Student who wishes to pursue these certifications online. We are here to help.
On the water?
This present period is very different from anything we have lived in our power and sailboat loving lives? COVID-19 has upended our lives on land , social distancing everywhere, non-essential businesses closed, parks closed, schools closed, postponement of previously scheduled medi-cal interventions, severe impacts on working people and businesses, severe
limits to physical gatherings and meetings. The worst of course being the thousands of people succumbing to the disease, and the much larger amount of people becoming infected and struggling to survive.
And on the water? On the water also, we should follow the advice of the authorities: CBC news reports that Canadian Coast Guard assistant commissioner Roger Girouard is asking mariners to avoid non-essential trips. In a letter addressed to mariners, Girouard asks that they help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by staying close to home. He wrote:” I know it is
tempting to get on your boat and escape the restrictions we are all currently living under. But we are also navigating uncharted waters right now, and it is up to all of us to do our part reduce the spread of COVID-19 so that one day soon, we can fully enjoy the peace and beauty of coastal British Columbia.” Each time they respond to a call, Girouard said, search and rescue workers put them-selves at risk of exposure to the COVID-19 and use personal protective equipment that is needed by critical care workers. He also said that those who choose to travel to coastal communities may not have access to fuel and other supplies when they arrive.
“Home and within close proximity to health care is the best place you can be right now.”
There has been a VIND meeting on April 5th, an online (ZOOM) meeting of course. The focus of the meeting was on courses offered by CPS-ECP, specifically on-line courses.
The new IT System was reported as “getting better” as bugs are fixed, and new features are being added all the time. Class registration and membership problems have been fixed.
2020 AGM – A decision as to when and how to hold the VIND AGM will be made later. COVID-19 –It was advised that no materials are being shipped now. The situation is very disrup-tive. Classes and events have been postponed or cancelled.
Ad hoc Squadron Educational Committee meeting April 24th.
A plan forward has now been developed at an on-line educational committee meeting on April 24th. Our SEO Agathe Gaulin is reporting on this elsewhere on these pages.
Bert ter Hart has rounded the 5 capes!!Absolutely mind boggling, but on the day of this writing, Bert has rounded New Zealand’s South Cape, the fifth of the 5 capes! Bert is now starting his voyage home but by no means are his chal-lenges over! Do follow Bert’s odyssey on https://powersquadron.gabriola.org/bert.html. A link to the blog is found there.
John van Praet, Squadron Commander
Old FlaresThere might be a way to get rid of the old flares. See CPS National: https://www.cps-ecp.ca/events/safety-equipment-days-2/. However these events are postponed until after the pandemic restrictions are lifted.The Nanaimo event was during April, but days were planned in Duncan, Port Alberni etc.
Answers to the Quiz
1. Can a captain perform marriages?No. In Canada a person must be licensed as a marriage commissioner to perform marriages.
2. Must a captain go down with his ship?Yes - at least symbolically.In the sinking of the BC Ferry Queen of the North, the BC Supreme Court upheld the firing of the captain even though he wasn’t on the bridge at the time. The courts upheld longstanding maritime custom, tradition and practice, that a captain is responsi-ble for his vessel at all times and in all circumstances.
3. Are you at fault if you run into an anchored or berthed vessel?Yes and No - Sometimes.In a collision with a docked or anchored vessel - know as a “foul berth” - a mariner may be excused of liability if they can prove they took reasonable care to avoid a collision.A defendant can plead “inevitable accident” by proving reasonable precautions were taken, and that the collision could not be reasonably foreseen or guarded against by using reasonable precautions under the circumstances.
4. If I come across a wrecked or derelict vessel, can I claim it as salvage?NO.A person must try to find an owner to get permission to salvage a wreck.f none can be found, the Receiver of Wrecks must be notified before any salvage can be undertaken.The Receiver of Wrecks may sell or dispose of the wreck, or release it to the finder.A wreck is a ship, boat (kayak, canoe) or aircraft that is stranded, derelict, aground, sunk or partial-ly sunk. A derelict is an abandoned vessel, or one not under control of persons responsible for the craft.
5. Is the Captain of a vessel obliged to go to the assistance of a vessel in distress?Yes - but with exceptions.After the Titanic disaster, the SOLAS convention states “a ship at sea in a position to provide assis-tance, on receiving a signal from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance.”In Canada, a master may not respond if doing so endangers his vessel, crew or passengers. However, the master must record the reasons in the ship’s log. Penalty for not responding is two years imprisonment and/or a $1 M fine.
6. Is the Captain or owner of a vessel responsible if a guest or friend is injured on board?Yes.Berthage: Slippery docks, poor lighting, refuse, or obstructions on dock.Boarding: Failure to provide safe means of boarding can result in liability. Hidden hazards: Hatches, companionways, low overheads must be clearly marked.Alcohol: If you serve alcohol, and guests are injured - e.g leaving the marina - you may be liable.
BC Ferry vs. Star Ruby:c) Both the Spirit of Vancouver Island and the Star Ruby were at fault. Star Ruby’s skipper bore the brunt of fault by not steering from a position where he could see all round, and by not monitoring VHF.Moreover, the Star Ruby was obliged to have adequate charts, sailing directions and aids to naviga-tion that show she was navigating in a hazardous ferry route.
Chuckles and more
We say thank you to all who have generously supported us:
WE THANK THE BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS LISTED BELOWFOR THEIR SUPPORT OF OUR SQUADRON’S ACTIVITIES.v
Mr. & Mrs. Don Powell Christine Purfield Dr. Bob Rooks
SEE OUR SQUADRON SPONSORS BOARD ISAT EVENTS AROUND THE ISLAND
