Canadian Yachting February 2016 - (Page 26)

CLUB PROFILE The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club By Katherine Stone I n 1791, a 36 foot sailboat from Spain, captained by Don Jose Maria Narvaez anchored off Point Grey and ventured into Burrard Inlet. The sailors noted several native settlements that were eager to trade and came close by in their dugout canoes. One year later, Captain George Vancouver arrived and set about surveying the coastline. After this flurry of activity the area remained undisturbed and it would be 70 years before the beautiful timber would be cut, sawmills built, and larger ships arriving in a steady stream. This, my friends, was the beginning of Gastown and its many drinking establishments. As the main transportation 26 Canadian Yachting was by water, young men with time on their hands, when they weren't boozing, built their own sloops. The largest trees in the world grew in English Harbour which served well as tall straight spars. Well, one dare led to another and before you knew it organized racing was born. Soon the mill owners organized yacht and rowing races off the mill docks. Competitors came from all over and, "... the open sailboats were tied to a line stretched between the wharves until the signal was given to start". These gentlemen got it right! There were no OCS (on course side) penalties given in those days. It is easy to see with the temperate climate that going fast in boats became a popular pastime. Gastown became Vancouver and was incorporated in April 1886. A spectacular blaze two months later destroyed most of the city and swampy shores of Burrard Inlet. Turning lemons into lemonade, the city was rebuilt with modern electricity, water and streetcar systems. The harbour was alive with sailing craft, one faster than the other. Not surprisingly, this soon led to wagers placed and fortunes passed from one hand to another. If your boat was over 30 feet you could pocket $100 in a Dominion Day race! Many yachting clubs were formed and many folded. Nothing seemed to "stick". It took a campaign by the Yanks at the Seattle Times FEBRUARY 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting February 2016

Vantage Point: “They” are Looking after our Boating Environment
Waterfront: Boat Shows, Waterkeepers, and more…
Environment Feature: Plastic Pickup in Paradise - The beaches on Haida Gwaii have always been a magnet for the flotsam and jetsam that circles the Pacific. This recount of what has washed ashore and in what quantities may shock you. By Linda Leitch
Club Profile: Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
Galley Guys: On the Loose in Holland
Destination: Exploring the Lower Ottawa River by PWC - Follow the author and his Sea-Doo as he follows this historic trading route, part of a navigable waterway triangle formed in far Eastern Ontario with the St. Lawrence River on its southern side and the famous Rideau Canal on its west. By Craig Nicholson
Feature: Dark ‘n Stormy – Gosling’s Rum and Bermuda - Family owned Gosling’s is the oldest business in Bermuda. Learn its history and how it is integral to the tapestry of the rich Bermudian culture. By Margaret Swaine
CPS Port Hole
Destination: Lake Superior Cruise - A vivid description of this almost mystic five day cruise on the mightiest of our Great Lakes. By Mark Stevens and Sharon Matthews-Stevens
Sail Review: Jeanneau 54
Power Reviews: Azimut 55S and Cruisers Cantius 60
Electronics: Yacht Controller -Can this tech upgrade give your existing boat the functional equivalent of joystick docking? We talk to the creator of Yacht Controller and a Torontobased tech who has installed one. By Andy Adams
Fitness Feature: Fitness On Board Part 2 - Part 2 of our fitness features focusses on arm and leg strengthening exercises using your own body weight, on board your boat, any boat. By Terri Hodgson and Lisa Mavrou
Crossing the Line: Upkeep Wars

Canadian Yachting February 2016