Safety First Carolyn Daley ex-Shannon page 14 Crossing the Pond Fairwyn page 18 Bandaras Bay Katie G page 22 Your Crew and You Ta-b page 26 April 2014 Receptionist – Heather Sloat Watchkeepers Rendezvous – Myrna Webster [email protected] Bartenders – Mike & Kathleen Nolan [email protected] 2014 Board of Directors Bosun – Nicole Bezugley [email protected] Speakers – Rosario Passos Commodore – Jennifer Handley [email protected] [email protected] Communications – Peter Burnham Vice Commodore – Vacant [email protected] Vancouver Island Watch [email protected] Education – Mike Gregory Vice Commodore – Glen Wilson Secretary – Myrna Webster [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Fleet Coordinator – Vacant Secretary – Carol McNichol Treasurer – Vacant [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Speakers – Terry Allen Treasurer – Don Craigmyle Past Commodore – Boudewijn Neijens [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Membership – Peter Burnham Bosun – Chris Stask [email protected] [email protected] Reporting to Board of Directors Vancouver Watch Communications – Edie Dittman Administrator – Elizabeth Gregory [email protected] [email protected] Vice Commodore – Glen Middleton [email protected] Education – Adam Wanczura Advertising – Richard Lees [email protected] [email protected] Secretary – Vacant [email protected] Fleet Coordinator – Connie Morahan BCA Historian – Glenora Doherty & Peter McMartin [email protected] Treasurer – Barb Angel [email protected] [email protected] Currents – Donna Sassaman Membership – Elaine Humphrey [email protected] Bosun – Ken Robertson [email protected] [email protected] Council of BC Yacht Club Rep Nanaimo Representative – Brian Short Judy Barefoot Communications – Rosario Passos [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Receptionist – Elaine Humphrey Webmaster – Jean Baillargeon Education – Norm Cooper & Bill Sassaman [email protected] [email protected] Rendezvous – Tanya Van Ginkel Calgary Watch Fleet Coordinators & Scott Chapman Vice Commodore – Alastair Handley Cam & Marianne MacLean [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Speakers – Peter Simpson Treasurer – Rick Reynolds Membership – Denis Heinrichs [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Weather – Connie Morahan [email protected] Mailing Address Currents is the monthly by the first day of the month prior for newsletter of the CURRENTS inclusion in the next months issue. Bluewater Cruising Association Advertising materials, except for 8886 Hudson St., Vancouver, Bluewater Cruising June Deadline: Tradewinds, should be submitted Association (BCA), April 18th directly to the Advertising Manager. BC V6P 4N2 published 10 times per year from Please contact advertising@blue September to June. BCA is a non-profit watercruising.org. All contributions from Vancouver Club Room Address society, formed in 1978, to foster an active interest members are greatly appreciated and, subject to Ground Floor Library in offshore sailing. Its membership is based mainly in space available, an effort will be made to publish all Scottish Cultural Centre British Columbia with headquarters in Vancouver and material received. Currents reserves the right to edit all active branches in Victoria and Calgary. Membership letters in accordance with club policy. 8886 Hudson St., Vancouver, BC is approximately 500, including at least 90 members Opinions stated in the contents either expressed who are cruising offshore at any given time. BCA is or implied are not necessarily those of the Editor or Telephone a member of the Council of B.C. Yacht Clubs, an Watchkeepers. Neither BCA nor the Editor assumes 1-888-398-3095 Message Box Associate Partner of the Vancouver Maritime Museum responsibility for the accuracy or validity of informa- Call or email appropriate Watchkeeper and a supporter of the Marine Parks Forever Society. tion printed in Currents. No part of Currents may be Effective March 1, 2012, fees for new members reproduced without the written permission of the Editor Internet with Canadian mailing addresses: Initiation fee $100.00 or the contributor of the article. www.bluewatercruising.org plus annual dues $115 = $215. For non-Canadian The Advertising Manager, who will be happy to mailing addresses: add $20 for extra mailing: Initiation provide a schedule of rates and mechanical Administrator $100 CDN plus annual dues $135 CDN = $235 CDN. requirements upon request, coordinates commercial Cheques payable to Bluewater Cruising Association. advertising in Currents. Elizabeth Gregory For more information contact the Membership Currents is mailed free to members and is made Monday 6-9pm Watchkeeper (above). available, for a donation, at Club Nights. Currents 604-684-6423 The Editor should receive all notices, letters, is published monthly by Profile Design Group Inc. advertising, or other items for publication in Currents 604-461-3900. [email protected] Other times leave message at Contributions to Currents are accepted in most forms! Send email in plain text or MS Word to 1-888-398-3095 [email protected]. Keep text formatting to a minimum, and watch for Style Guidelines. Handwritten submissions mailed to the club address are also accepted. IFCb APRIL 2014 CURRENTS NOTICE APRIL 2014 VOLUME 37 NUMBER 4 MID ISLAND SAIL TRAINING (MIST), MAY 3 AND 4TH Regular Features Feature Learn and practise: 2 Editor’s Desk 26 Crew Dynamics and more... 3 Top Currents • Sextant use by Jane Poulston, Ta-b • How to hove-to 4 Fleets of Bluewater • Dead reckoning 4, 7 Photo Album Postcards • Man overboard retrieval 5 Current Events 14 The Accident that Shouldn’t • Drogue use 5 BCA Calendar of Events Have Happened by Carolyn • And other offshore techniques 6 Welcome Aboard Daley, ex-Shannon Don’t just read about offshore 8 Education skills! Come and practise with us 15 Rio Dulce, Guatemala in a fun and safe atmosphere! 9, 13, 37 by Stan and Lynn Homer, Ditty Bag Homers’ Odyssey See the website for more 10, 12 Letters information and to register, On the Water www.bluewatercruising.org 11 Notice - Watchkeeper 18 Out of the Mediterranean and or contact MIST Coordinator, Positions into the Atlantic, by Nancy and Rob Dodge at 12 VICE 2014 Stephen Carlman, Fairwyn [email protected]. 14 Postcards from Offshore 22 Checking in from Banderas Bay, 18 Letters from Offshore by Chuck Gauthier and 28 Tradewinds Karen Thomas, Katie G 36 Lessons Learned... The Hard Way 37 Galley Watch Fleet Liaison: Cam and Marianne McLean Currents April Crew [email protected] Welcome Aboard: Liz Gregory Editor: Donna Sassaman Tradewinds: [email protected] [email protected] with “Tradewinds” Assistant Editors: and your name in the subject line Norm Cooper, Barry Devonald, John Gleadle, David Greer, Advertising: Paul Hunt, Judith McPhie Richard Lees [email protected] Copy Editor: Sally Holland Layout and Design: Linda Mitsui [email protected] Cover: Ta-b, Jane and Russell Poulston’s Publication Mail Agreement No. 40036791 Fountaine Pajot Bahia Maestro 46 Postmaster, Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Sloop, on a spinnaker run. Bluewater Cruising Association, 8886 Hudson St., Vancouver, BC V6P 4N2 email: [email protected] 1 Donna Sassaman, Editor pril showers bring May Don’t be shy! Volunteer today! If you are interested but Aflowers... and prepara- need to know more before launching yourself into the sea of tions for the summer sailing volunteerism, feel free to contact Jennifer at commodore@ season. As Commodore Jennifer bluewatercruising.org, Boudewijn at pastcommodore@ Handley discusses in ‘Top bluewatercruising.org, Myrna at secretary@bluewatercruis- Currents’, boat to-do lists are ing.org, or Glenora at [email protected]. added to – and hopefully subtracted from – as members We have a great issue this month with contributions make plans to cruise either along our coast or offshore. from near and far. Close to home, Shaun Peck, Polyandra, What is on your boat list?! After a winter spent at the reports on this coming summer’s ‘Music by the Sea’ festival in dock, Bill and I are enthusiastically anticipating sailing to Bamfield; 2014 VICE Coordinators, Ken and Carole Downes, Desolation Sound – or out to Bamfield – this summer. On Nautimoments, let us know about plans for this year’s VICE; the Alia to-do list is preparation for painting the topsides. Rob Dodge, Nanamuk, gives us a list of what’s on the agenda Can we do boat work and cruise? We shall certainly give it for the first annual MIST – and a reminder to register on a try! the website for this free event; Norm Cooper, Sarah Jean II, On BCA’s administrative to-do list is a big priority item: provides another ‘lesson learned’ – this time dealing with to fill two Board positions. Norm Cooper, who briefly stepped hidden chafe (useful information