Page 15 - Kwasind_May/June Issue

USED SAILS
Mary Brennan
One of the exciting things for an enthusiastic sailor is a new suit of sails. One of the problems always with replacing an item is what to do with or how to dispose of the redundant item and how to do it in an environmentally friendly way. As many Members know about fifteen years ago Dianne Matheson found a solution for the conscientious sailor which would allow that sailor not only to easily dispose of the sail(s) but also to do a work of charity at the same time.
In a chance meeting and conversation Dianne learned that Canadian Food for Children (CFFC) a Registered Canadian Charity could make good use of items such as used sails and with her able guidance and the full support and assistance of the Staff at the RCYC the Members were made aware that if they had used sails they could give them to the Marine Yard and the sails would make their way to the charity for use in the third world.
The program has been very successful and recently the Club built a box at the City Station where used sails can be deposited and arrangements were made to collect the sails and have them delivered to the CFFC warehouse. In a bit of serendipity Margaret, Mary and Joan Brennan were chatting with Dianne waiting for the Launch and the sail collection came up and Dianne mentioned that delivery was sometimes difficult. Margaret suggested that the St. Vincent de Paul Society had a truck and that they were located near the CFFC warehouse and so an arrangement was worked out and the sails have now been picked up twice last year by the truck. It is an easy and efficient way to get the donations to the warehouse.
CFFC are most appreciative of the sails. Your donated sails are used for such things as to cover windows and roofs to prevent water leaks and that they have most often been sent to El Salvador.
CFFC can also make use of discarded sail bags, cushions and unwanted lines.
As you are gearing up for the Summer of 2018 that any unwanted sails, cushions, sail bags and lines can be deposited in the box at City Station and these items will have a second life and you will have cleared your locker and will feel good about it .
Our new Staff contact is Brennen Guy who can be reached at brennen.guy@rcyc.ca
RCYC OPEN 2018
Doug Farrand
The RCYC Open Regatta will be held June 16th & 17th as we once again welcome the many racers and friends from the region to our island summer home. The Lake Ontario Racing Council (LORC) coordinates racing between sailing clubs on Lake Ontario and Open Regattas are held at many of our neighbouring yacht clubs as an opportunity to host regional sailors for racing and social events. This year, we are particularly eager to share our newly renovated Clubhouse with the local sailing community and we have special events planned to ensure that the RCYC Open is the LORC event of the season.
The RCYC Open typically hosts 400+ sailors and friends for two days of competition on the water and the island hospitality that our Club is famous for. After racing concludes on multiple race courses, sailors will return to our Island for freshly shucked oysters provided by Rodney’s Oyster House. A pig roast dinner will follow and then live music and dancing in the new bar with our sailor favourite band: Running Red Lights. The Cornerstone Project will enable this through the new layout on the north side of the Clubhouse and we can all be proud of thisevolutionofourelegantandvibrantClubhouse.
The Open regatta is also an opportunity to recapture the event ambience of Open regattas of the past. We encourage sailors to make it a weekend and stay on board your boat or pitch a tent on Snug Island for the night. There is always much to see and do, even if you are not on the race course, including a visit from the HMCS Oriole back home to her original club. The Oriole IV is a 31 metre long ketch originally built for Commodore George Gooderham in 1921 and served as the Club’s flagship for many years. During WWII, she was used as a training vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1952, she was formerly commissioned at the HMCS Oriole and remains the oldest active vessel in our naval fleet.
We hope that you will make plans to join us as the Island Clubhouse hosts this fun event and we particularly want to include more of our midweek racers. The active participation in our midweek harbour racing is the envy of many sailing clubs yet too few of these boats join the start line for weekend regattas. Come out on the lake with your Tuesday night crew and join the fun in the PHRF White Sail fleet or dig that old spinnaker out of the locker and join the fun. The Sailing Office will be happy to help connect you with eager crew if your bowman retired to the back of the boat many years ago. Register at www.lorc.org
KWASIND • MAY/JUNE 2018 15
SAILING