Page 11 - March/April 2019 Kwasind

FOURTEENS ARE FOREVER FUNDRAISER
Eric Tulk, CDA President
Along with the long history of boat development associated with the International 14, the fleet at RCYC possesses an impressive set of artifacts and trophies that have been collected over the past century. Most of these trophies date to the first half of the 20th Century and many are still awarded to the fleet today. Perhaps the most impressive is the Lipton Cup (ca. 1929), which is awarded to the winner of the Canadian Dinghy Association (CDA) racing series, and currently on display in the Chart Room. While it is a luxury to have such historic trophies to award, there is also a considerable amount of upkeep required to maintain them in a suitable state to display. While some of the trophies have been maintained, typical states of disrepair observed within our collection include decades of oxidation (black), deteriorating wood finishes, award plates falling off, placards full of names, and even broken silver or marble. Many repairs made over the decades have also not been up to the standard we now expect of our current archival collection on display.
Over the past few years, under the direction and energy of RCYC Archivist and Curator Beverley ‘Shiny’ Darville, several critical refurbishment projects have been completed. A second border has been fit to the outside of the Itchenor Trays (ca. 1969, on display in the Crown and Beaver) and the damaged base for the Douglas Challenge Cup (ca. 1910) has been refurbished. To support this important initiative and continue the refurbishment and maintenance of the fleet’s trophy collection, a fundraising evening was held by the International 14 fleet in the Sports Hall of the City Clubhouse. The majority of the fleet’s
impressive trophy collection (those in both good and poor states of repair), and artifacts dating back over a century were put on display. The evening began with a champagne toast and, over dinner, an overview of the current state of the fleet was presented, favourite 14 moments (by vintage 14ers) were shared, and the 2018 fleet awards were presented. A compelling case for maintaining and repairing the collection was made and to the event raised over $2500 towards our fleet’s collection.
Looking forward, the first target of our project will be to get the major trophies that are currently awarded into archival shape. This includes finishing the assembly of the
Douglas Challenge Cup (awarded for International Competition) and adding a new tier and completing repairs for the C.W. Bourke Trophy (ca. 1959, awarded for winner of CDA championships). Once the major (awarded) trophies are ship-shape, we will move towards bringing some of the more forgotten trophies
out of the archives with the eventual goal of having the full collection on display. Special thank you to past CDA president Ashley Warburton, Beverley, and F&B for helping to host the event, and to everyone who supported this initiative.
Top Right: 2018 Canadian Dinghy Association Members and ‘friends of the fleet’ posing in front of International 14 ‘sails through-the ages’. Bottom Right: The Lipton Cup (ca. 1929), awarded to the winner of the annual CDA series, presented by CDA President Eric Tulk to the crew of CAN 601 Something Rude, Peter Hayward (centre) and Marco Koechli (left)
KWASIND • MARCH/APRIL 2019 11
SAILING