PMD Rendezvous   Article from Sail Magazine   Editors desk   Dates to Remember   Snail Mail vs. Email

COMMANDERS REPORT: Not Available

From our Fall boating 2003 class we have Susan Longhi, Jayne Mezzabarba, Mike Mezzabarba joining our squadron. Bev Nickason is transferring from Coquitlam Squadron to Alouette Squadron. Welcome Aboard to all of you.

It is coming that time of year for the Roster to be updated. The Roster is printed once a year with all the Pacific Mainland District Squadrons information. The Roster has information on cruises that the squadrons will be going on, members in our district, boat names of our members, and lots more information. Please let me know of any address changes, etc. so that I can update our squadron's membership. This is a very valuable information magazine. You can email me at hmacmillan@shaw.ca or telephone 604-463-4388. Please contact me if you have any changes for me to make as I have a deadline of mid March to make my corrections. Thank you, Holly MacMillan

The February Social was a great success. With 45 members attending and supporting the fall graduating class as they received their certificates and a big welcome to Alouette Squadron.

Our next Social will be April 16^th and is the AGM, so come out and support your club. This will be held at the ECRA Centre on 224^th Street at 7:30.

I have been sitting here at my computer trying to think of something to write. As many of you know I am very new at this job. It did occur to me though, that I have had great support from my fellow Alouette members. Many have supplied me with advice, articles, and moral support and I thank each and every one of you.

A couple of weeks ago our Social Committee was temporarily reduced by three ladies which made for a small crisis. But there they were, the folks of Alouette stepping up and bringing the food and helping set up the night of the social. I would especially like to than Sandy Mayes and Anne Dixon for helping with food on short notice and of course our committee.

So what you say? Well I have learned not to back away from getting involved because the rewards are great in new friends and experiences.

Please do yourself a favour and consider getting a little more involved even if you only come out to the socials.

TO MAIL OR E-MAIL,

THAT IS THE QUESTION: I would like to start an e-mail delivery of the Hailer to those of you with computers. If you are interested please provide your e-mail address to Holly Macmillan  Ann Wright  phone numbers are listed above.

Also, keep an eye out for our Web Page which is nearly ready. The Hailer and lots of other information will be posted there. You can have a look at its progress at www.members.shaw.ca/AlouetteSquadron but the Hailer and other information is still in the works.

On the 07. of February Ross and Mike finished a Boat Pro class with 12 students ( all passed ). The same day 3 students from the last fall boating class wrote the boating Exam. ( all passed )

Industry Canada, Spectrum Management, has sent out information as of January 21, 2004 regarding a VHF Frequency change for British Columbia only. Channel 66Alpha has been designated for Marina use. Channel 68, previously used for this purpose, will now be used only for ship to ship communication. A revised RIC 13 will be available in the near future.

I would like to thank Al Slater for volunteering for the position as assistant. Training Officer. Al is very devoted to our boating classes and it is a pleasure to work with him. He will attend his first District Training meeting with me on February 23, 2004.

Respectfully Submitted by

Thomas Baumann

Alouette Training Officer

By S/LT. Pat Brandlmayr, Environment Officer

Pollution in Burrard Inlet is at a record level? A recent report from the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection effluent permits allowed 769 million cubic meters of industrial pollution to be dumped into Burrard Inlet in 2002. The amount of effluent entering the Inlet has increased dramatically from 32 million cubic meters in 1957, when permits were first issued.

Every year we are dumping the equivalent of 223,014 Olympic size swimming pools full of waste water containing pollutants such as cadmium, cyanide, zinc and MTB gas additive into the Inlet. In 1957 a single permit was issued whereas 25 active permits were issued in 2002.

This information was sourced from "British Columbia Environmental Report", published by the BC Environmental Network

Ontario leads the provinces i.e. British Columbia, in environmental activities and requirements in the Marine area, while British Columbia has the long aquatic coastline and numbers of important fresh water rivers and lakes.

"In Ontario in the past three years, 150 marinas have taken part in the Ontario Marine Operators Association (OMOA) Clean Marine Eco-Rating Program. It is an environmental best-practices program that has made the Province’s marinas world leaders. Now the OMOA is giving boaters another chance to get involved and do their part by joining its new Clean Boater Program. It will offer boaters information and incentives to help them join with marina operators to keep our environment clean". Quoted from the current issue of "Boats & Places". More information can be obtained on page 12 of the magazine and at www.omoa.com.

Each of us, as boaters, has the responsibility to urge our marinas to develop "Best-Practices" (all kinds of information is available), have pump out stations for toilets and for bilge water; maintain products for spillage pickup and containment; keep a clean and orderly place of business.

   Join PMD Members from other squadrons for a fun weekend.

Friday evening BBQ hamburgers on the dock hosted by PMD

Saturday Morning coffee on the dock

Decorate your boat (don’t forget to hang a stocking)

Rope & bucket dinghy race (be prepared to get wet)

Pot luck appys on the dock

Decorate Xmas tree with Squadron Burgees

Xmas dinner–Turkey, stuffing etc., supplied, Potluck salads & deserts

                                        Cost $5.00 (children no charge)

                                        Sunday Morning coffee on the dock

                                        Brunch prepared by PMD bridge

                                        Cost $5.00 (Children no charge)

RESERVE YOUR VESSEL MOORAGE WITH UNION STEAMSHIP MARINA

Phone 604-947-0707 Fax 604-947-0708

Cabins are available (space is limited) contact Dave Peebles @ 604-534-0718

Spring is almost upon us and it is time to think about getting our boats and equipment ready for a safe and fun summer. Our dinghy is sometimes overlooked when it comes to maintenance. If we think about it though it is important to have a well maintained go ashore.

Inflatable Boat Repair: Inflatable boat fabric coverings fall into one of two classes, elastomers (synthetic rubber) and plastomers (thermoplastics, PVC, Polyurethane). Elastomers, which include Hypalon, can be bonded only by hand glueing. Plastomers can be glued or "welded" (also called thermo-bonding).

The glues are high strength adhesives that require temperature and humidity control and good ventilation when being applied. The solvents used in the adhesives for a repair are strong.

A small hole, up to ½ inch, can usually be patched with a single round patch, Larger holes and slices that are 3 inches or longer (and rodent holes) require patches both inside and outside. These are best left to professionals.

Elastomer coatings require that you first sand the surface to give it "tooth" to accept the adhesive. Plastomers gain tooth with a chemical preparation like methyl ethyl ketone (MEK).

Specially formulated adhesives are neoprene based for elastomers and polyurethane based for plastomers. Apply the glue with care, because once it is exposed to sunlight it turns dark brown, leaving a mark. When the patch is correctly positioned, rub the surface from the centre out to the edges to remove air bubbles. Putting a weight on the patch will improve adhesion. Allow 24 hours before inflating the pontoon; a final cure will take 72 hours.

How you remove marks depends on the material. Elastomer fabric responds well to mild abrasives, but don’t get carried away; you could literally sand away the coating. Mild abrasives will work on plastomers, but a bad stain may need a stronger chemical, such as ethyl acetate.

Removing barnacles (antifouling paint is the best way to prevent them) must be done very carefully. Inflate the boat fully, then scrape carefully using a scraper without sharp corners (plastic putty knives work well) and plenty of water for flushing. Heavy barnacle growth will require strong chemicals with acids, such as MaryKates ON/Off. Use heavy rubber gloves and lots of rinsing water to thoroughly flush away the acid. Because the glues and chemical cleaners are hazardous materials, handle them carefully. Refer to the owner’s manual or ask the manufacturer to confirm the proper procedures.

---

A dog and his go ashore. Meet Jordi, Mike and Anne Dixon’s companion. Guess Mike is getting tired of shore trips. He built this boat and it looks like Jordi is considering a CPS course to get ashore.

---

THINKING OF OUR MEMBERS: