Tiddly Cove Spring Tune Up Race, April 12

This is a series of short races in English Bay which count towards the fleet championship. The first start is at 1100, in the general vicinity of the barge buoy. Look for Brian Ferris and Peter Stanger on Moomba. Full details are in the new yearbook; if you missed the March meeting, nothing has changed since the 2002 yearbook.

Too late! The race happened before your lazy editor got the Winks done. Mumbles, Saltire and Pegasus competed with Moomba as committee. Lodestar and Harwar provided convincing excuses for their absences; where were the rest of our fanatical racers? Pegasus won, with Mumbles a close second and Saltire having the most elaborate lunch. Mumbles would have won if she had remembered to declare no flying sails. There was one long lull in the first race, but otherwise a great day of sailing.

April 24th Meeting - 1st Annual Tiddly Cove Cook-Off and/or Potluck!

There is still a chance to cook your favourite boat recipe at the April 24th meeting and win prizes. You can participate in three ways:

1. Submit your favourite boat recipe(s). Prizes will be awarded at the meeting for the best recipes.

2. Demonstrate a simple boat recipe at the meeting. For those needing a means of cooking, a barbecue will be available on the patio at the Maritime Museum. Prizes will be awarded at the meeting for the best boat cuisine.

3. If you would prefer to bring one of your favourite boat snacks to the meeting (pre-made), please do so, with the recipe. The intent is not to make enough to feed everyone, but just to have a few different nibblies for folks to sample. All recipes will be shared following the meeting.

Contacts: Michael Spearing (MichaelSpearing@telus.net, 604-488-0171)
or Penny Bax (penny.bax@telus.net, 604-872-7142)

To get things started, here is one of my favourite recipes for later in the cruise. Those of us who don't aspire to all the comforts of home like to have a few simple recipes using ingredients that will survive a week without proper refrigeration.

The ingredients are pasta, garlic, butter, and parmesan. Bring a good reggiano parmesan; this will make up for butter that is past its best.

Start your pasta water boiling.
Slice 10 large garlic cloves very thin.
Start the pasta cooking.
Melt ¼ cup butter.
Add sliced garlic and simmer for two minutes, do not let the garlic brown or it will be bitter.
Drain pasta, add sauce and toss in pot before serving.
Grate parmesan and grind black pepper onto each plate to taste.
Serves two.
This goes well with a shiraz or a white wine with lots of acid, like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

TCYC Sailpast, Race and Barbecue - Saturday, May 10th

The Sailpast is the most important event in the Club's season. This is your chance to salute the Commodore and officially kick-off the 2003 sailing season. If you can't attend, good manners require that you send your regrets to Commodore Michael Spearing in advance (MichaelSpearing@telus.net).
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This year the Sailpast will again take place off Sandy Cove in West Vancouver just off the DFO research station. The Sailpast is to start precisely at 11:00 am on Saturday May 10th, so get out there early so there is at least a half hour to form-up. The Sailpast order is listed below (print this page and take it with you). TCYC Fleet Captain Brian Ferris (Moomba) will run a race as soon as practical after the Sailpast. If you aren't in the list, please just follow a boat of similar size or speed.

The Commodore's Reception and barbecue will take place at the Burrard Civic Marina starting after the race (at about 3:00pm). Members are asked to bring their own meat or meat-substitute to barbecue. Other food and refreshments are provided at no charge to members. Non-member guests are welcome and can cover the cost of their food/beverages by donation at the event. Our Social Director needs 3 barbecues for this event. If you can donate the use of yours for the day please let Penny know (penny.bax@telus.net).

Monthly Meetings

Matt Thirkell, Mary Sue Fairbarn, and Michael Spearing described a real life search and rescue from each of their different perspectives: Coast Guard coordinator, mayday caller/worried family member, and lost boater, respectively.

As the meeting started, many in the audience probably thought to him or herself "I wouldn't have made that mistake." But by the end of the meeting, it was apparent that Michael and Mary Sue were much better prepared for an emergency than most club members would have been. Despite this, a series of small errors lead Michael into a life and death situation. The editor will be making some changes to our boat procedures and safety gear before our next cruise and I, along with, all Tiddly members who were able to attend this meeting, give my thanks to Michael and Mary Sue for a first class presentation that had something to teach us all.

Now, remind me again, what is the statute of limitations on the log boom award?

Gibson's Rendezvous & Valhalla Cup - May 18-20

Come on out to Gibsons, join the fun, and compete in the GLSA/TCYC challenge for the Valhalla Cup.

The Rendezvous will be held on the Victoria Day long weekend, May 17th to 19th. Activities include our usual impromptu dock party upon arrival on Saturday, followed by a group dinner at the Waterfront Café where GLSA members will join us. The cost for dinner will be approx. $25 per person. On Sunday, TCYC boats will compete with GLSA for the Valhalla Cup, followed by a dock party and prize giving. GLSA has whipped our butts two years running so we need to get out there and regain the Cup for TCYC! Sunday morning, weather and hangovers permitting, there will be an informal race back home for those who wish to participate.

Reservations for boats and dinner are required in advance. Please call Gibson's Marina at 604-886-8686 to reserve a slip for your boat. Dinner reservations should be confirmed to Thomas Bendle, 604-879-1591 or tcopper@telus.net. Full details will be confirmed in the May edition of the Winks.

New TCYC Secretary and Club Historian

Due to time constraints, Bill Lutz has had to step down from his role as Club Secretary. We thank Bill for his contribution to the executive and welcome Kenna Rhode who has volunteered to assume the role of Secretary.

We also have a new Club Historian. Michelle James has held this position for many years and has made a significant contribution to TCYC for which we sincerely thank her. Thanks also to Stu Hicks who has kindly offered to take on the role of historian from Michelle. Michelle and Stu have both served as Commodore in the past.

Tiddly Biography: Richard and Svetlana

Welcome to the Evans'.

You might assume that there is Welsh blood here. Not so. The Evans in Richard and Svetlana was anglicized by his great-great-grandfather, from his original name of Evanhauf of Macedonia..
Richard started out in Belleville, Ont. as an air force brat. That meant that his family moved frequently (for legitimate reasons) but as an adult he went to ground in Toronto, where he married Svetlana. There a pal who had a wooden ex-mail boat, built 1952 in Sidney B.C., but shipped to Lake Simcoe, took him out on 'Bolero' that Richard eventually bought in 1984 and spent happy summers exploring Georgian Bay from his base at Pt. Severn.

However other drives were at work and a Cruise and Learn course in the B.V.I. opened up the lure of sailing. The Evans' are an outdoors pair and given their enthusiasm for hiking and biking and now sailing, a move to B.C. was a natural progression. C.Y.A. courses on Coastal Cruising and on Navigation were put to the test during local charters to the Gulf Islands and Lasqueti. As befits an Information Technology type, Richard's Palm Pilot is chock-full of tide tables.

Richard and Svetlana live in North Vancouver, have a son, Rick, married to Melinda with two offspring, Wesley and Torin in Port Coquitlam. They also enjoy an extended family and provide a home to students from Brazil, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Once the mortgage is out of the way Richard, a salesman at Westerly Yachts, should be able to find a suitable Beneteau 35S5, or better yet given a lottery win, a Beneteau 473. Meanwhile these new members, keen participants in the Club, are willing to crew anytime, anywhere. Just e-mail richard@westerlyacht.com

Mucker Munro, our correspondent in the thick of the action.

TCYC / North Sails English Bay Scramble - August 23rd
Volunteers Needed

As most of already know, TCYC is again hosting a VARC race this year, the English Bay Scramble, to be held on Saturday, August 23rd. This event is a great opportunity to showcase our club to racers, their friends and family from across the Lower Mainland. We want to make this a true "Tiddly" event - Tiddlies racing, Tiddlies barbecuing, Tiddlies bartending, Tiddlies partying, and yes, even a Tiddly Band. Thomas Bendle's band, "Howard" will be playing this event, and if you haven't heard them, they can really get a place rocking!

We need some more Tiddly volunteers to help staff the post-race barbecue and party. If you are not planning to race (or have a spouse who isn't racing) and can help out at the barbecue, please contact me. We need a few people to barbecue burgers, sell barbecue and drink tickets and help with set-up and take-down. We are also looking for a volleyball net and ball(s), so if you have one you can loan us, please let me know.

Contact: Penny Bax, 604-872-7142 or penny.bax@telus.net.

Other Racing News

There were a number of Tiddly boats at the VARC Spring Regatta. Rhumb Line and Carrera III won their divisions; General Hospital, Ultimatum, Lodestar, Senza, and Urban Well were also out for the fun.

The weather was challenging on the Saturday. The wind shifted 450 degrees while the committee hunted for a suitable spot for a start line. Racing got under way about an hour late with sufficient wind but without any consistency in shifts, allowing some of the tacticians to use the old favourite: 'we got killed on the left side last time, let's drift gently about on the right while the left fills in with good pressure.' On Sunday, there was a long triangle course for all fleets; the wind provided the challenges of light air as well as fully powered spinnaker reaches. Gord Wylie made friends and influenced people by rolling Lodestar (on a 4nm leg from Passage Island to Royal Van Jericho, you need to go by ten (10) feet up wind?).

COMING EVENTS

Tiddly Bits

Rhumb Line, not satisfied with joining the Tacoma Yacht Club (courtesy of 48 North), has also, according to Royal Van, joined Stamps Landing YC. While I would be the last to add rules to TCYC, perhaps we should gently encourage Tiddlies who also belong to other clubs to follow Andy Verhoeven's example and declare both clubs in results. Aside from advertising our club, it makes it much harder for the editor to overlook Tiddly boats like Carrera III winning their division at the VARC Spring Regatta.

The following appeared in my inbox while I was editing this issue; I don't know the provenance other than it was forwarded by one of my racing crew.

Preseason Refresher Course

To best prepare yourself for the sailing season try these quick exercises:

1. Buy a case of beer, sit with it in a very warm place for a few hours, then drink it.
2. Apply sunscreen to your face in streaks and sit in front of a sun lamp for 2 hours.
3. Sit on a bench with large metal fixtures cutting into your legs, stare straight up into the sun for two hours - for a more robust workout: invite 4 friends to come over and yell at you the whole time
4. Go out and get very drunk, sleep 4 hours, then stand on a rocking chair for 6 hours.
5. Go to bank and withdraw $1,000 - then light it on fire.
6. Sit in front of a commercial fan and have someone throw large buckets of salt water on you.
7. Repeat number 6 in jeans and a sweatshirt and /or repeat number 6 with head turned sideways to ensure water lodging fully into eardrum.
8. Cut limb off nearby tree, tie ropes to it, stand on rocking chair with tree limb and ropes - hold them over your head for 3 hours... at 5 minute intervals drop on your head - more robust version: have friends yell at you in 6 minute intervals.
9. Set your wristwatch to 5-minute repeating counts ... let it go off all day long.
10. Pour cold water in your lap and give yourself a wedgie, now alternate between sitting and running around bent over.
11. Tie ropes between 2 trees - push your body against them as hard as you can for 6 consecutive hours - don't stop for pain or bruising.
12. Place sandpaper on your stairs, crawl up and down on your knees for several hours.
13. Make 12 sandwiches on white bread with bad meat and cram them into a bread bag - eat one a day for 12 consecutive days... make sure the last one is peanut butter and jelly if preparing for Race Week.
14. Tie ropes to rear bumper of friend's car, hold on tightly, but allow rope to slip through fingers as car drives away - TIP: works best with nylon fibre ropes, lengths in excess of 50'.
15. Upon completion of previous 14 drills - sit down and drink 14 Mt Gay rum drinks, any flavour.