Vintage troller Bruno on the ways at maritime centre
Gloria Craig, President of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society highlights plans for early 2013 in an email sent to Society members;
During the Month of March we plan to open the new building museum on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-4pm. Office hours will be 10-4 Monday to Friday and Shop hours Wednesday to Sunday. These hours will grow and change as we move into our summer season. If you would like to help keep our museum open and have two hours a week to spare as a Maritime Centre greeter, we would like to hear from you.
It is with pleasure that we welcome Tony Owen as our new Facilities Manager here at the Maritime Centre. Tony is a familiar face around the centre as he has been volunteering his services and expertise in many ways but perhaps he is best known for his ability with small engines. Tony will be overseeing the shop, the pier and just about everything that keeps the Centre running. Occasionally Tony will have a day off but his energy and enthusiasm for the Centre are longstanding.
Over the past month the Maritime Centre Pier Pods were found to contain molds. A combination of the aging roof and moist conditions has created the dilemma and the need to address the problem was dealt with promptly. To date the three Pods have been emptied of the displays and mold covered wallboard removed. A team of volunteers have removed, organized and put all our museum items in safe storage. Thank you to Alister Frayling, of our Wednesday Knights group, for bringing his knowledge to our need, and for providing the in-kind donation of Grassroots Environmental Services. At this stage of removal we are limiting access to our pier area to allow the cleanup.
Cradle was rebuilt last year, with volunteer help
The Marine Ways will be undergoing a face lift over the next two weeks. While the ways were rebuilt last year with the building of a new cradle, we continue to have problems with a sagging track. Two new pilings will be driven in the sag area, plus a lintel and gauge bars welded in to reinforce and straighten the track thus providing the security necessary for haul outs. The Ways are an integral piece of our history and a source of funding for the Maritime Centre. At present, we have several members on our waiting list for haul outs and hope to get started nearer the end of March.
March 23rd is the Hidden Treasure Sale, a community garage sale involving merchants, restaurants, Oceanfront Suites Hotel and the Maritime Centre. Much like a garage sale, the shops will be putting out the “stuff” of their cupboards and storage. After all this is part of a spring clean-out.
The Maritime Centre is offering our members a chance to be a part of the Hidden Treasure Sale. Tables will be set up in the parking lot and will be allocated to members only, for a set up fee of $10.00 and must be booked in advance. Your hidden treasures sale items are limited to the table top and under table. Setup will be at 9a.m. on the 23rd and all items must be removed by 4p.m. Book your table by dropping your $10.00 in an envelope with your contact information to the Maritime Centre office in the next few days. Tables will be assigned on first come basis. We have approximately 15 tables. Thanks to Patrick Cramond, we have a new mail slot in our office door so that you can drop your payment into the office at your convenience.
At our General Meeting it was suggested that we establish a committee to generate ideas for revenue for the Society. Ion Barnes has agreed to Chair that committee and welcomes your participation. Please forward your contact details to CWBS (CWBS@classicboats.org) with “revenue ideas committee” in the subject line. We will compile the names and forward them to Ion.
Canadian Power Squadron will be offering an 11 week course on Boat Maintenance with an overview of maintenance of hull and propulsion units starting Monday, March 18th. Watch for details on the Events section of our web site.
We have a number of small courses in the planning stage. Details will follow as they develop.
The Artists featured in our mezzanine this month are Des Pratt and Geoff Hulme
The Prawn Festival, planned for May 19th, is another community event that profiles our maritime community and brings visitors to the Bay. We are once again working with the businesses in the bay through the Cowichan Bay Improvement Association to make this a fun family feature of life in Cowichan Bay. There will be many opportunities for you to get involved. We need volunteers. If you would like to support this initiative please send us an email (CWBS@classicboats.org) with Prawn Festival in the subject line.
