Cowichan Bay Maritime Center Boat Fest – British Seagull Racing!

July 27th, 2013 1 comment
British Seagull Racing

British Seagull Racing

If ever there was an unlikely candidate for powering a boat in a race, it must be the British Seagull outboard motor.

In spite of having achieved world renown for being “The Best Outboard Motor for the World” and while those who own them and regularly use them are known for the viciousness of their love/hate relationships with the things, and even though a 5 hp model can smartly handle a wooden boat or barge displacing several tons, they never were meant for going quickly.

They were especially not meant for going racing.

This is of course exactly why we enjoy doing just that and with such wild abandon.

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Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre Boat Festival This Saturday July 27th

July 24th, 2013 No comments
Maritime Centre Pier - Cowichan bay Village

Maritime Centre Pier – Cowichan bay Village

An invitation arrived in my email box the other day, I’ll let it speak for itself:

Join us for this year’s Boat Festival!  We have three businesses looking to sponsor teams to participate in the Fast and Furious Boat Building Competition.

Contact the office if you are interested!  Prize is 50/50 of entrance fees gathered and a prize of ice cream cones from Morning Mist Ice Cream for the Best Dressed Team!

Tickets are available at the office and Festival day for the Salmon BBQ in the evening. $15 per plate.

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Two Old Farts And A Fat Guy – Truck Show at Duncan Ex Grounds

July 13th, 2013 1 comment
A pair of International Harvesters

A pair of International Harvesters

Brian, Peter and I are enthusiasts of all things mechanical. Oily, dirty, smelling of gasoline or diesel fuel, loud and noisy or nearly silent, it doesn’t matter. If there’s a tugboat in the harbour we go take a look. If the steam train is running at the Forestry Visitor Center, you’ll find us hanging on the fence, waving as it goes by.

Aircraft are remarked on as they fly overhead and often times, in depth discussions follow and debates rage as to what engines this or that has or had, which occasionally can only be settled to anyone’s satisfaction by looking things up on the Internet.

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Lapstrake Boat Building Courses Return to CBWBS

July 12th, 2013 2 comments
Eric Sandilands (in dark blue) builds beautiful boats

Eric Sandilands (in dark blue) builds beautiful rowing boats

Professional shipwright Eric Sandilands is returning to the Cowichan Bay Wooden Boat Society’s wood-room to guide another of his highly successful lapstrake boat building courses.

This is great news for those who wanted to take courses last year, but were unable to do so.

These workshops provide a very full, challenging and rewarding week of work.

During the eight day course students will have the opportunity to rotate through all facets of the construction process, including steam bending ribs, sanding and riveting.

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Maritime Center Presentation – Iron Age Boat Building

July 11th, 2013 2 comments

From the Maritime Center Mailing List:

Northern European Boats and Boatbuilding in the pre-Viking Iron Age Presented by Dan Dalby

Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 7pm

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SS Beaver – Listing slightly to Port – Doors Left Open

June 27th, 2013 1 comment
SS Beaver

SS Beaver

Dominion replacement SS Beaver, lately put out in our Bay at anchor, appears to be developing a slight list to port.

Photographs taken the day of it’s arrival show it leaned a touch to it’s port side, however today the list seems to have undergone a slight increase.

Furthermore, As of Sunday June 30, the doors to the bridge and the aft salon have been left open, indicating that somebody has already been aboard the vessel.

Thieves and vandals destroyed much of the interior of the Dominion I, it will be remembered. Now it appears the SS Beaver may suffer the same fate.

Tearing out the Toilet – Ermott’s Landing goes Green

June 24th, 2013 No comments
Old worn out marine toilet

Old worn out marine toilet flushed straight into the sea.

Ermott’s Landing, our little float-home in Cowichan bay Village, has gone green.

When our old marine toilet needed replacement, we decided not to buy another one of the same type, but instead to get something that would be of benefit to our environment.

At the same time, we wanted to lessen our impact on the ecosystem, even if just with regard to water consumption.

Therefore, we decided to install a composting toilet.

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