Canadian Yachting — February 2018

w w w. c a n a d i a n y a c h t i n g. c a

T H E P O R T H O L E

4 9

o ut o n t h e w o n d erf ul isl a n d of G a bri ol a

h e h as ti m e o n c e i n a w hil e t o p urs u e his

b o ati n g p assi o n a n d oft e n s ets o ut o n his

O nt ari o 3 2 s ail b o at t o e x pl or e t h e l o c al

w at ers. T h e v ess el’s n a m e is “ Ac a pell a ”

a n d u nli k e m a n y of t h e p e o pl e w h o visit

t h e West C o ast a n d tr a v el t o D es ol a-

ti o n S o u n d f or a h oli d a y wit h all t h e

ot h er b o ats, D o n pr ef ers t o e x pl or e t h e

l ess tr a v ell e d p arts, u n a c c o m p a ni e d a n d

r e a d y t o p o k e his b o at i nt o m a n y of t h e

r at h er r e m ot e a n d hi d d e n b a ys a n d i n -

l ets t h at d ot t h e G e or gi a n Str ait. “ Cl u b

cr uisi n g is o k a y, b ut I’ d r at h er g o e x -

pl ori n g, t h at w a y y o u g et t o e x p eri e n c e

n ot o nl y t h e b e a ut y, b ut t h e q ui et t o o. ”

I n t his r e g ar ds D o n h as al w a ys b e e n

a n a cti v e p h ot o gr a p h er, c a pt uri n g

m a n y w o n d erf ul i m a g es f or hi ms elf

a n d ot h ers t o e nj o y. H e h as a w e bsit e

d e di c at e d t o his p h ot os a n d t h e y c a n

b e a c c ess e d at: w w w. d b utt.s m u g m u g.

c o m. F or t h os e of y o u w h o att e n d t h e

C P S- E C P C o nf er e n c es y o u will b e

f a mili ar wit h D o n’s a cti viti es as h e is

o ur of fi ci al p h ot o gr a p h er a n d s u p pli es

C P S- E C P wit h m ost of its i m a g es.

C urr e ntl y, D o n still t e a c h es at t h e

S q u a dr o n l e v el, s p e n di n g his ti m e

t e a c hi n g t h e st u d e nts t h e fi n er p oi nts

of t h e c o m p ass a n d r e a di n g t h e c h arts.

O n c e t h at h as b e e n e x pl ai n e d a n d c o m -

pr e h e n d e d b y t h e st u d e nts h e t h e n pr o -

c e e ds t o a d dr ess t h e fi n e art of pl otti n g,

w hi c h h e f e els is a v er y i m p ort a nt s kill

t o h a v e. B o ati n g o n t h e West C o ast is

n ot al w a ys e as y a n d it c a n c h a n g e v er y

q ui c kl y, “ y o u h a v e t o k n o w w h er e y o u

ar e ” a n d w h at t o d o.

W h e n I as k e d D o n a b o ut t h e di -

r e cti o n C P S- E C P w as h e a di n g i n

t h e n e xt f e w y e ars h e r es p o n d e d s a y-

i n g, “ a r e fi n e m e nt of t h e e d u c ati o n al

c o m p o n e nt, a n d r e a c hi n g o ut t o t h e

y o u n g er cr o w d t o i n v ol v e t h e m i n a

w a y t h e y c a n r el at e t o. A n d m or e! ”

D o n h as al w a ys tri e d t o d o t his n ot

o nl y i n his G a bri ol a cl assr o o m b ut

i n t h e n u m er o us l e ct ur e h alls h e h as

t a u g ht i n as w ell.

As t o his visi o n of C P S- E C P f or

2 0 1 8 D o n s ai d “t h e r est or ati o n of

C P S- E C P t o its f or m er gl or y d a ys,

b ut wit h a diff er e nt a n d u p d at e d f a c e. ”

A n d I c a n s e e t h at wit h D o n i n v ol v e d

as m u c h as h e is i n b ot h S q u a dr o n a n d

Distri ct aff airs t h e C P S- E C P f a c e o n

t h e West C o ast will d e fi nit el y b e u p-

d at e d o n a v er y r e g ul ar b asis.

T his y e ar of 2 0 1 7 w as si g ni fi c a nt i n

a n ot h er w a y f or D o n t o o. T his y e ar

D o n b e c a m e a Lif e M e m b er of C P S-

E C P h a vi n g e ar n e d 2 0 M erit M ar ks

a n d w as pr es e nt e d his pl a q u e a n d

s p e ci al Lif e M e m b er “ nift y fl a g ” at

t h e 2 0 1 7 C h arl ott et o w n C o nf er e n c e.

N o w t h at is s o m et hi n g t o si n g a b o ut!

C o n gr at ul ati o ns D o n.

C o m m a n d er h a d t o st e p d o w n s o Br e n -
d a n o w fi n ds h ers elf as a n e wl y mi nt e d
S q u a dr o n C o m m a n d er!
W h e n I as k e d h er a b o ut w h at w as
t h e b est p art of b ei n g p art of t h e
K el o w n a S q u a dr o n s h e r e pli e d, “ c o n -
n e cti n g wit h ot h er f a mili es wit h si mi -
l ar i nt er ests. It’s s o m u c h f u n t o g o t o a
c o v e a n d s e e p e o pl e w e k n o w. S o ci et y
is s o is ol at e d n o w, t h at it’s g o o d t o b e
i n c o m m u nit y wit h ot h ers. ” Br e n d a is
als o i n v ol v e d i n h er Distri ct as w ell,
w h er e s h e st art e d off as t h e Tr e as ur er
a n d n o w o c c u pi es t h e E x e c uti v e Of fi -
c er’s c h air. I n M a y 2 0 1 8 at t h e West -
er n C a n a d a I nl a n d Distri ct’s ( W CI D)
A G M Br e n d a will b e c o m e its Distri ct
C o m m a n d er, s o m et hi n g t h at s h e
is l o o ki n g f or w ar d t o v er y m u c h. It
s h o ul d b e n ot e d t h at t h e W CI D is t h e
l ar g est g e o gr a p hi c al distri ct i n C P S-
E C P a n d e xt e n ds fr o m t h e R o c k y
M o u nt ai ns i n t h e w est all t h e w a y t o
t h e M a nit o b a b or d er i n t h e e ast.
Wit h t h eir b o at m o or e d i n t h e dri v e -
w a y t h er e ar e m a n y pl a c es it c a n e asil y
b e t o w e d t o, t h e l o c al l a k e f or a w e e k -

e n d o uti n g or t o P ort M o o d y o n t h e

o c e a n f or t h e t w o w e e k v a c ati o n cr uis e

e x pl ori n g t h e G ulf Isl a n ds. B ot h ar e i n -

t er esti n g a n d a hi g hli g ht f or t h e w h ol e

f a mil y e a c h y e ar. H o w e v er, t h e f a mil y

is g etti n g ol d er. N ot all f o ur c hil dr e n

c a n c o m e n o w as a r es ult of w or k pr es -

s ur es s o n o w t h e 2 6 f o ot E x pr ess Cr uis-

er wit h a f e w l ess p e o pl e o n it f e els li k e

a l ar g e y a c ht! T h er e is “l ots m or e r o o m

a n d n o w t h e t a bl e d o es n’t h a v e t o b e

c oll a ps e d e a c h ni g ht ”. T h e b o ati n g is

g etti n g b ett er!

Br e n d a w as als o f ort u n at e t o at -

t e n d t h e C h arl ott et o w n C o nf er e n c e

i n O ct o b er 2 0 1 7 a n d w hil e t h er e s h e

c o m m e nt e d t h at s h e w as a bl e t o m e et

m a n y p e o pl e w h o k n e w h er p ar e nts

fr o m all t h eir y e ars of s er vi c e. S h e als o

m et m a n y gr e at p e o pl e w h o ar e c o n -

ti n ui n g t o r u n t his or g a ni z ati o n wit h

i nt e grit y a n d visi o n. S o w h e n I as k e d

Br e n d a a b o ut h er t h o u g hts o n C P S-

E C P I w as n ot s ur pris e d t o h e ar h er e

s a y as ot h ers h a v e m e nti o n e d, C P S-

E C P n e e ds t o c h a n g e if it w a nts t o s ur -

vi v e. T h at d o es n ot m e a n w e n e e d t o

c o m pr o mis e o ur c or e v al u es. J ust t h e

m et h o ds w e us e. I t h e n as k e d a b o ut

t h es e c or e v al u es of C P S- E C P. Br e n d a

r es p o n d e d, g etti n g p e o pl e b a c k h o m e

s af el y, pr ot e cti n g f a mili es o n t h e w a -

t er a n d b ei n g a c o m m u nit y a m o n gst

m e m b ers ar e t h e v al u es. Br e n d a f e els

t h at i n t his m o d er n a g e w e ar e all v er y

b us y a n d h a v e a l ot of ti m e pr ess ur es

a n d o n t o p of t h at p e o pl e ar e r at h er

s olit ar y, al m ost l o n el y i n f a ct. S o af -

t er t a ki n g a c o urs e a n d m e eti n g n e w

p e o pl e a n d t h e n tr a v eli n g off t o n e w

pl a c es, s e ei n g s o m e of t h os e s a m e f a c -

es a g ai n is a r e al pl us, w hi c h is o n e of

t h e r e as o ns f or b ei n g p art of t h e C P S-

E C P f a mil y.

B ei n g e x p os e d t o C P S- E C P si n c e

t h e a g e of si x, Br e n d a is a w ar e of t h e

lif el o n g b e n e fits of t h e C P S- E C P c o m-

m u nit y a n d i n t his m o d er n a g e s e es

t h at t h es e b e n e fits ar e s o m et hi n g t o b e

s h ar e d wit h as m a n y ot h er b o at ers as

p ossi bl e. “ A n d w h at of t h e f ut ur e? ”, I

as k e d, Br e n d a r e pli e d, “I l o o k f or w ar d

t o t h e e x citi n g f ut ur e of C P S- E C P. ”

We c ert ai nl y d o h a v e a l ot t o off er.

C o nti n u e d fr o m p a g e 4 7

Fr o m t h e R a n k s – Br e n d a C o c hr a n e