COMMODORE’S MESSAGE

As we all prepare for the coming season and the weather is starting to improve, there has been a lot of activity around the Club. Some of you will have noticed repairs to the parking lot walls and changes in the flower borders, which we will have completed in time for the upcoming season.
The next major social event is the EHYC **Anniversary** **Dinner** which is coming up soon on **April 5th**. The Executive has agreed to subsidise this event to keep the tickets at $60 per person, and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend. This will be a great event where we will toast the Club, and review and reflect on EHYC’s illustrious history!

Sailpast is rapidly approaching on Saturday, May 10th which marks the official opening of the 2025 season! This is a marquee event for the Club, and I hope that as many of you as possible, power, sail, SUP, or kayak will join in the fun and attend. Attendance has been lower in recent years than it was in days gone by, and we would like to turn this around and get as many boats out on the water as possible this year, and ideally, empty our marina! The basic idea is to form a procession of the EHYC fleet to sail past the Commodore’s boat. This year my family and I will be onboard our sailboat, Valinor, which is 50 years old this year!

Also, it would be optimal if you could sail past our boat rather than the WVYC Commodore’s boat, as WVYC will be having their Sailpast at the same time. We will be having a Skipper’s Meeting at the pub night on the preceding Thursday night to go over everything, and I encourage any skippers who are unsure of what is involved to attend. In true EHYC style, the protocol for the order of vessels is more of a suggestion than a rule. The main thing is to get out on the water, join in and have fun. Just figure out who is supposed to be ahead of you and who is supposed to be behind you and go for it – what could possibly go wrong!

Looking forward to seeing you at the Club or out on the water, and to an exciting and fun-filled 2025 season!

Nicholas Miller, Commodore, Valinor.

Welcome New Members

Membership Application Notices

Medhat Moussa, 7009 206 St, Langley BC has applied for Active membership at EHYC.
Ian McLaughlin, 5726 Bluebell Drive, West Vancouver, BC has applied for Associate membership at EHYC.
Christopher Parkes, 2643 Lawson Avenue, West Vancouver BC has applied for Associate membership at EHYC.

Any member wishing to comment, please contact me by April 14th.
Mary Hay, Membership Secretary, Sula.

New Boats in the Club

Proudly displaying the coveted new boat *mermaid fenders*. Dock 4, Slip 1: Marcel and Irene Maes, *Aspen C90 Catamaran*

ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES: Moorage Agreement

Don’t forget to drop off your fire extinguishers before March 29th for servicing.
**Register for the SOS Weekend (April 26-27) Boat Safety Check** HERE.

A reminder that the following documents are to be submitted by 1 April 2025 with your moorage payment:

Insurance - document clearly showing your name, boat, insurance start and expiry dates, $2,000,000 in third party liability.

Moorage Agreement- completed and signed.

Please note that an important term of the Moorage Agreement is the requirement for all boats in the marina to have third-party liability insurance cover for @$2,000,000 to be in effect at all times. Please ensure that you renew your policy before it expires so that you are not in breach of the Moorage Agreement, and that the office has copy of your current policy on file so that the office does not have to chase you for it.

The Moorage Agreement has been updated in Sections 1 (mandatory boat safety checks) and 9 (insurance indemnification), with changes approved by the Executive Committee after consultation with legal counsel. These updates ensure EHYC remains aligned with standard practices at other private yacht clubs and marinas offering moorage and requiring Moorage Agreements.

J Bruce Pollock, Rear Commodore, Offshore Pursuit.

Website and Yearbook

Last year our website underwent significant expansion and improvement. If you have not checked it out, take a moment to peruse the information that is now presented there. In particular, the Members Hub has a wealth of information.

While those colourful and informative spiral bound yearbooks were welcomed by many members each year, there are many who did not choose to pick up their copies. In 2024, for example, more than half of the printed copies were never picked up. We pay about $3000 each year for printing and it takes a lot of staff and volunteer effort to update the information. The Executive Committee has decided that this money and effort can be better spent elsewhere.

Therefore, the time has come for us to complete the transition of providing important information to members via our website and discontinue the annual printing of yearbooks. We have a few more upgrades to implement on the website, such as adding the Members Roster, which will require a confidential password for access to this confidential information.

Most of the website does not require a login anymore, but all confidential information will be available only to members. EHYC office staff will provide the login password upon request.

Alexandra Mancini, Executive Secretary, Sundancer.

EHYC IMPROVEMENTS: Projects and Upgrades

Onshore Improvements: Beautiful spring blooms - thanks to the hard work of our landscaping committee. Daffodils and tulips will also soon be on show!
James Burdett, Vice Commodore Bavaria 36.

Dock improvements: As Spring approaches, the docks are in reasonable shape and Rob Sloss has completed Dock 5.
At the time of writing, we have a leak in the main water line from the clubhouse to the docks. As we pay for water consumption, water is being turned on a need-to-be basis, which means mostly on weekends. We expect to repair this problem quickly.

Lots of safety updates for the docks:

A standpipe with fire hose hookup installed on dock nine. Ian Brownlow has showed this installation to the West Vancouver Fire Department (WVFD). They were impressed with the work Ian has done. This fire station will provide immediate first response to any dock or boat fires that we may experience. WVFD will look into providing us with any fire hose they can't use due to expiry, but good enough for our situation. We may consider adding another station depending on the length of hose we are provided. 
Safety equipment on docks will be located as per regulations and requirements. This includes; life rings and heaving lines with throw-bags, dock ladders for egress and fire extinguishers. The locations of ladders are a must at fixed intervals, which means we will have to make some slips permanent as ladders can’t be moved. One aluminum ladder has been received as a test and is being deployed to a permanent location. These fire fighting station(s) and life ring stations will be painted conspicuously.

All chains for the dock and Breakwater (BW) have been located for mapping and inspected for wear by the dive team headed up by Gary Nolan. Encouragingly, only 5 chains on the docks were at 50% wear. All chains on the BW have 80% or better remaining with only 2 of the West side chains at 60% or better remaining. We will need to locate a new mooring block and chain for the South end of the root dock 9. The current anchoring point is a wreck (an eerie, old WW II landing craft on the bottom). The bollard that the chain is attached to on the wreck has corroded significantly, hence the need for replacement. The 3’x3’x3’ block will need to be approximately 4,000 lbs (2 mt). The deployment of this anchor block will be an interesting project.

Finally, the Breakwater Replacement committee will be meeting this Spring to review best options and will prepare an overview for membership on replacing the existing breakwater. We believe that we have 2-4 years of life remaining with the existing structure.

J Bruce Pollock, Rear Commodore, Offshore Pursuit.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Keeping the Club Running Smoothly

Work Parties

EHYC was founded on the principles of community spirit and membership volunteerism. From helping build our dock system and clubhouse to sharing a meal within our beautiful surroundings, member involvement has made our club the jewel that it is. Work parties have been an integral part of our club culture and the operations of EHYC. Work parties help keep our club functioning and provide a unique opportunity to get to know other members. While participation in work parties is not mandatory, volunteerism has been declining. This has been a growing concern as it is volunteerism that keeps the spirit and uniqueness of our club alive. The following chart shows the number of potential work parties vs completed work parties since 2018. The trend line is not going in the right direction.

Each active member is requested to complete two work parties a year and each associate member is requested to complete one work party. These work party obligations can also be completed by members of your family to count towards the requirement.

Work parties are generally 3 hours long and may involve indoor or outdoor activities. Work parties cover a wide variety of types of work. Everything from helping with dock chains if you’re looking for a little more strength training to tending to the gardens or helping with club events. Have your serve-it-right certification? How about working a bar shift at a pub night? There are lots of options for completing a work party and the list is always expanding and are posted on our website under the heading ‘Work Parties’.. Have an idea for a work party that plays to your particular skill set? There are options for that as well.

Work parties are not just about the work. They are also a great opportunity to get to know people within our wonderful EHYC community. While EHYC is experiencing a declining overall participation rate, there are many members that go way beyond their obligations for a variety of reasons - one main reason is they enjoy the social vibe and the lovely surroundings.

This year, due to the declining participation rate and rising costs of outside services required to complete various tasks, the fee for not completing a work party has been raised to $300 per work party ($600 if you miss both in a given year). This rate has not been adjusted since 2019 and is in line with the rising costs over that time period. These amounts will be billed at the end of the 2025 calendar year for any work parties that are not completed. This is applicable for active and associate members only. While we would much prefer people to come out and participate, the option of paying the missed work party fee will remain, however at the new rate.

Eagle Harbour Yacht Club is not a marina, it is a community of like minded people who have put their time, expertise, and sweat into building the club that we all enjoy today. We certainly hope to see as many members as we can come participate in the spirit of EHYC and have fun at the same time.

James Burdett, Vice Commodore, Bavaria 36.

How to signup for a work party

Select the work party you’re interested in on the website or below, Click BOOK and turn up - it’s that easy.

EHYC Winter Socials: Robbie Burns to St. Patricks Day

Burns Night, January 23rd. We had a great turn-out to the Burn’s night dinner with special thanks to Elaine Grotefeld and Katy MacLellan for their phenomenal job organizing this memorable event.

Feliz San Valentín, February 13th. Winter has hit West Vancouver rather harder than normal this February with a heavy dump of snow and colder than usual temperatures. However, on the evening before Valentine’s Day 50 club members and guests were virtually transported to Mexico courtesy of Gabriela Praget and husband Tim Grady who hosted an amazing dinner. They had recently returned from Mexico but despite some time constraints, they produced a really outstanding Mexican meal. They served Cochinita Pibil which is pulled pork that has been marinated in a mixture of spices Yucatecan style. The spices were Annato seeds, cumin, oregano, clove, garlic and Seville orange. Along with this was served brown rice, refried beans, pickled red onions, tortilla chips with a spicy habenero salsa. It was absolutely delicious. They then produced a wonderful tres leches cake. This moist cake contained 3 types of milk. Tim made the cake. A terrific meal. Thank you to our chefs. We all hope that they will consider doing this again next year. Thank you for your hard work.

Not only was the food amazing but there was a great atmosphere in the clubhouse. Perhaps the theme of the evening made everyone smile and have fun. Most gratifying to me was the multigenerational make-up of the attendees. The ages spread from 80s to Charlotte who is 8 months. She sat quietly in the corner with her parents Andrew and Jenny who are new members. Sadly for her she wasn’t old enough to sample all the dishes!

The clubhouse was decorated in Valentine style thanks to Kim’s expertise. Thank you, Kim. Your decorations have changed the feel of the clubhouse. In true Eagle Harbour Yacht Club tradition, many members helped to serve the food and the drinks, to clear the plates and to wash up. Thank you for your hard work.

The social committee is looking to hold more themed events on pub nights. The focus will be low key casual style. We plan to try and serve food but to keep the ticket price to $15 per person. I think that is a pretty good deal for the quality of events.

Tim Lepard, Social Director, Pegasus.

Pub Night with Mah Jong, February 27th. The social committee has wanted to keep the pub nights to be a weekly function. Sometimes this can lead to very few attendees. On February 27th the attendance was slow initially. But it was very convivial and before long a Mah Jong set was produced and 8 people sat down to learn and play the game. There was no expert available only Karen with some knowledge of the game and less knowledge of the rules! No matter and perhaps because of this everyone had a great time. We definitely plan to work on more board game evenings in the future. Come down on Thursday nights. You will be surprised how relaxed and fun they are.

Tim Lepard, Social Director, Pegasus.

Spring Quiz, March 6th. A Spring Quiz was held at the clubhouse on March 6th. While the questions focused on Spring, Canada and a touch of Wales, there were many general knowledge questions. The contestants were arranged on tables or teams of 6. Ian McBeath, a long term club member and a seasoned quiz master ran the evening.

Which team was going to win? The British Bulldogs with Mark, a previous brain of Britain. The Master Mariners, an international team of expert mariners, definitely a dark horse. The team, Red Dragons were certainly a hot team helped by Geoff, the sole Welshman present. The Reverie team were graced with a pilot and a lawyer. Surely a winning combination. The Trimmed Up team who, being relatively younger, were smart enough to entice Edgar a senior geologist with lots of international experience to join them.

The questions were tough but each team rose to the challenge or at least one member knew the answer or came close. As the evening progressed the lead changed hands several times. Eventually it lead to a tie. A do or die challenge led to the Trimmed Up team of Kim, Jesse, Tom, Denise, Karen and Edgar winning the incredible prizes. The answer seemed to be that the multigenerational team carried the day.

While the numbers were less than last year, the feedback was that this did not affect the enjoyment of the evening. The social committee, particularly Tina, served a choice of chili and salad. The bar was well run by Elaine, Cher and Callum. Thanks to all the volunteers. A very special thank you to the Quiz Meister Ian McBeath. Thank you all your work and excellent job on the microphone.

Tim Lepard, Social Director, Pegasus.

St. Patricks’s Day Pub Night, March 13th. Although it was not actually St. Patrick's Day we held a pub night in honour of the patron saint of Ireland prior to Spring Break.

Approximately 40 members and their families attended. It was a potluck with lots of appetizers and desserts to share. The theme of the evening being Ireland a fair amount of Guinness was consumed and we were entertained by Ian, Dana and Peter on their guitars. At times they were assisted by others.

It was very definitely a family affair with all the generations represented. In fact we had two babies under the age of one year both of whom behaved beautifully. Congratulations to their parents for making the effort.

Tim Lepard, Social Director, Pegasus.

The 2024 - 2025 EHYC Wine Club began on September 20th this year with 29 members signing on for another season.

What is wine club anyway?? The meetings are generally the 3rd Friday of each month in the clubhouse.

The Wine Club meeting format works like this: Typically, four wines each evening are selected for review, and a short discussion on what we are about to taste takes place. Then, we taste and discuss for 20 minutes or so.

The nature of the selection varies - by varietal, by Country / Region, by single producer, by production process, etc. etc. We have been very fortunate to have guest winemakers take over the presentation on occasion. It is all very informal and unpretentious - the objective is to learn a little about wine and engage with others to share thoughts and opinions. It's certainly not a "library quiet" serious event!!

There is a food aspect to the wine club as well! Each person or couple decides ahead of time to bring a shareable food item, signing up in advance to indicate their contribution will be an appetizer, main, salad or dessert (related to the theme of the wines if possible), and we all have a potluck meal after the tasting presentation. No need for dinner at home on wine club Friday nights - there is always ample food, and most nights the food is better than the wines! This year, so far this season, we have sampled wines from Chile – Cabernet Sauvignons in September, then Sauvignon Blancs in October. We ventured 1,500km south in November to sample the big reds available from Sonoma Valley in California. December was back to whites, trying hard to find out which Gewurztraminer offers the best compliment to turkey dinner! January brings the dreaded income tax season, so we found some very acceptable reds on a budget.

In February, the wine club accepted its first ever challenge from the Social Committee! We were challenged to come up with a high-quality red wine that could be sold by the bottle at the next few club functions. We were given a rough guideline for pricing, and a hope that we could find a wine that supports the theme of “buy Canadian”!

The members worked very hard sorting through a choice of 5 BC Meritage wines. In the end, Mission Hill 2021 Reserve Meritage earned the most points by a significant margin! This vintage represents a blend of 17% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot, all from their Black Sage Bench and Osoyoos vineyards. We hope you enjoy this outstanding example of what our BC wineries are producing these days! Finally, we really don’t want to be an exclusive club within a club!

Wine club has always been an annual fee for 10 sessions, however if you'd like to "Try Before You Buy", you can attend the first month that fits your schedule for $15.00 per person, paid at the bar on the night. If you decide you'd like to join after this initial evening, the invoice for the rest of the nights in the season will be prorated and billed to your account. If you decide after this initial evening that Wine Club isn't for you, we're happy you gave it a try!

To indicate your interest in attending an initial night, or if you have any questions, please email me.

Kent Brownlow, MV Overtime.