Trevor Campbell visited the Shellback Club to speak of his life with Theatre Pirates: stories from his time as a theatre artist with Caravan Stage Company, an arts community that lived, worked, and performed on a custom built 30-metre Thames River spritsail barge. About Trevor Campbell
Trevor Campbell is an actor, known for Wynonna Earp (2016), Tin Star (2017), and Range Roads. After his time on Caravan, he spent three years with Peace Boat, a Tokyo-based NGO whose main activity is operating global voyages in pursuit of cultural exchange and peace activism. He participated in 5 voyages as a Peace Boat staff member, the longest voyage visiting 24 countries over a period of 105 days.
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Rob Mazza returns along with Michelle Clarabut and Doug Cowie to give us an Update on the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston. About Rob Mazza
Rob Mazza is a Mechanical Engineer and Naval Architect with over forty years in the marine industry. He began as a yacht designer with C&C Yachts and Mark Ellis Design in Canada, and Hunter Marine in the US. He moved to sales and marketing of structural cores and bonding compounds with ATC Chemicals in Ontario, and Baltek, Inc. in New Jersey. Returning to Canada in 2011, Mazza is currently semi-retired, acting as Technical Editor for Good Old Boat magazine, and has written articles for Professional Boatbuilder, and Wooden Boat magazines. His articles often focus on the history and development of yacht design, especially in Canada. Mazza sits on the Board of Directors of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, is a past Vice Commodore of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, and is currently chair of the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame Management Committee and the RHYC Heritage Committee. About Doug Cowie Doug Cowie began working at the Marine Museum in 2011 after spending 34 years in the marine industry working on building, surveying, and writing about boats and industry standards for boating safety. A lifelong sailor, he has logged many nautical miles of ocean and lake sailing. Doug is also a Director on the Board of the Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites and is a member of its Marketing Committee. Michelle Clarabut Michelle Clarabut joined the Museum in April 2019 with a background in research, education and advancement. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from Queen’s University in Art History and Italian, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Guelph in European Studies, and recently completed her Doctorate in Cultural History from Royal Holloway, University of London. Michelle is the Chair of the Marketing Committee of the Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries, and Historic Sites. The Millards and Aaron Fenton returned to the Shellback Club to describe their 2100 nautical mile trip from El Salvador to Puerto Penasco, bringing their boat "Valeda" back to Canada. The aim was to eventually return their boat to Canada via Chicago by trailer. Among other things, the trip entailed engine troubles that led them into Topolobampo at night against shallow waters and unreliable depth sounder. Judith was forced to take a 22 hour bus from Puetro Penasco to meet them. The trip up to Puerto Penasco in the Gulf of Mexico was less difficult, with a couple of small mishaps, but with accompanying dolphins as compensation. Eventually news of the COVID-19 pandemic caught up with their travels. The border closed, so Valeda remains on the hard on Puerto Penasco. "Go Home Part 2" should detail the travel from Chicago to the North Channel, when that's possible. About Aubrey and Judith Millard
Aubrey, a retired teacher and navy officer, got his his navigation experience with his watch keeping certificate with the Royal Canadian Navy. Aubrey is also a past Commodore of the Toronto Hydroplane and Sailing Club. Judith, a retired dentist, got her navigation experience with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron, and has also been an instructor with the Squadron for many years. Aubrey and Judith set off sailing in 1998 and have been liveaboards on their Ontario 32, Valeda IV, since that time. Valeda has been back to Canada once only in those 22 years although Judith and Aubrey have returned periodically. After time cruising the west coast from B.C. to Alaska they sailed down the west coast of the USA and down to Mexico, the Baja, the Sea of Cortez, and Central America to Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Currently living in Elliot Lake, Ontario they have enjoyed sailing a 1974 Grampian 30 with the North Channel Yacht Club, and plan to bring Valeda IV back to the North Channel Yacht Club for 2021. About Aaron Fenton Aaron Fenton is at the National Yacht Club in Toronto. He races weekly on a Bruckman C&C 33. Aaron has crewed for deliveries of 40 to 55’ boats, between the eastern USA and the Abacos, Bahamas, and Florida. He has also chartered monohulls and catamarans in the BVI, the Grenadines, and the North Channel. He and his wife Patricia have owned boats of 25, 34, and 37’ and he now skims on a Sunfish. Judy Millard was his first research student many years ago at the University of Toronto, and they have kept in touch. On January 21, 2020 Aubrey emailed to ask for crew to assist in delivering Veleda IV from El Salvador 2300 nm north to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. January 30, Aaron flew Avianca from Pearson direct to San Salvador. Aaron is delighted to assist Aubrey in chronicling this adventure for the Shellback Club. Francis Clegg, President of the Brigs, accompanied by Program Coordinator Emily Hine, gave Shellbacks an Exciting Update of the Activities of the Brigs Program (formerly the Toronto Brigantine) and an interesting peek into its future. His presentation included a segment of the Rick Mercer Report sail on the Pathfinder, (linked separately below). The Brigs has been running sail training programs for youth on the Great Lakes since 1963. They take youth from a wide range of backgrounds, most with no sailing experience, and teach them how to sail a 72 foot square rigger! Of course, the technical skills are only half of it... the real challenge is living and working 24 hours a day in close quarters with 28 people you've only just met, working as a team, and overcoming associated personal challenges. Added to that everyone on board, except our Captain, is aged 13 to 18. Through their 60-year history, Brigs has worked to keep Tall Ship sailing relevant to youth and parents, while preserving the magic of an authentic uncontrived experience. 2020 was a year of big changes for Brigs. They moved their program to Hamilton Harbour from Toronto, renamed the organization, and committed to a big increase in fully funded berths. And with a fundraising campaign kicking off for a refit of our vessel, the TS Playfair, they are realizing their goal of securing sail training for the next generation of Canadian youth. About Francis Clegg
Before spending a week on board Pathfinder with Brigs at age 13, the only boat Francis had been on was a car ferry. He was on a full bursary and, from his first experience of night watch in Georgian Bay, He was hooked. Throughout high school he shoveled nearly all my free time into training, maintenance, and sailing with Brigs. He left the program as a Watch Officer and with a cohort of lifelong friends. Brigs ignited a love for all things marine in Francis and, when he moved to the UK, he worked on the build of the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth Carriers in Portsmouth Shipyard. The HMS Victory was visible from his office window! This location put him near The Solent, so he delved into the world of racing and spent a summer as inshore crew on a Farr 40. An engineering degree at Imperial College pulled him away from the marine world, except for a few stints on the Dutch engineless cargo brigantine, Tres Hombres. Today, Francis runs an international production design company working in the live music sector; but always felt there was a sail-training-sized hole in his life. So, on moving back to Toronto in 2018, he joined the Brigs board as treasurer before taking on the role of President in 2019. He has enjoyed working with the fantastic board and staff and takes any chance he can to get out and sail the beautiful TS Playfair! Ron Jenkins revisited the Shellback Club to continue his series of presentations on the development of the Toronto waterfront. The focus of this talk was the early history of the Port Lands and Ashbridge's Bay, its history of pollution, and its industrial development. About Ron Jenkins
Ron is a long-time member of the National Yacht Club. His father, Alf (past Purser Shellbacks, Class A Dinghy Sailor and was an active keel boat owner) and his grandfather, Herb (long time treasurer of NYC and an active keel boat sailor) carries the Jenkins’ name well back in NYC history. Herb had a wonderful style to deal with all kinds of difficult matters with a deft touch. And so it continues in the family. Ron is an active nature and sailing photographer; when hobbies do not interfere, he works in technology marketing. In the technological area, Ron is our web master; he, weekly, records the sessions and uploads them to our web, in addition to loading our schedule and any other pertinent information. He is an active participant in Waterfront for All, a coalition of groups protecting the Toronto waterfront. |
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