Update your email preferences here                          View Masthead Archives View this email in your browser Volume XXXVIII      Number 6       July 2020 Commander’s Log Ahoy everyone, I feel honoured and privileged to serve as the Commander of the Vancouver Power & Sail Squadron. Thank you for your confidence in me.  I would also like to thank the Bridge, both old & new. A big thank-you to Bill Botham for taking on the role of Commander for the Vancouver Squadron 2 years ago. He received a phone call while on vacation in Mexico asking if he would consider taking over the helm of the VPSS. Lucky for us, he said yes and did a great job. I would also like to thank our outgoing Financial Officer, Les Hausch, who has diligently tried to deal with the new IT system and the difficulties of getting the real numbers. I am pleased that he will remain on the Bridge as an Officer at Large to help ease new Bridge member, Don Mathew into his role as Financial Officer. Another long time Bridge member, Twyla Graeme is stepping down after many, many years as Membership Officer. Twyla has been helping Moe Forrestal ease into her role as Membership Officer over the last few months and we are delighted that she will also remain on the Bridge. Our Public Relations and Communications Office, Sabine Just, has done an absolutely amazing job over the past 2 years.  Because of work commitments, she is stepping down but will remain as needed to help new Bridge member, Mary-Ann Isinger, transition into this role. Our new Executive Officer is Craig Douglas. Craig is quite a new VPSS member and is sure to bring fresh insights to the Bridge. Another new Bridge member is Jennifer Dom. Jennifer will be an Officer at Large but is currently helping Moe and Twyla with membership. Thank you to all the other Bridge members who are remaining on the Bridge. Everyone appreciates the time, effort, and history that you bring to the Squadron.  For those of you who don’t know me, I am Elizabeth Zygmunt. I have been a VPSS member with my spouse, Pierre Lafortune, since 2002.  We own a 32-foot power boat, LaFortuna, and we enjoy cruising our wonderful BC coast as much as we can. Besides being XO for the past 2 years, I have been involved in the Education Department as a proctor for several years. We are in very strange times. Normally in this issue, I would be talking about the wonderful BBQ and potluck dinner for our AGM & COW. There would be pictures of the first Squadron Cruise of the Season which had been planned for this past weekend at Snug Cove. I would be reminding you to attend our Student graduation ceremony at our June Squadron night at the FCYC. I would be urging you to volunteer for the Great Canadian Shore Clean-up. COVID-19 has changed all that with the need for physical distancing and no large group gatherings. However, with technology we were able to have our AGM/COW through video conference. Though lacking the ambiance of the FCYC, we were still able to ‘see’ each other and toast with a beverage of our choice. Thank you to Lynda Bennett-Reitel, past PRO for PMD and current National Secretary for attending to swear in the new Bridge.  Going forward, I hope that we can still have Squadron Cruises this summer. Rather than a raft up or a marina, maybe we can anchor in a large anchorage like Port Graves (Long Harbour) or Bedwell Bay and visit by dinghy. I am sure that there are many ideas out there on how to have fun while social distancing. Meanwhile, here is a link to give you an idea of what is open during COVID. The Spring Boating classes were finished by online technology which proved very successful with the students doing exceptionally well. There are more learning opportunities for this. National is hosting short online seminars on various topics. Check out this link to sign up. Does someone you know need their Restricted Operator’s Certificate (Maritime)?  This same wonderful technology also comes with some glitches. I know that many of you have had difficulty renewing your memberships with the new National Computer System. Be assured, that these glitches are slowly being corrected but meantime, do not hesitate to contact our Membership, Moe Forrestal, for help.  Speaking about membership renewal, at the present time, Lifetime members must also ‘renew’. You should be able to click on the renewal part of your membership profile to renew at $0.00. If, for some reason, it comes up with a dollar amount, again, contact our Membership officers, who will be able to directly or indirectly, correct the issues. We are in very strange times, but we will get through this. We will continue to promote and deliver safe boating. We are still going to have fun. I look forward to seeing many of you, even if at a distance, out on the water this summer.   Have fun & be safe! Elizabeth Zygmunt Commander, Vancouver Power & Sail Squadron Operation Life Jacket  Operation Life Jacket (OLJ) is a program developed by the Canadian Ranger Foundation and the Canadian Safe Boating Council to improve boating safety in Northern Canada.   Once collected, life jackets will be distributed with the expertise of volunteer Canadian Rangers. During distribution, educational programs covering life jackets, cold water, re-boarding and the need for a trip plan will be taught by Rangers in remote and isolated communities.   Anne MacDonald, Alouette Squadron, is the contact person for PMD for this program to collect life jackets for northern communities.   The date for the PMD’s delivery to CPS is the end of July so Anne is targeting July 24th as final date for collection. This is to allow time to sort and pack the life jackets prior to shipping. Please call Anne to arrange delivery, or, if desperate, for pick up. Please don’t hesitate to call her with any questions. Thank you for your patience and commitment to the special project! Let’s get behind this, knowing we can make a difference and maybe save a life!   Anne MacDonald 11730 Blakey Road, South Pitt Meadows 604-465-4748   Marine Mammals & Boaters - Safety & Stewardship There are three opportunities to register for a "Marine Mammals & Boaters - Safety & Stewardship” webinar on Zoom. Please spread the word. I promise you they will be very worthwhile in terms of education but also  . . . entertainment.    Webinars will be 2.5  to 3 hours.  The three webinar options are:  Thursday, July 16 at 7 PM: Marine Mammals & Boaters - Safety & Stewardship Tuesday, July 21 at 7 PM: Marine Mammals & Boaters - Safety & Stewardship  Wednesday, July 22 at 10 AM: Marine Mammals & Boaters - Safety & Stewardship If you have any problems with registration, please contact education@mersociety.org.  CPSS History These notes are about the beginning of the Vancouver Power and Sail Squadron and must include one of its founding members, Bob Thatcher, who wrote that history which was displayed in our Masthead for our 50th Anniversary under Past commander Dave Atchison. This is our 65th Anniversary year. We were the first Canadian Power Squadron west of Ontario and our Squadron Warrant is dated the 29th of May 1955. Those thirteen charter members were noted in the Squadron Warrant (copy attached) the forerunners of all CPSS in BC.   Our second Commander during 1957-1958 was Past Commander Bob Thatcher and he became the first 20 Year Life Member west of Ontario. During his 20th teaching year he taught all the classes at RVYC. Bob wrote the excellent summary of our beginning.   Dennis Steeves Squadron Historian Boating Courses Starting in September   Due to COVID-19, there will be no face to face Boating Courses this Fall. However, we will be running a combined Boating 2/3 Course via a combination of online and video conferencing. Boating 2/3 Course Tuesdays, Sept 15 to Dec 1, 2020 (12 weeks) Fee: Non-members: $290 - 10% discount for CPS members Please see the CPS Course Calendar - Section 7 - Online to register on-line.   Marine Radio Operator (Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate) We are offering two one-day Radio Operator courses this fall: (subject to social distancing rules, these may be done by video conference) Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020: One day course (0900 - 1600) at St. James Community Square Saturday, Nov 28, 2020: One day course (0900 - 1600) at St. James Community Square Fee: Non-members: $140 - CPS Members: $126 More information here.   Boating 1: Boating Basics (PCOC) Please see the CPS On-Line PCOC Course. Vancouver Squadron will not be offering a classroom course this Fall.   Sign In To Your New Squadron Membership Profile These are the steps you need to follow to reclaim your membership file and set yourself up with a password. If you need help or have any questions regarding your online membership profile, please contact, please contact Harvey Roll at 604-929-6076 or harvey_roll@telus.net. 1. Go to the site https://www.cps-ecp.ca 2. Click on the "Register" button found in the top blue section - the button to the right side of this section of the page. 3. On the newly rendered page called "Search user” select the option "Returning User”. Do not hit “NEW USER”. A “returning user” is someone who has a user account in our current system – so anyone who is or has been a member or student previously. 4. This will provide additional fields to attempt to recognize you in the system which you must provide. When you enter your name you must enter it as it appears on your membership file in the current system. For example, is your name listed as Bob or Robert? Do you have an initial or a second name in your member name e.g. Mary E? Mary Elizabeth? Enter also your date of birth. 5. The system will either find your account or ask for further information to distinguish you from other users. 6. When found, you will get a new screen where you can setup your email and password. There are requirements for the password provided on this screen in accordance with common security parameters for password protected sites. You must use an email address that has not already been loaded into the new system by another user. The unique email address along with the associated password are part of the system’s way to distinguish one user from another and also as a means of protection of each member’s personal file. 7. IMPORTANT - You will receive an email asking you to confirm your email address. You must complete this step as it confirms the link between this email address and your password for use when you log in. 8. Then you can use the regular "login" button that appears in the top right of the blue box area to access the system. 9. Once you hit the “login” button, you will be taken to a screen where you enter the confirmed email address and the password you created. On the next screen, you will see your name on a button at the top right. In this video we're taking a look at how you can reclaim your CPS-ECP profile on the new system.  If you have received an email with the subject  "Reset Password"  from CPS and you have already re-claimed your member profile, please disregard - no action is required. If you need assistance, please contact Harvey Roll at 604-929-6076 or harvey_roll@telus.net. Boat Blue Boat Blue is the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron (CPS-ECP) National Environment Committee's campaign to bring the protection of our waterways to the forefront of what it means to be a responsible boater. To learn more about the campaign, please click here. Marine Weather Attention Boaters! For marine weather warnings, watches or advisories, please check https://weather.gc.ca/marine/region_e.html?mapID=02, call a marine forecaster (anytime & free) at 1-844-505-2525, access recorded marine weather at 604-664-9010 or subscribe to updates on Twitter @ECCCWeatherBC Squadron Bridge (2020-2021) Commander Elizabeth Zygmunt   Executive Officer Craig Douglas Educational Officer (Boating, PCOC) John Steede     Assistant Educational Officer Peter Girling     Assistant Educational Officer (Radio) Peter Bennett     Secretary Charles Tai     Financial Officer Don Mathew     Membership Officer Moe Forrestal    Programs Officer Brian Kennedy     Environmental Officer Bill Blancard     Communications Officer Mary-Ann Isinger  Newsletter Editor Mary-Ann Isinger  Port Captain Walter Gfeller     Supply Officer (Regalia) Don Zarowny     Webmaster/IT Officer Peter Bennett     Historian Dennis Steeves     Cruise Coordinator Available     Support Dave Atchison     Audit Review Committee Chair Jeff Booth     Past Commander Bill Botham  KEEP IN TOUCH F O L L O W on F A C E B O O K F O L L O W on T W I T T E R V P S B o a t . c o m FORWARD this email Copyright © 2020 Vancouver Squadron, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  Follow us Like us VPSBoat.org