Ahoy to all Bytown Brigantiners! Welcome to our newspaper, “Looking Aloft”. If I recall correctly, the last issue was in 2009, after the Tall Ship gathering in Halifax. Bytown Brigantine has once again rewarded this “ancient mariner” volunteer by asking me to become your paper’s new editor. I have accepted with great enthusiasm and look forward to this honour. I have never been an editor before, although I have been writing stories for a quarterly newsletter for the past two years. I am also working on my biography.

I’m looking forward to this project, with Don Booker as assistant editor and one of our directors. Don has been doing our directors’ meetings reports and minutes for several years. Also we have much help from our Executive Director, Captain Mary Acton-Bond, along with her partner, Captain Jason McNaught. We initially anticipated publishing on a monthly basis, but my intuition tells me that every two months would be more practical.

We will retain the past issues front page masthead and add additional information such as our directors’ names and positions, and also present captains and the vessels they serve on. We especially look forward to receiving articles from our trainees about their adventures (and trials!) aboard the ships and during the training exercises. Also input from parents will be greatly appreciated, along with opinions and recommendations. Presently we are hoping the new issue of “Looking Aloft” will be ready for January 2012.

On December 17, 2011, BBI sponsored their annual Pancake Breakfast, to which all officers, trainees, parents and volunteers were invited. Naturally, it was a great success, with our Captains back from their sojourn in Nova Scotia.

Our winter program is now well underway. (Please see report from Christine, our Winter Program Coordinator)

We are looking forward to your participation.

W/O John H. Grahame
Editor

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the latest news Our esteemed and notable Captain Kathryn Whittaker has recently accomplished her First Mate Unlimited certificate and now is applyin...

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A Parent’s Perspective Is it really only three years ago? Back in the summer of 2008 I was a harried parent, looking for a way to keep my energ...

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ASTO Exchange to OYT South’s John Laing by Christine Chesterman This summer I was lucky enough to travel to Ireland and join the UK sail trai...

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2012 Bytown Brigantine and Bytown Brigantine Academy Programs As the Bytown Brigantine organization grows, so too does our depth of programming. Th...

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As I write this, the winter program convoy is underway to Kingston for the weekend. Our early-morning venture is a result of a massive winter storm th...

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Ahoy fellow Bytown Brigantiners! The story I am about to tell you is my first notable sea story aboard “Fair Jeanne”. It was the late ...

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By Jason McNaught Program Director, Bytown Brigantine As the ship tossed itself up the steep chop building quickly off the coast of Toronto, a numbe...

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Well, folks, this concludes our first edition of “Looking Aloft” since 2009. I wish to thank our trainees, officers, and parents for their written submissions and pictures that form this edition. Due to volume, articles submitted but not published this time will appear in future editions.

Bytown Brigantine Inc. is very proud to have a newspaper again. Due to heavy work load in the head office, and our enlarged and extensive programs, there was not time to keep up a newspaper. Some of these new programs are kayaking and SCUBA diving, which have been well received, as well as the extended winter program.

This past year we welcomed two English trainees, Viki Lough and Edward Bennett, and sent our own Christine Chesterman to Ireland for her Irish Sea voyage to Scotland aboard the “John Laing”. Christine will be our new Captain of “Black Jack” for 2012.

This summer season will see our Great Lakes program taking place in re-enactments of the American/Canadian War of 1812. More information will be forthcoming in future issues.

This newspaper will be published on our website. However, one issue per year (probably the Christmas issue) will possibly be printed as a newspaper, as in previous editions.

So keep the stories coming, either fact or fiction, along with pictures and we will include them in Looking Aloft.

As your new editor, I wish you all a good season to come, and a fair wind and following sea!

John H. Grahame
Editor
January, 2012

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