BBI Scuttlebutt: What’s happening at Bytown Brigantine.

Summer Program Online Registration Open

2010-02-08T15:50:00.002-05:00

I've finished the first few changes I have planned for the website. The Summer Program Online Registration has been changed so that you can sign up for more than one camp or voyage at a time. That said, if you notice strange behaviour on the website, or have comments or suggestions, please email them to webmaster (at) tallshipsadventure.org.

Don't forget that there is a 20% discount if you sign up for more than one camp or voyage or if you register more than one participant from the same family. Also, if you pay before the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) comes into effect in Ontario you'll save a bit there too, so sign up now.

Updates to the Website

2010-02-05T09:05:00.001-05:00

If you've been checking this blog the last few days you may have noticed some changes. I've finally gotten around to fixing up the template. It's not perfect but it is better than it was. That said, if you notice strange things happening on this website in the next while and they don't get fixed in a day or two please send me an email at Webmaster [at] tallshipsadventure.org

Thanks,
Don Booker
Volunteer Webmaster

Winter Program Activities

2010-02-03T19:12:00.005-05:00

January 30 & 31, 2010

This past Bytown weekend kicked off with an early morning of shop work for some and CYA Coastal Navigation for others, and by lunchtime there were two spars with a fresh coating of Cetol and several sailors who were ready to plot positions off of anything they could find. The afternoon was more shop work for everyone, and by the time dinner rolled around everyone was ready to kick back and relax...with a trip to the bowling alley. No final tally of points was taken, but without a doubt the youth sailors swept the game.

Sunday started out even earlier than the previous day, with the majority of the junior crew vying for first in the days level training game of Flagtionary. For the rest, the struggle to put the course yard back together was more than enough work to occupy the hours between breakfast and lunch.

After lunch Albert Rolf, one of our volunteers, came into the shop to give a small engine repair class. We started off with some troubleshooting possibilities that could happen on our outboard engines which we use every day at the island, from the whalers to the small dinghies. We also learned about both types of outboard engines which we use, for example a two-stroke versus a four-stroke. We then split up into smaller groups and had to get our hands dirty! We changed the oil, spark plugs, gaskets, and any other miscellaneous parts that needed to be fixed or changed. Michael Rolf and his group dissected an older engine nicknamed the (justeeter vanwolvin) to try to bring it back to life, one more time. After many laughs and a small quiz, we ended another great weekend at Bytown!! Can't wait for the next one :)

Justin Thibault and Sophie Wolvin

Alumni Updates Needed

2010-01-25T15:53:00.002-05:00

Hi there everyone,

Happy New Year to you all, I hope 2010 has been good to everyone and you are not working too hard. Over the past month or so I have run into a number of you and have enjoyed hearing where you are and what you have been up to. BBI alumni are everywhere! It’s so crazy! Our alumni are doing everything from owning their own restaurants, working on helicopters, sailing in the Navy or Coast Guard, as social workers or working for all levels of government. Whatever BBI crew are doing, they seem to be excelling in their field and look back at their days at BBI with fond memories (most of ‘em, anyway J ).

I am writing with two things in mind; first is a remainder that we are looking for a quick write up about yourself and what you are doing now…and how your time at BBI might have helped you along the way. We would like to have your submission by February 5, 2010.

The email list that I have is very limited as the contacts we have here in the office for some of you have long become obsolete. Could you please send this email to anyone who used to be a part of the program and spread the word that we are looking for any and all alumni to touch base and let us know what they have been up to and how BBI might have helped them along the way.

The second thing I was thinking is that we should organize a BBI alumni reunion. I am not sure how many of you would be interested in that, but please let me know what you think. We tried to have an alumni sail, but it seems like it might be better to simply start with some kind of dinner or lunch as everyone is busy these days and people have a difficult time committing a whole weekend. Please let me know what you think as I know we are all growing up, getting real life jobs, getting married, getting divorced, having kids etc…but I think it would be nice to spend an evening with our old shipmates and catch up.

I sincerely hope to hear from all of you soon!

Cheers,
Mary

Super times at BBI

2009-12-17T11:44:00.003-05:00

Today we took the dingy to an underground parking garage. We had some trouble with the wiring but it eventually worked out. Last weekend we took Black Jack's course yard down to bare wood and began to refinish it.

Fair Jeanne Main Engine

2009-12-08T12:08:00.003-05:00

After much prperation the Fair Jeanne main engine was removed yesterday with out too much trouble. It was certainly exciting to see the large engine fit through the tiny hatch that was the engine room sky light.

Google Search Changed

2009-12-02T12:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, so it seems the problem is that Google changed the SOAP based search API to an Ajax based API. I'll fix that after the marketing strategy session we are having this weekend. Chances are I'll have a whole bunch of other stuff about the website to fix.

Meanwhile, if you've got a question about our ships or our programs feel free to email info@tallshipsadventure.org or call the office at 613-596-6258.

If you have comments or suggestions for the Bytown Brigantine website, please feel free to email me at webmaster@tallshipsadventure.org

Thanks.

Search is broken

2009-11-23T19:14:00.003-05:00

Ok, how come nobody told me the search feature is broken?
'Your Google query for '...' returned no results.'

Yeah, ok, I'll admit I don't use the search feature on our site either. It's in the wrong place after all. It's supposed to be in the top right corner. I'll have to fix that too. Well, there may be a bunch more changes to the website after the Marketing Planning Meeting at Bytown Brigantine HQ on December 5.

A webmaster's work is never done. Sort of like being a bosun.

December 2009 issue of Sail Magazine- Fair Jeanne is on Page 39

2009-11-18T09:02:00.002-05:00

Chrs Patterson sent in a message today letting us know that there is a beautiful picture of Fair Jeanne on page 39 on teh December issue of Sail Magazine. If you get a chance to check it out we would love to see a copy.

Summer 2010 Dates Posted

2009-11-17T20:57:00.002-05:00

The dates and fees for the Summer 2010 Black Jack and Island Adventure Camps and Fair Jeanne Voyages have been posted on the Dates and Fees page. Please keep in mind that we have only just put the ships away for the winter, the Winter Program is gearing up, and a lot can happen between now and next summer. Thus, these dates are subject to change without notice, but we know Mary is doing her best to keep Bytown Brigantine activities on the straight and narrow course and won't change these dates unless we have to.

Weekend Work Party

2009-11-17T11:49:00.002-05:00

Kate Van Welter and Justin Thibault ran a very successful work party over the weekend. They had a very eager group of volunteers helping them all weekend. Everyone's spriits remaind high even though mother nature was really throwing a couple of curve balls with the weather. Thanks to everyone who came out it is wonderful to see such a dedicated group of young people pull together to get the job done.

Well done and thanks again to everyone who helped out.

Fair Jeanne Summer 2009- by Christine Chesterman

2009-11-11T12:47:00.003-05:00

Port Highlights 2009

Summer 2009's voyage to Canada's east coast was quite a change from Fair Jeanne's usual haunt, Lake Ontario. From sea breeze and salt-water deck scrubs to 20-foot tides and 6m waves, the ocean was an exhilarating (and occasionally nauseating) experience for everyone. Along the way we visited ports of all sizes on the shores of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, each one a different experience.

Portneuf, QC
A small town on the St. Lawrence which served as a shelter for us to wait out gale-force wind warnings near Quebec City, our original destination. Here is where many of the crew first experienced tides – after a half-hour of frantic line-easing, some of the more tide-experienced crew revealed that slacking the lines after the ship was secured would allow the lines to tend themselves. Good lesson. Our handy American taught the ship's company how to wrap old fire hoses to the mooring lines to protect them from chafing on the dock when the tide went out.

Rimouski, QC
Exposed docks are bad.
(Return trip: Extremely foggy)

Caraquet, NB
A quiet fishing town, our first truly salt-water port. We docked late ate night, greeted by a sheltered dock and the bizarre sight of two lit-up tallships in cradles up on the neighbouring breakwater. Caraquet also featured a beautiful cliff-lined beach, an armada of jellyfish, and a marina with amazing showers (give or take some drainage difficulties).

Port Hawkesbury, NS
Taking the Straight of Canso from the Gulf of St. Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean leads mariners through this small shipping town. While the town itself is tiny, we learned from the friendly locals that Port Hawkesbury is actually the second biggest port in Canada based on tonnage!

Halifax, NS
The host of the main event, Tall Ships Festival 2009! Here, 42 tall and tall-ish ships gathered to celebrate the tradition of tall ship sailing, the end of an Atlantic Challenge race leg, and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Navy Dockyard in Halifax. That's a lot for one festival! The celebrations ran for four days, during which time ships were open for deck tours. Crew and trainees were able to explore other tall ships, meet sailors from around the world, compare experiences and swap stories with the other crews. The city hosted a variety of crew events and dinners, as well as several nights of spectacular fireworks. On an eerily misty morning we bid farewell to our fantastic trainees who had voyaged all the way from southern Ontario with us, and welcomed new crew who would travel with us to the Nova Scotian outports. The festival came to a glorious conclusion with the Parade of Sail around Halifax harbour, with all ships lining up and flaunting full canvas for the excited crowds on shore.

Port Hawkesbury, NS: Take 2
Our second visit to this port was part of a series of smaller tall ship festivals taking place around Nova Scotia. We docked in company with the tall ships the Roseway, the Picton Castle, and the Pride of Baltimore II, who would be visiting most of the same north shore ports as us. With only four ships, it was a great opportunity to get to know the other crews better. We found that we had a lot in common with the Roseway, a schooner from the British Virgin Islands dedicated to youth education and sail training. One evening saw sailors from Pride and Picton Castle bring instruments aboard, sparking a sea shanty evening on the aft deck for the entire ship's company.

Sydney, NS
After a wet but scenic trip though the Bras D'Ors Lakes, we re-entered the ocean for the short stretch to Sydney. The calm, misty morning quickly became pitching seas worse than those we'd faced on the way to Halifax. Lunch was partially abandoned into a make-it-yourself-project in a sink for those still inclined to eat, while a line was strung across the wardroom to keep people from meeting intimately with the octagon table. Loose items and breakables were stowed away, but a crash from belowdecks indicated that the wardroom chandelier and the deckhead were not on good terms in this weather. The Sydney festival was a bigger affair, with the Amistad, Mist of Avalon, and Theodore II (the tugboat) joining as well. During deck tours we visited the Picton Castle, which stocks traditional seamanship supplies such as needles, wooden fids, and marlinspikes, and proceeded to empty our wallets and stock our diddy bags. Volunteers were available to drive us into town, so some of the crew were able to enjoy a movie at the cinema, while down at the dock a Cape Breton band held a free concert.

Pictou, NS
In Pictou we said farewell to the volunteers who sailed with us from Halifax and welcomed a small new group of trainees. The morning consisted of introductions and in-house routine, while the afternoon gave the new trainees a chance to see the other ships before our departure early the next morning. Pictou has a long, beautiful waterfront which which showcases its Scottish heritage. A few minutes from the tall ships' dock, a replica of the Hector, the famous ship that carried the first Scottish immigrants to Nova Scotia, is docked as a piece of living history. Pictou is also home to a lobster farm, a great fish'n'chip place, and a lot of jellyfish, one of which spent the afternoon being thoroughly examined in a bucket on the aft deck.

Charlottetown, PEI
As a break from the Nova Scotian ports, Fair Jeanne took a quick pit stop to PEI and spent the night in Charlottetown at the most peculiar dock we've ever encountered. Little soundboxes in all the lampposts emitted predatory animal noises at frequent intervals, presumably to keep seagulls away from the dock. As a result, a chorus of eagle cries and barking sea otters kept people sleeping on the port side company through the night.

Pugwash, NS
The last port in the TSNS festival, Pugwash had a packed schedule planned for locals and ships. The beautiful red sand beaches were fantastic for a bonfire the first night there and dory racing the next day. A local man had organized teams of two to race, and even let us borrow a dory for some much-needed practice beforehand. Fair Jeanne stepped up and entered three teams, even winning women's first place against the Picton Castle! What can we say, Bytown girls do it better. On our final night, the Picton Castle hosted a party to celebrate the the end of the 2009 festival in style. We said our goodbyes to new friends among the other crews, as we would all be leaving for separate destinations in the morning.

Summerside, PEI
In Summerside we were greeted by costumed islanders who welcomed us quite officially and presented our cook with an enormous sack of PEI potatoes. Summerside had a fantastic waterfront to explore and a rec centre further into town where we had a great time swimming. The second night there, the city hosted a wonderful seafood dinner for everyone, complete with a ritual to make us all official “Spud Islanders.” Not as simple as it sounds! The ritual involves racing each other in a potato sack while holding a potato, drinking a glass of apple juice, and then kissing your potato before you can become an honorary islander. After the dinner and events, we were very lucky to receive a tour of the Marine Training Centre where everyone had the chance to helm virtual tugboats and tankers, the setup used to teach aspiring captains and mates for the real world.

Miramichi, NB
The dock here featured the masts and rig of a bark sunk into concrete, rather confusing to dock next to at night. Here we said goodbye to our trainees, restocked for the next voyage (made easier by the generosity of a local dealership, who lent us a car!), and had a dinner with the city mayor and other officials. The next day we greeted the new trainees who would be with us all the way to Montreal and set sail for Gaspe.

Gaspe, QC
We reached the city just after dawn and spotted masts at the dock... another fake boat? But no, it was instead the Pride of Baltimore II and the Arctic research ship Sedna IV. Once alongside, we held Tallships Olympics between watches to get the trainees to practice some of their new nautical skills. During the day the water became too rough for deck tours, so we took the chance to do some sanding and cetoling on Fair Jeanne's brightwork. When off-watch, we were able to explore the area, which was quite stunning, but a long walk from the town. That evening we hosted a delicious barbecue on board for the crew of Pride and learned that they would be sailing in the same direction as us the next day, but bound for Montreal while we would be stopping in Quebec City.

Quebec City, QC
In Quebec we docked in the Louise Basin, which was right next to the bustling old city, and also meant no worrying about tides or freighter wakes in the night. During the day, watches worked to make the boat look sharp for the upcoming festival in Montreal. Off-watch groups explored the old city, took in the busker's festival, talked their way into a personal tour of the Citadel, and made the trek out to the Fields of Abraham. In the evening we were all a little mystified when hordes of people crowded the city side of the basin, many with lawn chairs, apparently waiting for something. The obvious answer would have been fireworks, but instead, the huge warehouse on the other side of the basin was lit up by a bizarre yet spectacular video celebrating Quebec's 400th anniversary.

Sorel-Tracy, QC
We stopped here on our second-last night to have the end-of-voyage dinner and ship's concert. Everyone got creative with costumes, McLaren produced a meal of epic proportions (and correspondingly epic dishes), and everyone pitched in for, dare I say it, an epic galley clean-up. After dinner we held ship's concert on the aft deck, which included some hilarious skits, all sorts of music, a few unexpected buckets of water, and ended with the rigging song and dessert. Definitely a memorable evening.

Montreal, QC
In Montreal we were a part of the Antique Boat Festival, with a great dock downtown that we shared with a classic wooden powerboat. Here we were struck by the sad end-of-summer feeling as we said goodbye not only to our great trainees, but also to some of the crew and to our officers-in-training, many of whom had been with us since the beginning of July. The Boat Festival was a success, though a little quiet for Fair Jeanne as she wasn't docked with most of the other boats. After the weekend, we were joined by our new trainees for the last session of the summer season.

Morrisburg, ON
We took advantage of the park here to have a great night of Capture the Flag, Manhunt, and link-tag! In the morning we took a trip to nearby Upper Canada Village to see a (different) traditional way of life. Some of the girls even managed to borrow period costumes and take the fantastic picture which won the official Bytown UCV photo competition with flying colours.

Brockville, ON
It felt strange to see a familiar waterfront as Fair Jeanne docked in her spot on Blockhouse Island. We'd been to the east coast and back again, and were now officially home. Stepping onto the dock we'd left two months before, it felt like we'd been gone forever and yet no time at all. We greeted parents onshore, finished happy hour and last-minute levels, then said goodbye to our energetic trainees, all of whom had stepped up to the challenge of sailing the 'big kids' boat.

And that, believe it or not, is just a small part of Fair Jeanne's summer. What's missing is all the adventure on the water in between ports, but you'll just have to come along sometime to experience that part!

Pancake Breakfast

2009-11-10T09:19:00.001-05:00

COME ONE, COME ALL!

To BBI’s Annual Pancake Breakfast!

On December 20th, BBI is hosting their yummiest annual event. This is a time to bring everyone who likes pancakes- your family, friends, neighbour or even Santa if you know him. The eating gets underway @ 10:00am and we’ll be flipping hot cakes for a solid two hours until noon.

All funds raised will go to help offset the cost of the winter program.

Cost for the Pancake Breakfast is $7.00- it’s all you can eat.

So Fair Winds and Following Seas sailors- hopefully you’ll set a course for the BBI Office on Dec. 20th. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Reserve your spot by calling or emailing the office (payment is at the door)

Mary Acton-Bond
Ph 613 596 6258
Fax 613 596 4335
mary@tallshipsadventure.org

Getting on with Winter...Brrrr...

2009-11-03T18:07:00.002-05:00

The people at BBI will soon be flying off to Cleveland to attend the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) conference. Right now the Black Jack has been winterized and she is awaiting her cover before the snow fall (hopefully). The Fair Jeanne is resting at her dry dock berth in the Rideau locks in downtown Ottawa and will also be covered soon. Putting both these ships to bed each winter is a lot of work and I hope that sometime soon the Fair Jeanne will be able to set sail south once again- to warmth, sandy beaches and palm trees. The Black Jack won't be finding palm trees on her stretch of the Ottawa River anytime soon, but she's a lot easier to put to bed for the winter. Fair Jeanne, on the other hand, was broken into no less than 4 times last winter, despite the fact that we have a security system onboard. It became a regular routine last year to get a call in the middle of the night, hurry as fast as we could down the highway and meet the police...but unfortunately, we were usually there before the police arrived...in our very intimidating pajamas and small jelly-bean shaped car- a force to be reckoned with!

We are hiring our crew for the 2010 sailing season this month. I expect a lot of crew to return and I am glad- because they are great at what they do. It's a rare combination to be good sailors and good teachers, but they have what it takes.

Great Lake Swimmers Music Video

2009-10-29T20:20:00.004-04:00

Fair Jeanne is in the newest Great Lake Swimmers music video Palmistry that was shot earlier this fall. Check it out here:

Accepting Applications for 2010 Crew Positions

2009-10-15T17:53:00.002-04:00

Bytown Brigantine will be accepting resumes for crew for the 2010 sailing season until the 13th of November, 2009. We will be conducting the hiring throughout November and into the beginning of December. We will be making our final crew selection before the New Year.

Please send your resumes and cover letters to Jason or myself. Resumes can be sent by mail to
Bytown Brigantine
2700 Queensview Dr
Ottawa, ON
K2B 8H6

Or email to:
mary (at) tallshipsadventure.org
Jason (at) tallshipsadventure.org

Or by fax to: 613-596-4335

Please pass along this email to anyone else that you know who would be interested in applying for a crew position next summer.

Hope to see you at the banquet. Sincerely,

Mary Acton-Bond
Foundation Manager
Bytown Brigantine Inc.
Phone: 613-596-6258
Fax: 613-596-4335
Email: mary (at) tallshipsadventure.org

Bytown Update

2009-10-07T11:08:00.002-04:00

It has been quite a while since we have updated the blog but that is not because we haven't been busy! The Annual Golf Tournament was hosted on Monday September 28th and despite the rain and cold weather all our players were enthusiastic and great sports! A trip for 2 to any WestJet destination was raffled off to one lucky winner!

Black Jack and Fair Jeanne have been hosting a number of weekend programs for different groups. Thad Koza was able to board our ships and take a number of beautiful photos that will be in the tall ship calendars. I will attach few of those photos at the end of this entry.

In other BBI news, Fair Jeanne will be coming up to Ottawa this weekend at she ends her summer season anyone who would like to help please contact the office.

As a final reminder, the Annual Awards Banquet is rapidly approaching and will be held on October 23 at the BYC. For tickets please e-mail the office.

Fair Winds!

Sea Cadets on Black Jack

2009-09-08T16:20:00.002-04:00

The Black Jack hosted a very successful weekend with the Carleton Place Sea Cadets along the Ottawa River. The weather was great and the kids were even better!

We look forward to another fabulous weekend next week with the same group.

Tonight Fair Jeanne is hosting an evening sail with the Boys and Girls Club of Brockville.

Fair Winds!

Great Lake Swimmers

2009-09-04T09:40:00.004-04:00

The Great Lake Swimmers shot a music video aboard the Fair Jeanne on Monday so we thought we would share a couple photos of the day!

Sail on!

Fair Jeanne August 26

2009-08-26T13:33:00.003-04:00

Fair Jeanne spent the night alongside at the Crysler Park Marina in Morrisburg last night. A large game of Capture the flag was played before quiche was served for dinner. Following that everyone participated in the Tall Ship Olympics.

This morning after breakfast and happy hour the trainees and crew made their way to Upper Canada Village where they toured the village and bought an enormous amount of bread that they will enjoy for tonight's supper. The plan right now is to have the ship's concert while anchored somewhere near Prescott and if the weather holds out perhaps even a night sail.

This program has gone by very quickly! It will end tomorrow afternoon in Brockville at the Blockhouse Island Dock.

Fair Winds!

Fair Jeanne August 25

2009-08-25T13:47:00.002-04:00

Fair Jeanne is underway and making her way towards Morrisburg. She should be alongside around 1700hrs. Yesterday she went through several different lock systems while the trainees practiced setting and dousing some of the sails.

The plan for tomorrow is a trip to Upper Canada Village before getting underway for a night sail.

Sail on!

Fair Jeanne has new trainees sign aboard!

2009-08-24T08:49:00.002-04:00

The Fair Jeanne said a fond farewell to the trainees upon arrival in Montreal after a 15 day voyage from Miramichi. The boat was participating in the Montreal Classic Boat Festival so she with the help of some a of crew and a few volunteers spent the weekend doing deck tours. It sounds like the event was a great success!

Yesterday afternoon a new group of youth trainees joined the ship for a voyage that will take the ship back to Brockville where it all began this summer. The crew took the new trainees through a very informative in house lesson and then everyone settled down to watch a acrobatic routine by voile spectacle around twenty thirty.

Fair Jeanne got underway around 0600 this morning.

Fair Winds, and don't forget to check twitter to see what the boats are up to! www.twitter.com/bytownbrig

Black Jack Update

2009-08-20T12:11:00.004-04:00

Black Jack anchored overnight last night in Buckam's Bay. This morning they woke to cloudy skies and a new head delivered for the Captain's Cabin. After breakfast and happy hour a game of pins and cleats was started but interrupted by rain.

The Ship got underway to Quyon where Petty Officer Schilt docked the boat for the first time! Congratulations Schilt!! The Game of pins and cleats continued while Tremblay cooked up some Mac and Cheese for lunch. This afternoon everyone will go ashore for some shore leave.

Sail on!

Update from the Island

2009-08-19T10:27:00.002-04:00

Ahoy from Black Jack,

Yesterday's camp started out bright and early in Quyon as it always does. We have a full ship a excited trainees. The afternoon consisted of mostly in-house lessons followed by a game of man hunt. Supper was then served. After dinner once it was dark, there was a haunted walk of the island where apparently not many trainees were spooked. The night came to a close with a camp fire.

Today after happy hour there will be a swim test in Buckam's Bay followed by an afternoon of sailing on Black Jack around the River.

Don't forget to check twitter for updates throughout the day at www.twitter.com/bytownbrig

Fair Winds!

Fair Jeanne August 17

2009-08-17T09:39:00.002-04:00

Fair Jeanne left Quebec City yesterday around 0930 and spent most of the day sailing and doing sailing drills--even the OT's got to call setting and dousing.

They made Portneuf around 1830. Today the plan is to get underway and make it to Trois Rivieres and anchor for ship's concert.

Sail on!