Ground breaking ceremony at Dartmouth Yacht Club
Aug 9, 2017
photos Credit: Rob Dunbar
Rob Dunbar sent us the report from DYC.
As we celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday there is also much to celebrate in the revitalization of Halifax. On the weekend that tall ships visit Halifax as part of Rendezvous 2017 our waterfront looks like a forest of masts from a bygone era that celebrates Nova Scotia’s most prosperous time. The age of sail.
While 30 tall ships line the waterfront one just needs to look a little further down the harbour to see the first section of the Arctic patrol vessels currently being manufactured at the Irving shipyard as part of the new multi-million-dollar shipbuilding contract which will hopefully catapult our economy to stand at par with Canada’s financial centres. Our past is meeting our future!
Is Commodore Stephen Whitefield and Peter Douglass break ground
Members of the Dartmouth Yacht Club had an unofficial kick off to tall ships weekend with a ground-breaking ceremony for our much-anticipated new clubhouse DYC had its own tall ship come in in the form of Peter Douglass, at age 97 and the Club’s only remaining Founding Member who broke ground. In true NS fashion, the ceremony began with a solitary bagpiper.
As the pipes began to breathe the membership followed the melody to the new site of construction
Is Club manager Dan Gallina standing architectural concept of the new clubhouse
“Good evening and congratulations to Commodore Whitefield his executive members and guests of the Dartmouth Yacht Club. On more than one occasion I have had the privilege of saying a few words on the history of the Dartmouth Yacht Club. But today the sod turning ceremony tops them all. From our beginning in a small bare log cabin to the fantastic edifice that will soon stand here for the sailing community of Dartmouth and NS and for Eastern Canada.
As I sail away into the past all you “lucky” members sail into the future knowing that good management and planning by Rob Taylor, Stephen Whitefield and the past Commodores, our beautiful active ladies, our junior program and ground staff has successfully brought us to this amazing point in time.
The future is not ours to see but in five years we celebrate 60 years to seafarers and I trust the membership will have reason to remember this sterling event again”
After the ceremony, the membership congregated in the clubhouse that has served them well for many decades to join in a toast to celebrate the future. Toastmaster and Trustee Paul Downing lead the toast marking a day that has been in the making for 9 years. Thanking all passed committees and commodores during the ongoing endeavour we all raised a glass as “……we sail to new destinations.”
-Rob Dunbar
