January to April Speakers for Shellbacks
Dec 5, 2019
The 86th Shellback year continues with these presentations:
January 8th: Melodie Ridge: will tell us of her time spent aboard as crew on the Southern Ocean Leg of the Clipper around the World Race.
January 15th: Sue and Dave Williams will share the story that Sue wrote about in Ready to Come About, a compelling memoir of an improbable adventure on the high seas.
January 22nd: Mary-Margaret McMahon, Director of Community at Sidewalk Labs, and Kate Festeryga will join us from SIDEWALK LABS, to speak about the master-planned community that is currently being planned for twelve acres of the Toronto Waterfront.
January 29th: Richard Hudson joins us for the second time this year to speak about his experiences Sailing Newfoundland.
February 5th: Were you aware of the Metro Marine Modellers, the oldest model boat club in Ontario? David Allesbrook, Sail Captain of that club, will describe the many opportunities for folks to enjoy this hobby – designing, building, racing and preserving all types and sizes of model ships, boats and craft.
February 12th: Paul Henderson, has agreed to provide us with a video of ‘Maiden’, the tale of the first all-woman crew to sail the Whitbread Round the World Race; it thrills and educates.
February 19th: Ron and Pam Mazza will share their recent adventures in Vietnam and Hanoi.
February 26th: Rob Mazza returns again this year. He has documented his Tour of the Canadian War Memorials at Vimy, Beaumont, Hamel, Dieppe and Juno Beach, the Five Canadian Pilgrims in Northern France.
March 4th: Sally & Noel Lien recently sailed the English Channel to visit the South Coast of England and also took a side trip to Turkey. They will, inimically share their impressions and thoughts about their journeys.
March 11th: Angus Armstrong, Harbourmaster Emeritas, will give us an update on the status of the plans for the Waterfront of Toronto, including plans for the mouth of the Don River.
March 18th: TBA
March 25th: Gerri Staples takes us back to the mountains with her story of Trekking Machu Pichu.
April 1st: Aubrey and Judith Millard speak of their adventures sailing The Med.
April 8th: Chris Hope takes us to the Atlantic Leg of the Volvo 60 Around the World Race.
April 15th: Bill Hutton had a harrowing trip in the race from Bermuda to Rhode Island. He will tell of his thrilling / frightening experience.
About Shellbacks
The Shellback Club is celebrating its 86th year and, as usual, we have selected speakers presenting a wide range of nautical and maritime topics and sometimes outdoor adventures.
The Shellback Club officially started in February 1934 and met at Eileen Bradley’s Tea House on Adelaide Street but had its roots earlier. Starting in 1924, some of the crews of large racing sailboats from RCYC met weekly in the summer to organize crew duties.
By 1934, these crew meetings had morphed into The Shellback Club as other sailors from Clubs in the area liked the idea of sharing lunch and sailing lore…and even singing a shanty.
To be “Shellback” today only requires attending a lunch meeting and joining everyone in singing a sea shanty.
Website: http://shellbacks.weebly.com/ Many thanks to Ron Jenkins for creating and maintaining our website. Well done, Ron! Look here for our speakers, history, current updates. Ron now also videotapes most of our speakers, so if you miss one, you may go to the website to watch the session.
Location: The location, as in past years, is the RCYC at 141 St George Street at Prince Arthur (West exit of the St. George TTC station). The walk-in entrance to the Club is off Prince Arthur. Our sessions are held in the main dining room.
Timing: We start promptly at 1215 hours and finish about 1330 – 1345 hours. The guest speaker starts about 1245 hours.
Come early to enjoy the company and a beverage. All the usual beverages are available at Club prices.
Seating and Dress: There are no prearranged tables and dress is mostly smart casual.
Costs: Lunch costs this year – $26.25 including all taxes and service. Lunch is 3 courses of soup or salad, a main dish, desert and tea or coffee.
We suggest $2 for the Dory, which includes a ticket to win, if you’re lucky, a nautical book in the weekly book draw. There are no initiation fees.
Once a year, we suggest a $20 contribution to pay for basic communication costs and the minimal costs of operation. Funds not needed each year are donated to local youth sailing charities.
Guests: Guests are always welcome. Membership at the RCYC is not necessary and confirmation regarding attendance is not required for Shellbacks or guests. Come when the spirit or the topic moves you but come often!
Meeting Dates: This coming New Year (2020) we meet from January 8th and continue Wednesdays through April 15th.
