Shellbacks Report and Programming

Richard Birchall

Jan 24, 2019

Annual Moosemilk event at Mimico Cruising Club

Richard Birchall leading the carols

The Shellbacks Club of Toronto started their Christmas season with their annual Moosemilk luncheon. Gathering at Mimico Cruising Club, the Shellbacks had a delicious meal complemented by moose milk (egg nog and rum) and other Christmas delicacies. The buffet and dessert table that Mimico put out was spectacular.

The Moosemilk Luncheon is also the time for sailors and friends to catch up on the season just finished and to look forward to the time when boats are again on the water. A raffle of sailing items and a door prize raised money for the Scholarship Fund for the Naval Officers’ Association of Canada. This year the Shellbacks collected $500 that was matched by a Shellback member.

In the Shellback tradition, Richard Birchall and Al Rae Jr. led the carol-singing diners in lusty versions of Frosty the Snowman, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and other seasonal favorites. Thanks to Shellback skipper, Dianne Leggatt, and the other organizers for putting together yet another great year of speaker luncheons and events. At the end of the lunch the Shellbacks were ready to head off to the upcoming holiday season.

Moosemilk LuncheonThe 85th Shellback year presentations for 2019:

January 30th: John O’Dwyer, engineer, professor and Irishman extraordinaire, will present a humorous romp through Irish History (including St. Brendon’s Sailing to America).

February 6th: Martha Henderson, will share her experiences with Disabled Sailing in Toronto

February 13th: Rob Mazza joins us once again, this time to review the Inductions into the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame.

February 20th: Bob Medland, long-time Shellback, returns to present the tale of Being ‘Holed’ en Route to Bermuda aboard Monterey.

February 27th: TBA

ShellbacksMarch 6th: We will hear of exciting Olympic Experiences with Martha Henderson, when she returns within a month of her last appearance at Shellbacks.
March 13th, 20th, 27th: TBA

April 3rd: Captain Jim Pound joins us to share his Adventures on the Nile.

April 10th: Aubrey & Judith Millard will be in town to regale us with another part of their Living the Dream series, this time Part 2 Caribbean Cruising – Cuba to Grenada

April 17th: Paul Henderson Pontificates, in his unique manner, about his many years in the sailing world, including observations about the Olympics (past and future).

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