The Vancouver Island Chapter has been meeting at Royal Victoria Yacht Club for many years: the VI Fleet group meets at RVYC; RVYC is part of the Cooperative Education Program organized by the VI Chapter; and BCA has even held its annual AGM at Royal Vic. But this was the first year that the BCA Commodore was invited to attend Opening Day on Saturday, April 25, 2015, thanks to some gentle nudging behind the scenes by VI Fleet Watchkeepers Peter McMartin and Connie Morahan.
BCA Burgees
And so it was that I attended this very formal occasion on behalf of BCA, and was introduced, along with all the other visiting Commodores from various yacht clubs. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, we boarded Cookie Cutter, raised the Commodore and VI Fleet Watchkeeper burgees, and joined the on-the-water procession to pay respects to the RVYC Commodore, Andrew McBride. The Chaplain to the Fleet said a blessing for each boat and sprayed us with holy water – one beer-bottle-full per boat.
Blessing of Cookie Cutter and her crew
After a brief sail, we returned to the docks for socializing and a BBQ dinner. It was a great occasion – the 123rd Opening Day in RVYC history – and another opportunity for us to promote BCA.
Currents PDFs
Congratulations Jennifer. It is great to see association and collaboration between clubs. Great work.