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Volume 14 No. 11
As we come upon the three busiest summer weeks of the year, a couple of things to keep uppermost in one’s mind – as one boat’s around the bay.
1. PLEASE TURN ON your boat lights by dusk so OTHERS can see you as darkness approaches, Boats without lights are a tragic accident waiting to happen.
2. Thank you for slowing down in the Station Channel – it has made a big difference!
3. If you have a large, and therefore heavier boat, such as a Limestone or Grady White or the like, remember that your wake is HUGE, is quite forceful, and can
- create an undue danger to those in canoes and other small boats,
- create a danger to those getting in and out of boats while the wake hits the docks
- cause damage to boats tied at docks in the more narrow channels so please steer clear of docks with boats tied up. The force is enough to do damage!
We would suggest that especially the bigger boats steer clear of docks in narrow channels when they are safely able to take a wider berth from those docks.
Our summer weather has finally arrived…blue skies, warm sun, and beautiful sunsets. Enjoy!!!
Lastly please remember that at the bottom of the eBlasts are many linked logos connecting you to various organizations around the Bay!
In this eBlast:
JULY
- Jr Regatta – July 23rd – 9 a.m.
- Sunday PaBIA Sail Race – July 24th at 11 a.m.
- Sr Regatta 2022 – July 30th – 11 a.m.
- On the Water Coaching – with Randy Johnson July 27th
- LEARN TO SAIL Clinic on July 24
- GBLT Chat on the Dock July 21
AUGUST
- PaBIA Annual Blueberry Pancake Breakfast & AGM – MONDAY, August 1st @ 9:00 a.m.
- Babysitters WANTED for 9:15-11 am at PaBIA’s AGM
- Ojibway Club Art Show 2022
- Emmaline Madigan – Celebrating 50 Years at the PaB Lighthouse – SAVE THE DATE 8.20.22
- Derelict Dock Day – Saturday, August 25 – We Need Your Help!
OF INTEREST
- Meet Proposed New PaBIA Directors – Cath Fairlie, Katie Findlay, Trudy Irvine
- Welcome New GBA Representative – Laura Fischer Dodge
- MP – Training with the Britt Coast Guard
- Dock Spiders, by Trudy Irvine, Education Committee
- Get Caught in your PFD Contest: Always On Always Safe – win a grill!
- Literally on the Bay by Charlotte Stein, Parry Sound Books
- GBA Update
- Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels – July 18, 2022
- Yearbook Update 2022 as of July 14
July 2022 Activities
On-the-Water Boat Maneuverability Coaching
with Randy Johnson, Certified Power Squadron Trainer &
PaBIA Chair of Fire & Boat Safety Committee
NEXT Wednesday- July 27 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Sign-Up NOW at MP Office or Ojibway Club Office!
Sailing Race SUNDAY, July 24th at 11 a.m.
July Series Races 7 & 8
2:00 pm Course:
Open or Ojibway Bay – depending on weather.
11:00 a.m.
Please be in touch with Margie Wheler, our PaBIA Sailing Commodore, should you want to learn more!
THIRD PaBIA Sailing Clinic – THIS Sunday, July 24th
Register NOW!
Weekend PaBIA Sailing Clinics at the Ojibway Club is a new program that allows people to get better at sailing in a stress-free and fun atmosphere.
Sign up by Thursday for this Saturday’s Clinic! Registration is now open for the PaBIA Sailing Clinics at the Ojibway. Sign up today! Contact Margie Wheler with questions!
PaBIA
Looking for PaBIA Social Media Support
Margaret Berton, our PaBIA Social Media Chair, has done a great job getting us running on all cylinders this summer – to keep everyone connected to PaBIA and all the events and happenings around PaB through Facebook and Instagram! Hope you’ve seen some of her posts!
She is looking for support from someone to work alongside her to be sure that we all stay connected. Might you be interested or one of your young adult kids want to get involved and use their social media skills to help Margaret and PaBIA? It’s a GREAT way to develop a skill and get involved!!
Second PaBIA Sailing Clinic – THIS Saturday, July 16th
Register NOW!
Weekend PaBIA Sailing Clinics at the Ojibway Club is a new program that allows people to get better at sailing in a stress-free and fun atmosphere.
Sign up by Thursday for this Saturday’s Clinic! Registration is now open for the PaBIA Sailing Clinics at the Ojibway. Sign up today! Contact Margie Wheler with questions!
Visit with the Georgian Bay Land Trust
July 21st
On Thursday, July 21st from 11 am-2 pm, Janet Brough of the Georgian Bay Land Trust will be on the Ojibway Club dock to visit with members and talk about all things conservation. Stop by to ask your questions about the Land Trust or learn about their latest projects.
You can be a part of the GBLT with new summer clothing! Choose from hoodies, hats, t-shirts, and more, or cuddle up in your very own Georgian Bay blanket or shop online for the full line of merchandise.
The Georgian Bay Land Trust is a charity dedicated to protecting wilderness lands along eastern Georgian Bay and the North Channel, through strategic conservation planning, land securement, stewardship, research, and education. They protect 67 ecologically significant places, including 16 in Pointe au Baril, which provide habitat for 50 species at risk and recreational opportunities for communities.
August 2022 Activities
Babysitters WANTED for PaBIA’s AGM, Monday, August 1
Do any of your kids or grandkids want to babysit members’ children (2 yrs +) while the PaBIA AGM meeting is ongoing? The movie hut has been set aside for any kids who after enjoying a blueberry pancake breakfast with their family in the dining room, can go play while the adults are in their meeting!
They do get paid, $25 or $30 each and ideally they would have their babysitter’s credentials. 9 – 11:30 am. Contact Virginia Skuce ASAP! Thanks!
PaBIA Proposed New Directors
AGM Agenda, Minutes and Financials
Before each AGM, PaBIA introduces proposed directors for the coming year 2022-2023 to join your PaBIA Board of Directors for the coming year. They are Cath Fairlie, Katie Findlay, and Trudy Irvine. They will join the following slate of continuing PaBIA Directors: Dave Sharpe, Mark Gwozdecky, Virginia Skuce, Mary Thomson, Michael Phippen, Nancy Rogers, Mike Berton, and Hilde Clark.
The Annual General Meeting 2021 minutes are linked here. The financials for 2021 can be found on page 32 of the 2022 PaBIA Yearbook.
Proposed Director of
Member Safety
Cath Fairlie has been coming to Pointe au Baril with her family since the late 1950s. She fondly remembers learning to swim and sail at the Ojibway Club camp. Cath took every opportunity to make sure she could continue to spend summers at the cottage, working at the Ojibway Club, Payne Marine, Desmasdon’s Boat Works, and then finally two years with the Coast Guard in Port Severn and Britt during university.
Cath has spent her career in the Information Technology business. She is currently a Director in the University of British Columbia Information Technology department where she is responsible for replacing all the university’s major administrative systems. She looks forward to summers at Pointe au Baril as a break from the hectic pace.
Cath lives in Vancouver with her husband John Brodie. She has a son, Connor, who is part of the 5th generation of Fairlies to enjoy summers at Fairwood Island.
Cath is excited to be the new Marine Patrol Chair as it is an opportunity to give back to the community. Her love of nature, especially Pointe au Baril, and her interest in Boating Safety will serve her well in this portfolio.
Proposed
Director of Education
For Trudy Irvine, a series of happy invitations and introductions led my family to discover Pointe au Baril ten years ago. We were smitten by the combination of incredible natural beauty and summer-camp-like sense of community. We still are so grateful for the introduction to the area via the Massie family, and we could not have enjoyed better Pointe au Baril mentoring from the years we rented a cottage from Hilde & Terry Clark. Upon learning from the Clarks that PaBIA was responsible for the installation of channel markers, we immediately joined up – being new to boating in the area, they sure seemed like a good investment!
Six years ago, my husband, Chris, and I and our two boys, Jamieson and Jack, were lucky enough to become the owners of our own cottage. Since that time, I have enjoyed becoming involved with the Ojibway Club Art Show and PaBIA Education Committee and have had the very special privilege to write a weekly nature column for the PaBIA eBlast.
With a background in science and a natural curiosity about my surroundings, I look forward to sharing my deep appreciation for all things Pointe au Baril with the Education Committee and the PaBIA Board of Directors.
Proposed Director of
Ratepayers & Government Affairs
Katie Findlay is joining PaBIA’s Environment Portfolio Team and brings a love of Pointe au Baril with her. She lives in Whistler, B.C., where she teaches high school English, Social Studies, and Outdoor Education, and goes skiing and mountain biking whenever she can. She spends as much time in Pointe au Baril as possible. Katie grew up spending her summers in Pointe au Baril in the cottage built by her grandfather, Hugh B. Hall, which is still enjoyed by the Hall family. She worked in the Ojibway Club Recreation Program for two seasons as a teenager. Now Katie and her family enjoy the Pontiac Islands Reserve, for which her mother, Martha Hall Findlay, is the steward.
Laura Fischer Dodge
PaBIA’s New GBA Representative
We are delighted to announce that Laura Fischer Dodge, a lifetime cottager in Pointe au Baril, has accepted the role of PaBIA GBA Representative to sit on the GBA Board, along with PaBIA Director Mark Gwozdecky. Laura replaces Dave Sharpe as GBA Representative, who will be retiring to assume his new role as President of PaBIA this August.
Laura brings to the role her deep background in business and volunteer work, plus the much-needed perspective as an American recreational property owner in Ontario.
Laura is an avid and strong racquet player and sailor and is currently managing a major renovation to her beautiful “Bijou” summer home in Pointe au Baril.
Having been education internationally, she worked as a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross responsible for POW Exchange Operations and then, for over thirty years, as a partner for ECORE International, a company manufacturing high-standard rubberized, athletic flooring by transforming reclaimed materials into performance products. As a volunteer, she has worked internationally in Brazil and Africa, fundraising and supporting women’s rights in Afghanistan, as well as teaching sailing in the Bahamas, and closer to PaB, volunteered with the Ojibway Art Show.
Please join us in thanking and welcoming Laura into her new PaBIA and GBA volunteer role.
Derelict Dock Clean Up Day – August 27, 2022
The Township of the Archipelago has agreed to waive disposal fees and help disassemble any derelict docks that are delivered to the station on August 27. This is a great opportunity to remove unsightly and potentially dangerous abandoned or derelict docks on our shorelines. It’s also an opportunity to get rid of that old dock of your own that you’ve been wondering how to dispose of!
If you know of any abandoned docks, please send the specific location and, if possible, a photo to Cath Fairlie. But please make sure it’s NOT your neighbour’s dock pulled up for winter storage! To avoid this possibility, please ask your neighbours before reporting it to Cath! Also please let Cath know if you are planning to bring in your own old dock as well. We need to report numbers to the Township so they can bring appropriate resources.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! The Township will dispose of them, but WE need to get them to the Station. PaBIA is looking for Community Volunteers to help out on “Abandoned Dock Day – August 27”. Sign Up by calling (647-545-9283) or emailing the Marine Patrol.
Our Marine Patrol at Work for Us!!!
This week has brought numerous exciting opportunities for us. We had the chance to arrange training sessions with both crews of the Britt Coast Guard. Our first meeting consisted of towing practice and docking a towed boat and the Marine Patrol boat was inspected to ensure it met all safety requirements. During our session with the second team, we went over practical first aid training. We, and the individuals from Britt, carried out different scenarios to ensure we understood how to respond to medical emergencies around Pointe au Baril. We greatly appreciated the feedback from both crews, as it has helped us to improve our skills and the bay will be safer for it.
Next month is abandoned dock day! The project was implemented to ensure our shorelines stay clear of debris, specifically the blue dock foam that is notorious for floating around our waterways. We have been confirming the locations of derelict docks throughout Pointe au Baril and if you or someone you know is available on August 27, please contact us via email or by phone at (647) 545-9283 to volunteer your time towing docks to the station.
The summer season is well underway, this past weekend being one of the busiest yet! We appreciated seeing everyone wearing their PFD’s while boating. If you see us patrolling and you are wearing your PFD, pull up alongside and get your voucher for ice cream at Desmasdons. We look forward to patrolling the marines for the upcoming weeks, ensuring the safety of all Pointe au Baril cottagers.
Let’s All Get Onboard with our PFDs!
Safety should always be at the forefront of our minds so we can continue to enjoy all that PaB has to offer!
OF INTEREST
Literally on the Bay
Book recommendations by Charlotte Stein, owner of Parry Sound Books
Edited by Janet Irving, Education Committee.
There is nothing – absolutely nothing – like reading a book on a summer’s day on Georgian Bay! This summer we suggest some books that are literally set on the Bay – or feel so much so that we just had to include them.
THE END OF THE POINT by Elizabeth Graver is a wonderful multi-generational novel about a close-knit family and the summer home that connects them all. The family grapples with the changes that come with time, in a place they want to keep as it has been for generations.
Dock Spiders
by Trudy Irvine, Education Committee
Did you know dock spiders don’t make classic spider webs? That they can walk on water and scuba dive for prey for up to 30 minutes? That while they eat mostly aquatic insects, they can tackle minnows, tadpoles, and frogs up to 5 times their size?
Like other arachnids, dock spiders (also known as fishing spiders) hunt by detecting vibrations created by their prey. But instead of webs, water is their hunting ground. With their back legs holding onto the shore, they stretch their body and other legs out on the surface of the water. Special organs in those legs and feet help them discern the direction, the distance, and the likely source of disturbances. Their legs and bodies are covered in fine, hydrophobic hairs, which allow them to float and run on the surface tension of the water like water striders. Quick on their feet, some dock spiders use a silk dragline to prevent them from speeding past their prey.
Air trapped in their hairy bodies also allows them to dive beneath the surface and remain submerged, covered in what looks like a fine, silvery envelope.
The breeding behavior of dock spiders is also interesting. After mating, the male remains attached to the female but will die shortly after, without any interference from her. The female then eats the male to ensure nutrition for rearing her young. Her brood consists of up to 1000 baby spiders in an egg sac, which she carries in her fangs like a cotton ball. When they are close to hatching, she will spin a small, dense web under a dock or in grasses to shelter her spiderlings, and she will stay close by as they develop, earning this species another name of “nursery web spider”.
Do not fear the bite of a dock spider – they are not aggressive and will withdraw when they feel threatened. Bites may occur if they are inadvertently stepped on or handled. Make sure you shake out those clothes you left lying on the dock before you put them back on!
Ojibway Art Show 2022
Breakfast with the Artists –
Saturday, August 6
Enjoy a continental breakfast with featured artists Lisa Hannaford, Elise Findlay and Claustro who will talk about their inspiration and process and answer your questions about their work and life on Georgian Bay. Breakfast begins at 9:00 am. Tickets are $30 per person.
For tickets, call 705-366-5085 or or email the office.
2022 Ojibway Club Art Show
August 3-7
Got your eye on a favourite piece yet? The online gallery is now available for viewing online. Sales will open on August 3rd at 10:00 am and continue until August 7th at 10:00 pm.
Plus, make sure to get your tickets now for these upcoming events:
Art Show Dinner – Wednesday, August 3
Come dine with some of our participating artists on the Club veranda. You’ll be greeted with a complimentary cocktail and enjoy musical entertainment. There will be a silent auction for some special art pieces along with a few guest speakers. Dinner begins at 5:30 pm. Tickets are $150 per person.
Space is limited so reserve your tickets now. Call or email the office at 705-366-5085.
Seeking Volunteers!
We’re looking for some eager helpers for the Marketplace and live Art Gallery. Times are available Wednesday through Sunday. Sign-up now by clicking on the link here
Follow along for the latest details and preview the roster of this year’s talented artists on Instagram and/or the Artshow’s Website
Ojibway Club Art Show Marketplace – August 5-7
Don’t miss this summer’s Art Show Marketplace! All are welcome to the Opening Cocktail Reception as we kick off on Friday at 5:00 pm. Hours are:
Friday 5-7 pm – Marketplace Opening Cocktail Reception
Saturday 10-4 – Marketplace
Sunday 10-2 – Marketplace
SAVE THE DATE to HONOUR Emmaline Madigan
Most Recent GBA Update
Please click on the logo to get the July’s GBA Update!
As a member of GBA, representing the largest association, PaBIA works closely with their staff as they work tirelessly on our behalf and that of all of Georgian Bay. We are so very fortunate to be a part of this effective umbrella group!
Yearbook Updates
With each eBlast, we will provide you a list of names of those members who have provided updated contact information. The details of all the changes since the 2022 yearbook came out in late April are provided in THIS printable format for you to print out and insert into your own Yearbook! As of June 9, here are the changes.
Paul Smith
Water Levels
Lakes Michigan/Huron Water Levels July 18, 2022
To better read the charts, please click on the chart for the Daily or Six Month Forecast Water level chart and the corresponding websites
Please support PaBIA’s Yearbook Advertisers 2022
705-728-4067
This site’s advertising feature was created to provide assistance for special local information &events for existing Yearbook advertisers only.
Click on the logo to go to the website
Emergency
• PaB Nursing Station
• Canadian Coast Guard
Search and Rescue
800-267-7270
• PaBIA Emergency info
PaBIA
- Board Minutes June 24, 2022
- Annual General Meeting Minutes 2021
- PaBIA Map 2019 correction
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