The Anchorline is the SBYC's monthly newsletter, published 10 times yearly. The Editor requests subsmissions to the Anchorline be received prior to the 20th of month for publication at months end.

November 2009 Anchorline
In This Issue
Kerry Sorrenti's story on the "Pig Wars"
Your Commodore's Report
Fleet Captain's cruising report
Membership Report
November 30th AGM
See Photos from last year
Did you know?
Historian's Report

Commodore's Report
What a great summer! Kerry & I thoroughly enjoyed the cruises and have some great memories, especially of the San Juans. The summer may be over and the warm weather a distant memory but there are still more activities to enjoy with your club.
One of my favourites is the November cruise to Pirates Cove. An excuse to get "dressed up" or is it dressed down! Whatever, its not a far destination and you'll enjoy the company. Our AGM at the end of November is also our unofficial Christmas function. A chance to meet and greet, enjoy your first turkey of the season as well as the Used Nautical Gift exchange. Dig in the bilge, garage or shed and wrap up your favourite used nautical "whatever" and bring it along for the exchange. It's great fun.
This is also the time of year to splurge on lights to decorate your boat for the seasonal Lighted Boat Parade in December. I know we did have snow last year but that just added to ambience. Hope to see you all in the coming months.
Cheers,
Jordan

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Pig Wars; part deux
By Kerry Sorrenti
I had a real patriotic shot in the arm during our yacht club’s fall cruise down into the San Juan Islands. We (Canadians) were cheated; duped, snookered, thoroughly hoodwinked. The San Juan Islands should have been ours! It can all be blamed on a German diplomat and a pig.

This was our first cruise into our American counterpart and I was leery about all the rules for crossing the border in a boat: did I need to eat all the apples and bananas, feed the luncheon meats to the fish, and pour the scotch down the hatch before landing at customs in Roche Harbor? It was probably a good thing that we passed off our large patio planter to friends in Montague Harbour, but I really could have kept the bananas; our customs agent was friendly and reasonable.

I was, however, puzzled by the profusion of Canadian flags flying everywhere in this picturesque seaside village. It seemed more than required just to make Canadian tourists feel welcome.

The flags in combination with the whole Truman Show/Walt Disney theme happening made the village seem almost eerily perfect. If you ever spent time at a lodge in Muskoka during the ‘50s, you’ll get the picture. Cue the carillon from the historic church playing “Bill Bailey.”

That night, I was further confounded when the evening “Colors” program was announced. With the blast of a cannon, several smartly dressed fellows began to lower and properly fold and march away with first the Canadian flag to “Oh, Canada,” followed by the same pomp accorded the Union Jack to “God Save the Queen,” followed by the lowering of the American flag to “Taps.”  I had tears in my eyes; no kidding.

I later fount out that guilt may have played a part in this over-the-top display of Anglophilia.

The next morning, Jordan and I took a dinghy trip down to historic English Camp. Here we found the well-kept remnants of a former British military camp, also the location of a Hudson’s Bay outpost in the 1800s.

A plaque next to the dinghy dock reads:

“Hands across the border, an expression of goodwill donated by The International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians; Vancouver Island Fleet. August 4, 1984.”

We let this beautiful island go and we still gave them the dinghy dock? Could we be any more Canadian? We got Robert Bateman and they got Steve Miller?

Dreamspeaker, the cruising guide we use for the San Juan Islands, gives a mini- explanation of how it all came about.

The San Juan Islands are a group of islands that include San Juan, Patos, Stuart, Sucia, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Waldron, and a few others. Both British and American (and obviously Spanish) explorers, fur traders, and military had at one time or other inhabited them. After the Oregon Treaty of 1846, when the British and Americans came to some agreement about the ownership of Vancouver Island and the islands that lie between it and the mainland, there remained some ambiguity about the San Juans. Although they do fall below the 49th, the British felt that a line should be drawn down the east side of these islands, through Rosario Strait, while the Americans envisioned the division down the west side of the islands; down Haro Strait.

With no resolution, the British continued occupying San Juan, the largest of the group of islands, and set up a Hudson’s Bay outpost where English Camp is today. By 1859, several dozen American farmers had settled on the south end of the island, a mere 15 miles away.

 Here’s where the pig comes in. A British pig was caught red hoofed in the garden of an American who proceeded to shoot the errant pig. The animosity continued to escalate over the next dozen years even as the U.S. president and newly appointed governor of Canada made an agreement that both countries would have a military post on the island; neither having more than 100 soldiers.

In 1871, a decision was made to finally resolve the issue with an arbitrator, Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany. He decided in favour (favor?) of the U.S. The British moved out.

I wonder how he made that decision. Was he bribed? Was the ink even dry before the Americans began to take the “u” out of “-our”?

The San Juan Islands are one of the prettiest spots I’ve ever been. From the idyllic charm of Roche to bustling Friday Harbour; a full-service town with restaurants, bars, shops, Chinese food, Mexican food, and even Paradise Lanes, the bowling alley where we held the first-annual Silva Bay Yacht Club bowling tournament.

The waters in the area are noticeably pristine and clean looking, perhaps due to the strict no-dumping laws in the U.S. Even the marine parks have manual pump-out stations.  In the marinas, there are boats with cute (?) names like “Phecal Phreak; we take crap from anyone,” or “Pumpty Dumpty.”

Wildlife is abundant. Water fowl, otters, seals and Dall porpoise surround you constantly.

I fell particularly in love with Sucia Island. It offers terrific kayaking along with some of the most interesting shorelines with fossil-laden cliffs and exciting rock beaches. (I love rocks and pebbles.) A short dinghy ride away is Patos Island, a marine park that boasts a picturesque light house.

And from either of these islands, as well as Stuart, you can practically reach out and touch Canada. You can see the cars driving on Saturna for heaven’s sake! The people in the San Juans don’t even have accents and they listen to Victoria weather stations. And they know where Gabriola is. Come on; they’re already practically Canadian!

...Getting a live pig through customs might be a tad difficult, but where there is a will; there is a way.  Trust me; fighting for the San Juans would be a fight worth fighting!

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Fleet Captain's Report

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Membership Report
Pleased to report that we have 107 memberships representing over 200 people involved in our club.

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Social Events
2009 Xmas Dinner and Annual
General Meeting