COWICHAN WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY
Board of Directors and Staff
The Directors
Dave Knott - President
I was born in the county of Essex in England, I have been messin' about in boats since I was the tender age of 5, learning to sail in Sabot type dinghies then onto open clinker cutters. The coast around Essex/Suffolk is rich in the traditional art of boat-building, with many examples well over 100 years old, still afloat and in great condition. When Tina, my wife, and I married we lived on an old war time Air-Sea Rescue launch, 70 feet of double-diagonal mahogany with twin Merlin Spitfire 1000HP engines. The boat was moored at a small village called Tollesbury in a tidal mud berth and spent most of its time sitting on the mud. Close to us was a very traditional boat yard that had been in existence for generations, specializing in building,repairing and restoring smacks and Thames barges, it was a real marvel to see two old shipwrights of 60 bend a massive oak plank into shape using steam and basic tools. I often got to help but it always seemed to be the messy jobs.
Upon moving to Canada in 1978 I was a bit disappointed to see that most boats seemed to be plastic, but once discovering Cowichan Bay I realized that there was hope yet. I own and operate the Cowichan Press, a trade I have been in since leaving school. I also have the pleasure of being steward to my 21ft Halliday sloop "Murralet" which has been around since the 1930's. It is great to be an active part of the CWBS in keeping the spirit of those two old Tollesbury shipwrights alive.
Peter Holmes - Treasurer
I was born on the east coast of Essex, England, in a sailing community where I spent many hours hanging around the wooden boatbuilding yards and grew to love the smell and activity and sounds. It was about ten years later; after another move, I ended up in the county of Cornwall at a village called Rock on the north coast; now the most sought after sailing residence in England. (It wasn’t then!). There, I took to the water and coast line, poking around the sailing club, doing a lot of rowing around the estuary, and sailing in, “Flying Dutchmen, Enterprises and Wayfarers” ...some wooden and some not. I have spent half of my life very close to the ocean. My wife Beverley and I have chosen Cowichan Bay as our home. We moved here from Calgary 9 years ago. My working life has been varied in England, including many years in landscape restoration and maintenance after acquiring a horticultural diploma from Merrist Wood College in Surrey. More recently; in the twenty years previous to moving here, we were in the garden design and construction business as well as a couple of other contracting businesses. We took them to a level where we were able to sell up and move to the island, where we had both dreamed of living. I now consult in the landscape industry on a part time basis.
Hylton McAlister - Director
Graduating From UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Hylton hired on with a Consulting Engineering firm in Vancouver. He subsequently joined BC Telephone Company as a programmer analyst and a year later took a 2 year on-loan transfer to HQ Statistical in Montreal. Returning to Vancouver, his career then branched
into staff positions in Rates and Marketing; then Costs Prices and Economics. With the demise of stringent regulation, and new competitive marketplace, Hylton joined the newly formed
competitive division of BC Tel as Marketing and Engineering Manager - Data Systems and subsequently became New Ventures Manager responsible for the identification of new business opportunities complete with the attendant business planning and implementation functions. Later, with the formation of a national service organization, Hylton joined Stentor as Director of Service Development. Two years later with the reintegration of Stentor employees back into the parent company, Hylton then assumed responsibility for the marketing of all local and then all long distance services.
Hylton resigned after 28 years and moved to the Cowichan Valley. He wrote his real estate license examinations and became an accredited mortgage broker.
Hylton purchased his first ( and last ) wooden boat at the age of ten. It was an 8 foot clinker, cost $10.00, weighed more than he did and on a calm day had 9 inches of freeboard. When the wake
of a Black Ball ferry capsized the dinghy, his desire for another wooden boat sank with it. Hylton is passionate about the planned Maritime Centre addition and the benefits it will bring to the Community. He serves on the newly formed building committee and is responsible for, amongst others, the financial affairs of the new structure.
Bob Weinberg - Director
I have a maritime background, beginning with my Latvian grandfather, who was pressed into the Russian Navy in 1896 and later jumped his ship in Vancouver in 1902. He changed his name from Puce to Weinberg in order to land a job in a German- owned sawmill in Port Moody. My father went to sea at sixteen on the "Steamtug Sadie" and in 1928 became a bosun in the Canadian Hydrographic Service. Later he became a Captain for Nelson Bros. Fisheries and finally served as a B.C. marine pilot. I joined the Hydrographic Service after UBC as a surveyor and chartmaker. I served on the Parry, the Marabelle, and the William J Stewart charting the B.C. coastline. On the Storis (US Coastguard) and on the Camsell (Canadian light icebreaker) our team also surveyed some of the Western Arctic. During that time I saw Starvation Cove ,resting place of Franklin's expedition and Gjoa Haven where Amundsen wintered. For the last forty odd years I have worked as a supercargo for various companies starting with Anglo-Canadian and latterly with Westwood shipping. In that time I oversaw the loading of container ships in all the deepwater ports of B.C.and occasionally Washington, Oregon and Mexico. I retired to Cowichan Bay.
Alma Owen - Director
My affinity to the sea began being born in a country literally reclaimed from the sea i.e. The Netherlands. After immigrating to Canada with my parents, specifically to BC, we lived in the interior, then settled in Surrey, BC I attended Simon Fraser University as a mature student and achieved a teaching degree and thereafter taught grades six and seven for twelve years. During this time I was also a founder and director of the FPA Fine and Performing Arts Society which offered a myriad of arts programs to the community. I relocated to Victoria BC and attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre at the University of Victoria just for the intrinsic joy of studying theatre. There was a price to pay for "intrinsic joy" therefore employment was imminent. I worked at the Land Title Office in Victoria BC as a title examiner until retirement two years ago. Additionally during this time I was a founder and president of Rocking Horse Theatre Society dedicated to producing entertaining and educational theatre for young audiences and their families. However there was always the call of the sea. University breaks and vacations were spent at Long Beach near Tofino where the sounds and sights of the ocean revitalized me. My husband and I moved to Cowichan Bay three years ago where we live on a converted fishing boat (seiner) and love every minute. I am excited to offer my time and enthusiasm to help the Maritime Centre achieve being all the more an integral part of this community.
Gloria Craig - Director
Gloria was born. (End of discussion) She came to Canada as a babe in arms on the S.S. Aquitania. She grew up in Montreal and in rural Ontario. There, Gloria met the love of her life and he was drawn to the water. His dad, a seaway architect, had mapped out every waterway and they travelled on those lakes, rivers, and canals. They became wilderness canoe trippers and when they had completed a trip to James Bay in 1985, HE suggested they explore BC. They spent the next few years making plans to move. On a ferry a stranger suggested, "They come by for tea" when in the area. That led them to Cowichan Bay and in 1988 they bought their place and in 2000 built a home on the bay. Gloria has been a volunteer in our area for many years and in many capacities. She brings a range of experience and a passion for our community. She looks forward to serving the community as Director of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society.
Lew Penney - Past President
I was born in the Maritimes and grew up around wooden boats. Moving to Cowichan Bay in 1999, the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society was a natural fit. It was an ideal opportunity to revive and indulge my passion for wooden boats, after many years of just dreaming. Soon after becoming a member of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society, I got my own wooden sailboat and I was hooked! I have since built a cedar strip canoe and a stitch and glue rowing scull at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre. In addition to my boat building, I have also taken an active part in the Board of Directors and have served the past two years as President.
The Staff
Suzan Lagrove - Executive Director
Suzan Lagrove joined the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre in February 2008 as the Executive Director. Suzan has a diverse background including human resources, marketing, and event planning. As the former Regional Manager of Hudson’s Bay Heritage for Western Canada, she shares her passion for history, and heritage through lectures and programs. She was honored with the YWCA Woman of Distinction nomination for Arts, Culture & Heritage in 2006.
Minutes of Last Annual General Meeting held on 15th November 2011
