COWICHAN WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY
Board of Directors and Staff
The Directors
Lew Penney - 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.
Dave Knott - Vice 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.
Barb Hopkins - Treasurer
Born in Victoria, as was my father, I am truly an island girl. My Grandfather was a founding partner in Pacific Piledriving in the early 1940's. In those days the crews lived on board the Pile Drivers when the jobs were out of town, which the majority were and my Mother was a cook on the driver. Dad joined the company in the late 40's and Mom and Dad were married in 1950 and as they say the rest is history. My father was also a deep sea diver and both parents were scuba enthusiasts. As children we spent many family outings on the beaches of Vancouver Island while Mom and Dad dove. Being on or near the salt chuck was a way of life, as was traveling to remote job sights with Dad. I believe that serving on the Cowichan Wooden Boat Board of Directors is a way of honouring my father and grandfather and helping to retain a key part of our island history. Without the dedicated mariners of the past we would not be here to enjoy the richness that this island has to offer.
Len Mayea - Secretary
I was born and raised in Duncan and after attending UVic, began my teaching career in the Cowichan District in 1964. In 1968 I sailed to New Zealand where I taught for a year and then to Britain where I taught for another two years. I returned to the Valley in 1971 and taught in the Lake Cowichan District until 1999 when I retired. I have always had an interest in wooden boats so in 1988 stopped by the Maritime Centre several times and talked to Keith Sandilands. So began my lengthy stint as a CWBS director.
In 2004, Dr. John McInerney donated Marcelle, his 32 ft pilothouse sailboat, to the Society and I began doing volunteer work on her. After much thought and talking with Eric ("she's structurally very sound and will require only about 100 hours to fix up") and to others, I decided to buy her. I've been working on her since August 2004 and have put in more than 5000 hours (just a bit more than what Eric said). I have completely refastened her with silicon bronze screws, built a new cockpit and head, put plywood covered with epoxy and fiberglass on top of the deck and cabins and done many other jobs. I have been able to restore Marcelle because of all the advice I got from Eric and by being able to use the shop. I have especially appreciated all the encouragement and support I have received from our members. By being in the shop five days a week for almost five years, I have been able to really see what a tremendous facility we have.
Pete Edgar - Director
Pete's enjoyment of the sea started as the first employee of International Hydrodynamics, the creators and builders of the Pisces series of submersibles. Helping to construct and to fly Pisces I gave Pete a great love and respect for west coast waters. After a long stint of respectability in the computer world, Pete moved from 2,000 feet under the sea in a steel hull to the surface in wooden hulls, where, at his advanced age, he is able to enjoy the whims of wind and weather in much greater comfort.
Hylton McAlister - Director
Having always lived close to the ocean, Hylton got his first boat at the age of 10 - a dilapidated 8 ft wooden clinker with 6" of freeboard on a calm day. His first real taste of the sea came soon thereafter when a 2 ft "rogue wave" sank the boat and everything in it. It never was recovered. This prompted Hylton to join the naval cadets for 5 years spending time at both Comox on the west coast and HMCS Cornwallis on the east coast. Hylton's passion is fishing. He has fished New Zealand, Alaska, the Baha and most places in between. Visiting the Charlottes is an annual event. Hylton and Dianne moved to the Cowichan Valley from Vancouver in 1996, where they now live with their golden retrievers Charles VI and William of Orange.
Lorraine McDonald - Director
The happiest hours of my life have been spent at sea. Making the move from a fiberglass sailboat in 1976 to a newly constructed wooden sailboat in 1978 was like a religious experience. I was hooked on wood!. Since then I have worked on boats ranging from patrol with the Coast Guard in the arctic, to a charter boat off Turkey, to a charter business sailing in the Queen Charlotte Islands; usually living on my own wooden boats when “at home”. Many of the boats I have worked on have been steel, but the most beautiful aspects of all of them have been their bits of wood trim. I was a director for the Maritime Centre for about 15 years from its inception, and am delighted to be back on board (or should I say, on the board), working with a group of dedicated, hard working and fun-loving wooden boaters. I’m not saying that a passion for wooden boats makes a lot of sense; it just feels good. My involvement with Cowichan Wooden Boat Society will keep my passion for wooden boats alive, as I help sail and maintain the CWBS boats; especially since I have now “swallowed the anchor” and bought a house in Cowichan Bay, the “Cowichan Oceanview Bed & Breakfast.”
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.
Eric Sandilands - Shipwright
Eric grew up in a boatbuilding family on the West Coast and took formal training in Wooden Boatbuilding at the New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrew. As a second generation boat builder, Eric started building wooden boats in 1980, and became full-time in the industry in 1989. In addition to having his own shop for many years he also worked for various boat manufacturers in British Columbia. Eric has been teaching for ten years, and enjoys seeing an appreciation of traditional boatbuilding being transferred to his students.
