Small boats head out for the annual Messabout sailing race: MacGregor canoe, three Melonseeds and a Ducker. Photo by Ron Gryn

Updated 6/3/09


Delaware River TSCA




WHAT'S NEW:

  • Next Meeting, Tuesday July 7th, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Red Dragon Canoe Club
  • The July meeting is the annual cookout. Come early and bring boats and food!
  • Check out our photo pages with 2003 highlights.
  • Check out our events calendar last updated 4/9/2009



WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO:

The Traditional Small Craft Association is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization that works to preserve and continue the living traditions, skills, lore, and legends surrounding working and pleasure watercraft powered by paddle, oar or sail. The Association encourages design, construction and use of such boats, and it embraces contemporary variants and adaptations of traditional designs.

The Delaware River Chapter of the TSCA is a regional organization providing enjoyable, yet practical links between users, designers, builders, restorers, historians, rowers, paddlers, sailors, government and maritime institutions. The chapter meets on the first Tuesday of each month at locations convenient to the greater Philadelphia area.

MONTHLY MEETINGS:

The Delaware River TSCA holds a general membership meeting on the first Tuesday of every month. Visitors are always welcome. Stop by and check us out! Meetings are normally held at the Red Dragon Canoe Club mansion (need directions?) on the Delaware River in Edgewater Park, NJ. During the warm weather months, members bring their boats to meetings for a round robin of evening rowing and sailing before the official meeting starts.

Meeting programs are planned to both educate and entertain the members and their guests. Programs range from presentations by product manufacturers, to multimedia presentations on the histories of indigenous small craft in the region.

Members frequently provide presentations on their own building projects, sail camping trips, and the personal creations of gadgets and processes employed in their sailing and rowing activities. Meetings are lively, interactive and educational.

A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS!

Several formal and informal rowing, paddling and sailing events, meets and races are scheduled throughout the season. Notable among these are the annual circumnavigation of Petty's Island, held in May; the annual Messabout on Union Lake (Millville, NJ), held in September. Members also travel together to regional and national small craft events like the WoodenBoat Show and the National TSCA Small Craft Festival, and the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival in St. Michaels, MD.

MAINSHEET:

Mainsheet
is our monthly newsletter that goes to each paid member in the last week of the month. In each issue we recap the business of the Chapter, inform everyone of upcoming events and throw in a feature story or two of general interest to the membership. Occaisionally, members list boats or maritime accessories for sale in classified ads. (PLEASE NOTE: ads from non-members will only be accepted on a limited basis. For information, contact the editor)

Click below for past issues (requires a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader):

2005 January 2005 | February 2005 | December 2005

2006 January 2006 | February 2006 | March 2006 | April 2006 | May 2006 | June 2006 | July 2006 | August 2006 | September 2006 | October 2006 | December 2006

2007January 2007 | February 2007 | March 2007 | April 2007 | May 2007 | June 2007 | July 2007 | August 2007 | September 2007 | October 2007 | November 2007 | December 2007

2008 January 2008 | February 2008 | March 2008 | April 2008| May 2008 | June 2008 | July 2008 | August 2008 | September 2008 | October 2008 | November 2008 | December 2008

2009January 2009 | February 2009 | March 2009 | April 2009

(2003, 2004, & 2005 back issues available by equest; contact the editor)


OUR BUILDING PROGRAM:

Members join together to assist each other with the creation of brand new "Traditional Small Craft" and related accessories. Over the years we've built railbird skiffs, a variety of dories, a rowing and sailing skiff, several Whisp designs, Six-Hour canoes, a computer designed Wineglass Dory, and two replica Delaware Duckers, one contemporary and one traditional. Working either alone or as a part of a team, the membership builds, sails and maintains their boats as a link to an earlier and easier time.

As a part of our building program, the chapter invites and encourages beginner and novice "wannabe" boatbuilders to learn the crafts and skills of small boat construction in both the modern and old fashion methods.

WANNA PLAY?

Interested in joining in the fun?

Membership is only $20.00 (that's right, just $20 for the year) and send it to:

Delaware River TSCA
Ron Gibbs, Treas.
107 Orchard Road
Paoli, PA 19301


or email Mike Wick at mikewick55@yahoo.com for more information

Send comments about this site to the DelRiver Webmaster



TSCA Member-owned or supported Businesses and Organizations

Linthicum Sailmakers Logo Linthicum Sailmakers, Inc. is a custom sailmaker specializing in new sails, canvas items, repair services and rigging.
607 Grace Street
Somerdale, NJ 08083 USA
email Brad at brad@linthicumsailmakers.com


(Please see National TSCA Website for more links)


Events Calendar | Member and Boat info | National TSCA Website