Small boats head out for the annual Messabout
sailing race: MacGregor canoe, three Melonseeds and a Ducker.
Photo by Ron Gryn
Updated 4/4/12
Delaware River TSCA
WHAT'S NEW:
Bylaws Change: All dues-paying members are considered to have opted into receiving email announcements from the club. They may opt out of receiving email at any time. All non-members will have to opt in to continue to receive emails and newsletters. This web page will have an opt-in and opt-out form, and all current email and newsletter recipients will have a chance to opt in or out of the new system before it goes live.
Our April project is working on Marion Brewington in the Workshop on the Water at the Independence Seaport Museum. The tentative schedule is:
Wed April 11; Marion arrives mid-morning and comes off the trailer and into the shop
Thur April 12: Prep work and sistering the cracked rib
Sat April 14 and Sun April 15
Paul Skalka and helpers working on the boom crutch
Bill Covert, Floyd Beam and helpers working on the sprit and sail
Mon April 16-Wed April 18 - Grind the laps, seal the gaps, tighten the centerboard
Fri April 20-Sun April 22 - painting, varnishing, and finishing
April 25 - we must be out to make room for the next boat. Hard deadline.
Next Meeting, Tuesday May 1, 2012 at 7:30pm at the Red Dragon Canoe Club.
Arrive early for messing about in boats. Paul Grey will present on the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race..
Upcoming Meetings:
Tuesday June 5 at the Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club, 5:30pm. In the past open sailing has started mid-day. Ian Hedges and Floyd Beam on the new Pacific Pelican that Ian built for Floyd.
Tuesday July 3, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 5:30pm. Annual picnic, boating, messing about. Feature presentation TBD - please send suggestions. Tentatively the current development plans for Burlington Island.
Tuesday Aug 7, 2012, Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club, 6:30pm. Pond Boat racing before the meeting, featured presentation George Loos on the Cape May Maritime Museum's ongoing restoration of Monomoy Surf boats.
Tuesday Sep 4, 2012, Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm, Come early for boating and messing about. Feature presentation: TBD - please send suggestions. Secondary feature: planning for the annual messabout.
Saturday Sep 8, 2012, Annual Messabout. Union Lake Sailing and Tennis Club.
Tuesday October 2, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm Feature Mike Bill on building a home-made wood kiln. Secondary feature, planning for the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival on October 5-7.
Tuesday November 6, 2012 Red Dragon Canoe Club, 7:30pm. Featue presentation TBD - please send suggestions
Tuesday December 4. Annual holiday dinner. The Gallery Restaurant, Burlington NJ. 6:00pm start, 7:00pm dinner.
Our older news and events are now being archived on this website.
The TSCA and the Delaware River TSCA both contributed to the Cold Water Safety program. Their printable brochure will keep you safer in cold water.
Mike Wick and friends have created a new website: traditionalsmallcraft.com with information and building tips for melonseeds, duckers, beach skiffs, and other traditional small craft of the Delaware River Basin.
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 and at the Union Lake Sailing and Tennis club (need directions?) 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)
(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
