Blair's Blog

This is the third year for our family to go to Thetis Island to one of Capernwray Harbour’s Holiday Bible Camps. This year we totally changed our mode of transportation and flew to Vancouver using Aeroplan points. We then rented a SUV (using Aeroplan points again), hopped on the ferry to Duke Point, drove to Chemanius, caught up with Opa and Oma and caught our second ferry but this time to Thetis Island. So what in the past has taken us three days, a couple nights in hotel, many kms in the confined space of a minivan, took only 10 hours. The kids still got to ride on the ferry and I was in a much better mental state.

Ok, so the Big One was not the trip out here. So, what was it? Capernwray has many activities but one that Alyssa looks forward to the most is to go Ocean fishing. The fishing trips are done on a lottery system because there are only 8 spots and with over 100 guests the chances are pretty slim to get your name picked. Well in typical Langendoen (my maiden name) fashion for the past 3 years we have managed to get our names picked to go fishing. The first year, Alyssa and I went, the second year, Dave and Mark went and this year, Alyssa and I got to go again.

At 6:00am this morning Alyssa and I assembled all the necessary fishing gear – snacks, fashionable hat, camera (charged and with lots of memory), lucky fishing dress and last but not least we sent our chai wallah (Dave) to go and get us coffee and hot chocolate.
We were ready!! After a 20 minute ride in the fishing boat it was time to drop our lines. This being Alyssa’s second time she demonstrated the pro that she was and first caught a rock cod (which waved at us with spiky fins), then a greenling, then a sea cucumber, and then to finish the trip off Alyssa caught the Big One! A Ling Cod that was easily over 5 lbs. Still not quite big enough to keep but pretty impressive all the same.

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So we are on our way to the West Coast – except we were tired of that old RV and had to get something bigger. So we got an Airbus 319. Well, Air Canada is letting us have the use of it for an hour or so.
Actually, with all the Lancaster visit business, we just got too pressed for time to be able to drive comfortably, so we are flying to Vancouver and renting a car. We’ll be at Thetis this afternoon.

Tags: Travel

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In my earlier post, I mentioned that Brenda’s work at the Aerospace Museum of Calgary this summer has revolved largely around the preparations for the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s (CWHM) Lancaster bomber western tour. On Tuesday, when the Lanc arrived in Calgary, there was a reception for the CWHM crew and local dignitaries as well as a number of veterans. Once Brenda’s duties at the door were complete, I joined her and we spent the pleasant summer’s evening chatting with some of the staff and volunteers from Hamilton and touring through the Lancaster.

There were only about 150 or so in attendance at the reception, so there was plenty of opportunity to spend a bit of time in the aircraft, the CWHM personnel were unfailingly pleasant and knowledgeable and more than willing to answer any and all questions. They even put up with Brenda’s cheekiness! (Go ahead, ask Brenda how to tell the difference between a Canadian-built Lancaster and a British-built one.)

It was quite the fine evening and a rare chance to have a really good look at one of only two remaining airworthy, operational Lancasters in the world. Although the Mynarski Lanc is a museum piece, the fact that it is actively used and flown lends realism to the historical artifact – it smells of fuel and hydraulic oil. And, as we discovered today when the Lanc overflew our house, the sound of those four roaring engines is unlike any other aircraft today. The sense of history is profound when you consider the 10’s of thousands of young men that risked or gave up their lives in Lancasters.

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Given the recent significant interest in the family regarding Lancaster bombers, when I saw an old copy of The Dam Busters lying on the kitchen island, I decided to give it a go…

The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill (ISBN unknown*), 1951, Pan Books
This classic World War II book recounts the story of the famous raid on the German dams in May 1943. The story begins with Barnes Wallis contemplating how he might use his skills as an engineer and aircraft designer to shorten the war and describes the challenges that he faced in persuading a beleaguered military command structure to hear out his ideas. In hindsight, it is easy to see the genius in Wallis, but at the time his ideas surely would have seemed outlandish.

Eventually the military command is convinced that the scheme to destroy key German dams with Wallis’s “bouncing bombs” is feasible and the book describes the formation of the famous 617 Squadron of the RAF who were, at great cost, able to carry out the raid on the dams. At this point the focus shifts away from Barnes Wallis and onto the airmen of 617 Sqn, who despite an early reputation for being given suicidal missions, eventually become renowned for their precision bombing and their ability to destroy highly fortified enemy targets.

The Dam Busters literary style shows a heavy British influence in it’s elliptical and somewhat flowery prose – it is dated but seems to suit the era described. The sense of fatalism of Bomber Command aircrews is quite evident – not surprising given the very high casualty rate of bomber crews, with aircrew having only a 1 in 4 chance of surviving a tour. In all, a good book that has stood the test of time over the past 60 years.

*The ISBN standard did not exist until 1970. Although the edition of The Dam Busters that I read was a 1978 reprint, it appears that no ISBN was issued.

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