estore AMIDST THE snap of niast- Charles Cates argemasscer | ae SOME: Rohn ae top flags ina fresh spring breeze and the smell of red cedar dust and Fiberglas, a crowd of 100 invited guests, marina workers, old salts and curious onlookers turned out in brilliant Saturday afternoon sunshine to wateh an elegant ‘fece of North Shore history relaunched, By Timothy Renshaw Managing Editor It’s been 81 years since she was originally put to sea and about 13 years since she has been used for anything much at all, but the Charles H. Cates looked better than ~ new as itwas lowered into Burrard Inlet waters in front of the Mosquito Creek Marina, Trimmed in black, red and deep sea green, the 40-foot wooden- hulled double-cuder is a master-. work of red cedar, white oak, fir ‘and brass —-a testament to the + dying art of craftsmanship and an “elegant and. dignified link between “ }past and | present. Foremost in attendance al the _vessel’s relaunch was the equally “elegant and dignified wife of the date James Cates, Helen Cates, “built the same year” as the Charles “H., and her niece Suzanne Cates ‘Dodson, the driving force behind ‘the vessel's resurrection. “Helen Cates first rode in the ‘Charles 4..in 1929, when both were ‘16 years old. Back then it was ; “affectionately known as the Gavie, {short for Gaviota (Spanish for seag- _/ ull) — the vessel's original name. * The Gaviota was built as a plea- sure. craft: for C.H, Cates and Sons '. founder, Charles H. Cates, by Andy : Linton. But the First World War ‘interrupted the Gavie’s intended © pleasurable pursuits, and she was put to work in Vancouver’s harbor docking deep-sea vessels. . * For much of the latter part of her career she was used for what she was originally intended: a pleasure raft for Cates employees, who ‘“used heron holiday excursions in local waters and as transportation to .the Cates family’s Woolridge: _ Island retreat in Howe Sound. For, the past decade, however, the ves- sel has languished at the towing . company’s North Vancouver dock. “After C.H. Cates and Sons was -. sald in 1992, the Gavie was offered - to the North Vancouver City muse- um, but the museum could not afford it. So Suzanne Cates Dodson, the eldest daughter of "Charles Warren Cates, one of : Charles H. Cates’ three. sons, _ bought the vessel with the help of 7 her husband, Earl Dodson, and Aunt Helen. . Maytals NEWS phote Nell Lucente BEING LOWERED into Burrard Inlet on Saturday is the Charles H. Cates. The 1913-vintage vesse! has been completely restored. About 100 people watched the launch at Nort Van's Mesquito Creok Marina. See page 38 for more ohotos. And the Gavie's complex -restoration project began. Enter Fred Amor, a skilled craftsman with 10 years’ experi- ence working with wooden ships and a former employee of the Britannia shipyard in Steveston. Toiling with a tearn of 12 ship- wrights and craftsmen for over a year, Amor. literally rebuilt the Gavie from the hull up, plank by plank, rib by rib — without any original plans. Thirteen years of sit- ting idle tied to the Cates docks had left the Gavie with little salvage- able material above its waterline. As a result, nearly every new piece of the vessel had to be hand- made, from. the bow roller to the intricate fir deck planking. Suzanne Cates Dodson is reluc- tant to say haw much the Gavie’s resloration cost, but educated guesses and assorted sea-going esti- mates put it at well over $200,000. It is an investment in a beloved family member well worth the time and effort, for the finished product is a regal piece of history refloated — proof. that there is future in the: past and enduring strength in the "family. Advertorial « * Ted White, M.P. #302 1200 Lynn Valley Rd. North Vancouver - ‘W7I 2A2° Telephone: 666-0585 Fax: 666-0509 “THE BLOC VISITS NORTH VAN. It's true. | have invited an MP from the Bloc Quebecois, Michel Guimond, to visit North Vancouver for some public meetings and a Shaw Cable interview. A funch meeting sponsored by the North. Vancouver Chamber of Commerce ‘will be held at 12 noon, Friday May 13th, 1994. Tickets are $19 for Chamber-memibers, $23 for non- members including lunch. Call 987- 4488 to reserve a seat or even a whole table. A general public meet- ing takes place at the North Shore Winter Club at 7:30 pm that evening. Please help us estimate seating requirements by calling my office on 666-0585 if you plan to attend. The Vancouver Kiwanis are sponsoring a ‘downtown business lunch at the . Hotel Vancouver on Thursday May - 112th, 1994. Call 685-7274 for infor- mation. Please take advantage of a f chance to hear the: policies of the | Bloc Quebecois directly from a Bloc f MP. and then ask your toughest questions at the end of Michel's | speech. CALLS AND LETTERS - The calls and letters to my office # about the Bloc tend to fall into one of three broad categories: § (1) The sooner they go the better | will like it. I'm sick of pandering to Quebec. (2) Over my dead body they'll leave! f If | have to take up arms and have a 4 civil war | will not allow them to break up Canada. (3) Well, they are adults and if they F make the decision that they truly do not want to be part of Canada then | } will accept the result and do my best to negotiate a working relationship. Lucien Bouchard has said, and | quote, “The political problem with | Canada is Quebec, and the problem 4 of Quebec is Canada. Thirty years § ago the horns were locked. Thirty years later we are still at it, as if frozen in a time warp.” : In an article for Canadian | Parliamentary Review he wrote that | the Bioc takes its “sovereignty” responsibilities ‘seriously, “We know § what it is Quebecers expect us to do, and they would never forgive us if we deviated from this path.” He states that Quebec is the only } Western nation with more than seven million people not to have | attained political sovereignty and } that all we have to show today despite the best wills in Quebec and English Canada is bitterness, suspi- f cion, lack of understanding and a profound collective lack of affection. . \ ARE THEY SERIOUS? | believe what Lucien says is true - ihe Bloc is serious about its inten- } tions. Last Wednesday | was dis- cussing with a Bloc MP the Government plan to repair structural | problems in the West Block. We both have our offices there and will have to move to another building in { a couple of years while repairs take place. He said to me,"Well it will not affect me because by then we will § be gone. Things are going very well § in the polls in Quebec. We are going | to win.” If they do win, the above meetings may have been the only chance you § had to listen to, and pose questions § to, a member of the Bloc Quebecois. © TPS New Pulaace Aubictic Shoe, Inc. Bosten, MA 05154. Al rights Hl i ae hw rae ot Aa de Wednesday, May 4, 1994 - North Shore News - 9 We pour resources into tennis players’ shoes, not their pockets Does our emphasis on research and development rather than celebrity endorsements make our brand a little less glamorous? Maybe. But when was the last time glamour helped you get to a cross-court backhand? — | LSTAR SPORTS PARK ROYAL NORTH! 922-2115 @ JEWELLERS ist Anniversary OALE | ENTIRE STORE WTO | Appraised Velue $1600" . Now $599” 37.50 TDW ild Fis st TOW SLU @ 3/4 ct SLH was $3100% was $6950” ow $27492.4 0 DAE 3/4 ct TDW SL-H was $2900° 3/4 ct TDW SLH < . was $3050° At Lynn Valley Centre North Van. wae Lel, 988-8258 ©