This afternoon, at the same time as the Memorial Service in Dartmouth was being held in honour of Michael Schaus, his friends who are here in Florida gathered for our own service. Kenna asked me to lead the gathering in saying goodbye and remembering Mike. I would not pretend to have been a close friend of Mike, yet I did spend enough time with him to know what a great, unique individual he was, and I found it a great privilege to stand with my friends and teammates to honour such an incredible person and amazing paddler.

These are the notes that I read to open the gathering and a final poem I found fitting
for saying goodbye:

In times of sadness we often look for the support of family. We are blessed in our sport to have a tight knit community, a family, which extends from coast to coast in Canada and from club to club. Today we are gathering to share the sadness of the untimely passing of Michael Schaus and remember together his special life and dear place in our paddling family.

John Donne famously wrote that,

"No man is an island, entire of itself
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
The whole is less. "

And so are we today, a little bit less. We are all feeling the loss of Mike. But we are also remembering what we have gained from knowing Mike and what we will keep with us from our time together with him, forever. Some of us were best friends with Schaus, grew up with him, won and lost races with him, others spent time here in Florida with Mike or went on tour with him, and some simply hung out with him a couple of times. But everyone was touched in some way by Mike. By his big smile, his enthusiasm for paddling, and his welcoming, kind spirit.

Let us first mark Mike’s passing with a moment of silence, after which Geoff Clarke has a request to pass along from the Schaus family and then we will open up for anyone to casually share a memory, a story or say a few words in Mike’s honour. After that those who want to can walk together to Mathers bridge and toss a flower in memory of Mike into the river and have a private moment of saying goodbye. But first let’s pause for a moment of silence and honour mike.

Now Geoff has a special request for us from the Schaus family….

Geoff told us about the memory box, which will collect short accounts of everyones dearest memories of Mike at the service today in Dartmouth. Geoff said he will be collecting written notes from those who want to contribute and that they will be sent back to Nova Scotia to be put with the others.

Now we will open up to anyone who wants to casually share a story or memory of Mike.


Many of Mikes friends and team mates spoke and told touching stories, funny memories and shared there sadness of losing a dear friend and joy of having had time with Mike.


If I can I would like to close with what I feel is a fitting poem to honour Mike, with him growing up in Dartmouth on the edge of Halifax Harbour and having spent so much of his life on or around water. The poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson about his own approaching end, describes what he hopes will be a calm passing from the harbour of this Life past the bar, or the shallows at the mouth of a bay, out to the deep unknown ocean of what comes next.

----

Crossing the Bar.

Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar.

-----


Now those who want to can walk out together to the bridge and throw a flower to the river where we all train together, and say a private good bye to our dear friend.



Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the Schaus Family, Laura Tuper Ring and the whole Banook Canoe Club family. Today we are all Banookers.

YAK FOR A STACK MARCH 14th, 1pm. Pines Resort Docks, Florida.

Its that time of year again...we are closing in on the one month mark ahead of the famous and prestigious Yak For A Stack. Part of the annual preparation for the trip to Florida, along with packing, passport renewing and boat cover searching is thinking about what this years costume for the big day will be. Paddlers form across Canada and around the World who are headed to Florida for intense training are mentally preparing for the long battle ahead. The battle to be crowned best costume at Yak For A Stack 2009. In order to excite the YAK spirit in everyone I have posted a chronological photographic summary of the costume winners for the first 5 years of the event. In recent years the compotition has been stiff, but Gab and Mark have sufficiently stepped up to the challenge each year and have amazingly retained the crown of Yak Costume champion for all 5 years of the event. Can they do it again or does another person or group have what it takes to take away the title?