The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

iL SCRE, © TT he Te 4 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 23, 1999 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Port Perry vet's ocean odyssey By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star Sailing has always been a passion for Ted Natanek. So when he decided to immigrate to Canada from Poland to pursue a veterinary profession, he never considered crossing the Atlantic Ocean any other way. Born in Nowy Sacz, Poland, a town near the border with Slovakia, Dr. Natanek graduated from veterinary col- lege at the University of Warsaw in 1990. Normally it takes six years to complete a veterinary degree, but for this student it took three extra years, all because of a dream: To build a 44- foot steel sailboat for the transAtlantic crossing. There was another reason to stay in university. As long as he was in school, there was no chance of being drafted into the Polish army. At that time the army did not enlist men older than 28. When Dr. Natanek graduated from vet school, he was 28. "I delayed finishing school for three years and was safe from joining the army when I graduated," he said. Building the sailboat was a big task, but not an unusual one for the young sailor had worked in the shipyard in Trzebiez, on the shore of the Baltic Sea, during school vacations. While the sail- boat wasn't luxurious, it was solidly built, rigged with an auxiliary motor and outfitted with basic equipment and electronics. "We didn't have a lot of fancy gadgets; that would be too expen- sive," he says. In August 1989 the Nekton (it's a Greek word, meaning all creatures liv- ing on the open ocean) entered the water before making the grand depar- ture on April 29 the following spring. Making the trip with Dr. Natanek were his brother, Gerard, who helped finance the trip, and two friends. All were experienced sailors. In Poland sailing is strictly regulated. For every level of sailing you pass, you are awarded a licence for that degree of pro- ficiency. Having sailed since he was five, Dr. Natanek had spent hundreds of hqurs on the Baltic Sea. Leaving the seaport on April 29, 1990, the eager crew started on their three-month odyssey. Despite having transmission problems and being inter- Beware of Bad Breath Dr. Ted Natanek, seen here with patient Sebastian, realized a life-long dream when he sailed to Canada from Poland. He's practicing here in Port Perry now. rogated by French commandos toting Smacking guns, the crossing went we The encounter with the French sol- diers occurred as they were sailing through the narrow Straits of Dover one foggy evening. When a nearby vessel shot a flare into the sky the French army mistaken- ly stopped the Nekton and its crew, assuming they were smuggling nar- cotics and weapons out of the country. "They meant business. Armed with submachine guns, they thoroughly searched our boat for two hours," said Dr. Natanek. "It was scary because they didn't explain why they stopped us. Of course, nothing was found, and they let us go." After a week's stay in LeHavre, France for final preparations, they sailed through the English Channel toward the open sea. Two weeks later Fire halls are drop-off stations-at Easter Organizers with the local food bank are getting set for the annual Easter Food Drive, the first of two large dri- ves which keep the shelves of Operation Scugog stocked. Scheduled to be held April 1 to 3, the Spring Food Drive will be used to top off the local food bank's shelves, which were last filled during the Christmas Drive last December. Operation Scugog, located at the Kinsmen Hall on Simcoe St. in Port Perry, continues to be a busy place on Wednesday afternoons when it opens its doors to the township's less fortu- nate. While the organization has been able to keep up with the demand for food, there has been an increase in those applying for help, which makes the need for a successful drive that much more important, says co-ordina- tor Anne Wanninkhof. Operation Scugog launches its annual spring food drive 'tions of the Scugog Fire Department Local schools, grocery stores and Hank's Pastries help out the effort tremendously, she says, noting that they have helped keep the shelves filled over the past three months. The Spring Food Drive held last year was initially a bust, but further appeals through local newspapers eventually saw more than enough donations come through. Anyone interested in helping out can drop non-perishable goods off at Port Perry IGA, Reid's Independent Grocers, and Mike's Food Basics. Both Port Perry and Caesarea sta- will also be accepting donations from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 1 and 2 as well as from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 3. For further information please call Anne Wanninkhof at 985-7271 or Kathryn Gundry at 985-8015. they docked at the Portuguese Island of Sao Miguel to fix a broken transmission. "We stayed there for a week, resting up and making the needed repairs." Although the Nekton experienced further mechanical difficulties, Dr. Natanek says he never feared for his safety: "I knew we had a good boat, and with its size, we could sail anywhere." From Sao Miguel they sailed a fur- ther 19 days until arriving at Halifax, where Wiesiek, another brother, joined them. After staying in Halifax for 10 days they sailed down the St. Lawrence River to Toronto. In the many weeks it took to cross the Atlantic, the crew experienced no extreme hardship, said Dr. Natanek. "That was a piece of cake compared to what we encountered on the St. Lawrence River," he said. "Here we were trapped in permanent fog, endured narrow passages, rocks and, in some cases, shallow water as the huge ocean liners and cargo ships passed by." To hone his English skills, Dr. Natanek read a lot during the voyage. "When we weren't manning the sails I was reading a vast library of travel and history books I brought along," he said. "If I hadn't had these books with me it would have been a boring cross- ing." He also caught on film whales, tuna, some sharks, antics of the dolphins, "and the most incredible sunsets." After landing in Toronto Dr. Natanek worked for his brother's construction firm for a couple of years. In 1992 he began working to certify himself as a licensed veterinarian. Vets trained overseas must pass a three-part exam administered by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. All graduates must take the first two parts of the exam, but those trained abroad must take a third segment, a practical test of their clinical skills. After Dr. Natanek passed his first two exams, he worked in a mixed prac- tice in Manitoba. In 1995 he wrote the practical test at the Saskatoon Veterinary College. I wouldn't want to. go through that again," he said. Writing nine exams in four days -- some of them lasting five hours -- was really tough, but he passed them all and is now a fully licensed vet- erinarian. Coming back to Toronto in 1996, Dr. Natanek, 38, worked at small animal clinics in the city. Just before Christmas last year he came on staff at Brooklin Veterinary Hospital and Port Perry Veterinary Services. He's never regretted making the long trip across the Atlantic or the process he had to follow to become a licensed vet- erinarian in this country: "True, I've had my ups and downs but, really, I have no reason to complain." While the Nekton is currently dry- docked at Penetanguishene, she'll be sailing on the waters of Georgian Bay again this summer. "Sailing has been and always will be a good part of my life," said Dr. Natanek. "It's my destiny. I hope to sail around the world some day." The YMCA is currently accepting registration for their fourth annual Lunch with the Easter Bunny. It will be held Wednesday, March 31 at the Port Perry United Church from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the fee is $5 Jerson (children 18 months and free), which includes lunch, bev- erages, 'Easter crafts, face painting with Valentine the Clown and a visit with the Easter Bunny. Y hosting Easter Bunny breakfast ~~' ister contact the YMCA at 985-2824. The Easter Bunny will have treats for all children and live bunnies will be available to pet. Parents are encour- of to bring their cameras for person- photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. Pre-registration is required. The deadline to register is Monday, March 29. All proceeds to go the YMCA Community Fund, ; For further information and to reg- Thieves back in town, say police Durham Regional Police are warning merchants to keep an eye out for a pair of shoplifters working the area. Const. Al Robins of Port Perrys 26 Division said two suits were stolen from an Uxbridge clothing store last week; the incident resembles methods employed by a group of nomadic thieves who struck here last year. "What happened was very similar to the group of travelling gypsies that were in the Port Perry area last year and stole thousands of dollars of merchandise from local stores," PC Robins said. Sometime around 4:40 p.m. last Wednesday (March 17) a man and woman, both in their 50s, entered the Strawberry Threads store in Uxbridge. They distracted an employee and took two suits off a rack, police say. They were last seen driving off in an older-model mid-size dark car. Both are described as having heavy accents and a dark complex- ion. The male had short, slicked back hair, and stood about 6 feet,7 inches, and weighed approximately 170 pounds. The woman had long hair which was tied back, and also was about 5'7" and weighed 140 pounds. TE TR ET TT a, Cy