BCBusiness

TANYA GOEHRING JULY/AUGUST 2017 BCBUSINESS 139 WEEKEND WARRIOR I started rowing three and a half years ago. I was 63. I had given up golf because of my back, and I wanted something that would build strength and keep me t and that was symmetrical. I called the VRC [Vancouver Rowing Club] and I said, "Do you have a coach you can match me with?" So I set out blindly with this coach who took me through this startup process. She taught me all the basics. That was down in Coal Harbour. If you can row in Coal Harbour, you can row anywhere. You're contend- ing with the big yachts coming in, other rowers, the tides, the waves, the seals, the deadheads, the wake from the SeaBus, the wake from the airplanes landing. It's a bit of a tragedy waiting to happen. Then after about 18 months I thought, "There's got to be another place to row," and I ended up out at Burnaby Lake Rowing Club. They are mostly elite rowers out there, and here's this rookie, the oldest person on the dock. I approached the coach out there, whose name is Cinda Ewton, and she said, "OK, I'll take a look at you." So I went out for a little bit, and of course I was Žubbing around. I came o' the water, and she said, "Well, you're teachable." It was the ultimate carrot for me because I thought, "OK, somehow I've got to earn her respect." So I worked really hard for the next few years, and Cinda is a fabulous coach with incredible patience. I feel so privileged that at my age I've found a strenuous sport that I just love. It's very meditative; it's very rhythmic. Being out on the water, just you and the boat, is something very special. —as told to Marcie Good If you're planning a dinner out with friends, how about a little privacy? L'Abattoir, the brick-and-beam room in Vancouver's Gastown where co- founders Paul Grunberg and chef Lee Cooper have served French- influenced West Coast cuisine since 2010, recently launched the perfect hideaway with No. 1 Gaoler's Mews. Billed as a restaurant within a restaurant, this private monthly dining event takes a cue from the likes of Brooklyn's Blanca and Kitchen Table in London's Bloomsbury neighbourhood. Grunberg and wine director Lisa Haley host the 10-course dinners for eight, which change menus monthly and include wine pairings, in a sleek open kitchen across the cobblestone courtyard behind L'Abattoir. Guests, who sit side-by-side at the counter, facing Cooper and his crew, receive printed tickets that can be mailed to them individually and parting gifts from the restaurant. At a preview in April, the meal began with canapés such as spicy tuna pizza and foie gras parfait with quince and grilled bread. The courses that followed included asparagus, boudin blanc and bagna cauda; barbecue pork, beetroot and rhubarb; and dark- chocolate and orange tart. Needless to say, tickets, which go for $230 per person plus tax, are scarce. To be the first to know about future dinners, sign up for the No. 1 Gaoler's Mews digital newsletter at gaolersmews.com or follow @gaolersmews on Instagram. –Nick Rockel Eight is enough for your own private dinner at No. 1 Gaoler's Mews MAKING WAVES Order of Canada recipient McKinstry takes the oars on Burnaby Lake Nancy McKinstry is a director of HSBC Bank Canada and a former partner at Vancouver-based investment firm Odlum Brown Ltd. She is also the founding member and chair of the Minerva Foundation, which delivers leadership and mentorship programs for women. NEW + IMPROVED WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT Dierent Strokes Minerva Foundation chair Nancy McKinstry rows for tness and serenity

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