Tom Auth

2012 Chesapeake Bay Chapter President

Thanks for checking out my website musings.  I have to be honest, my website update is one thing I have neglected last year, but promise to be more diligent this coming year. I feel like our Chapter has accomplished a lot in 2011, but 2012 presents more challenges and opportunities. Our membership is in the 250 range and, notwithstanding these difficult economic times, you have continued to support the Chesapeake Bay Chapter. I am grateful for your ongoing commitment. I do hope that you find your membership provides you a value in terms of our Stuffing Box, our programs, social functions,  this website and most importantly our members, who are willing to help one another with our respective projects and problems that we encounter messing around with our boats.

As I mentioned in the winter 2012 issue of theStuffing Box, I have more ideas and thoughts to share about this coming year and perhaps into the future.  The Stuffing Box editors keep me on a tight leash as far as word count goes to leave room for more interesting content.  A good choice I readily admit.

So what else is on my mind?  Well, one of the things that I have been ruminating over is hosting the annual ACBS International Meeting and Boat Show.  We were in the queue to host the International meeting in 2013.  I had not fully prepared myself for that undertaking last year, focusing primarily on critical Chapter functions such as revitalizing the Stuffing Box and setting up monthly functions for our members to attend and enjoy as well as building fellowship and an esprit de corps.  The Board ultimately decided to punt, borrowing an old football phrase, on hosting the meeting in 2013. Quite honestly, we were not ready, or perhaps more accurately, I was not ready to take on that challenge.

Having, for the first time attended an International Annual Meeting last September, Marcia and I got a better insight into what would need to be done to successfully host a meeting.  We also had the benefit of meeting Don and Kathy Parker of the Heartland Chapter who were leading the committee hosting the 2012  Annual  Meeting at Table Rock Lake, MO as well as and Jerry and  Lynda  Van de Vusse of the  Water Wonderland Chapter, who lead the 2010 Annual Meeting.  We learned a lot from our conversations with them as well as experiencing the meeting.  Our conclusions are that we believe our Chapter can possibly host International for its 2014 meeting.  We will be exploring a potential schedule of events that we feel will be manageable for the Chapter.

The International meeting consists of three parts: pre-event activities, the annual meeting with elections and a boat show.  The pre-event activities begin with the arrival of a relatively small contingent of ACBS members on Sunday evening.  This group usually participates in a river run and other boat related activities.   Our view is that Annapolis would be an excellent location for the pre-event portion of the meeting.  We can arrange a river run on the Severn River on Monday, with a picnic.  Monday evening maybe a pub crawl or perhaps a sailboat trip to Cantler’s for a crab feast.   Tuesday, potentially, could be a day trip on Watermark’s boat, which leaves Annapolis City Dock in the morning and cruises to the Maritime Museum  in St. Michaels.  That evening we may be able to arrange a dinner at the Officers Club on the Naval Academy grounds.

Wednesday would be a free morning to explore Annapolis and then the group would head to the Hyatt Convention center in Cambridge, MD for the meeting and boat show.

Our challenges will be to explain how we wash our boats off and flush our engines after salt water use.  A supply of fresh water and wash down stations may need to be set up.

One might ask “Why go to all of this trouble?”  I’ve asked that question myself.  Quite honestly, I got my answer by attending the International meeting last September.  Marcia and I had the opportunity to meet so many nice people in the three days that we were there, attended some excellent programs relating to our hobby and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.  There is no doubt that work will be involved, but I think it will be well worth the effort to take a turn at hosting the International meeting and the opportunity to showcase our beautiful Chesapeake Bay.

I plan on making a presentation to our Chapter Board at the April meeting.  If you have any comments, positive or negative, constructive or otherwise, I want to hear them.  We will need the support of the Chapter to accomplish this.  My email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or call me at 410-798-0298.

So with that, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
"The Wind in the Willows" Rat, Ch. 1.

‘Til next time, I wish you fair winds and following seas.   

Tom Auth

President

Chesapeake Bay Chapter - ACBS

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

410-798-0298