My copy of Boating magazine came and had as its cover story: “28 TIPS FOR WINTERIZING.” Yes, it's Fall. But living in this region, I know there will be boating weather into November.

As I write this message we are in the midst of Annapolis Power and Sail Shows, with the Annual Meeting fast approaching. We had another terrific Oktoberfest this year at the home of members Tom and Marcia Auth. Club member Hank Riser, GM at Pocahontas Marina, provided free launching for those who came by boat. Then Hank took a group of us for a really great cruise from the Auth’s all the way to the West River and back on his late 1970’s Lyman Cruisette!

Our most recognizable event, The Antique and Classic Boat Festival, held every Father’s Day Weekend at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. was another great success this year. We thank our partner and host The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and their wonderful staff. Special thanks go out to Festival Chair Maryann Fiaschetti and the dedicated team of volunteers who work so hard to make this event so enjoyable for attendees and participants. I would like to also acknowledge member Chris Brown for his tireless work promoting this event (and the club in general), and founding member Chuck Warner for taking on the often difficult and thankless job of Dockmaster. Without talented members like these, this massive undertaking could not be achieved.

The weather was gorgeous. Lots of visitors came through the gate to check out the great boats and to indulge in all that the vendors had to offer. I attended the vendor breakfast and have to tell you that the vendors who attend our festival are a very special and talented group. John Into, our Vendor Chairperson, is diligent in seeking out quality vendors. I urge you to support these wonderful folks and also get to know them…they are a part of our extended family in classic boating.

We have had some challenges this year also, and I want to assure you as club president, solutions have been put into action.

If you haven't done this already, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with our various forms of member and non-member communications. The club Website continues to add features and functionality as one of our main sources of communication and our public face in cyberspace. Substantial investment has been made and that will continue. We thank Linda Kempin for so generously sharing her expertise in internet marketing, and for giving so much of her limited spare time to our club.

Periodic email messages via Constant Contact are yet another tool we rely on to communicate with members as well as prospective members and firends. Although these messages are a helpful source for announcements we encourage you to visit our website regualrly for additional club insights and more expanded information about upcoming events.

The Stuffing Box is a periodic newsletter exclusively for our members. And I have great news: The Stuffing Box has returned! At the beginning of my term as club president, we found ourselves with no Stuffing Box staff to continue, no one in the wings, and no one willing to step in. While not a quick fix, the Board commissioned a committee headed up by Steve Izant to identify which direction to take. They contacted numerous other chapters and found our problem was not unique.

A few significant findings are:

• Shift toward electronic delivery is the norm.
• Most chapters burn out their newsletter staff.
• The production cost of a high-end color newsletter was a drain on club resources.

As a result we are returning to a more simplified and economical Stuffing Box format. Our thanks to CBC member Howard Johnson for stepping up to produce the issue you are now reading. Howard always has great information to share and can do it in a fun and entertaining manner.

So The Stuffing Box is just one of the topics we will be discussing for this coming year.

Goal: Activities/events posted to website calendar 90-days in advance including contact info of organizer; descriptive article of event submitted to webmaster 60-days in advance; email alerts for activity commence 30-days prior to activity/event.

Another challenging area has been boating activities. Frankly, we just did not do enough boating as a club this past year. A major push this coming year will be to have much more fun with boats. Think about it, if just a handful of members help organize and run one activity each, we would have a boating activity every month of the boating season.

Speaking of activities, it occurred to me that in our continuing quest for new and younger members to join our club, we need to have activities that will attract them. Family Activities: activities geared toward members with minor children and/or grandchildren might be the draw; more fun on the water! We can unearth or even build some vintage water sport toys, water ski, go fishing, let the youngsters take the helm (supervised), and teach them the rules of the road. When the sea nettles make local spots uncomfortable, we can venture further afield to places like Raystown Lake (PA), Deep Creek Lake (MD), or Lake Anna (VA). Perhaps you know an even better destination?

Goal: Implement a minimum of 1-boating activity per month from May-October, 3 or more being Family Activities.

I find a fairly consistent consensus among the members I speak with that keeping a focus on the basics of restoring and having fun with our vintage watercraft is the best way to perpetuate the hobby. Fun is infectious, catch it! Want to share your ideas? Come to the next Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, December 7 in Severna Park. The meeting is open to all members, and you can get more information when you check out the event listing on our website calendar.

See you on the water!

Joe

Joe Sibila
Chesapeake Bay Chapter President 2013